The Secret Healer

Die heimliche Heilerin #1

by Ellin Carsta, Terry Laster (Translation)

In the fourteenth century, opportunities for women are limited to the home. But spirited young Madlen finds her calling as assistant to the city’s trusted midwife, Clara. Working alongside Clara, Madlen develops a surprisingly soothing technique and quickly becomes a talented healer.

After Clara’s tragic death, Madlen alone rushes to assist the birth of a local nobleman’s child. But rather than the joy of birth, Madlen walks into an accusation of murder and witchcraft because of her extraordinary gifts. Forced to flee her own town, she establishes a new identity in the home of her aunt. Yet even though it endangers her life, she cannot resist the urge to help the sick patients who seek out her miraculous treatment. When she meets handsome Johannes—an investigator hired by the Church to bring her to justice for sacrilegious acts—she becomes drawn to the very man who could destroy her.

Will Madlen’s gifts bring about her downfall? Or can love and reason prevail in a time of fearful superstition?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance, Ebooks, Adult, Germany

364 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 2015

Reviews

[Gabby · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Kindle first read. I don't know if it was the translation or the actual writing style of the author, but the writing was too simplistic and it seemed very anachronistic. Actually, a lot of the situations and characterization seemed anachronistic to me. Many characters were flat and boring. And the continuous shifting of points of view sometimes made things confusing. Had a hard time believing that this was the late 1300s Europe.

I managed to finish, but would not recommend.

[Rosemarie Short · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first thing I will say about this book is that the description is misleading.

When she meets handsome Johannes—an investigator hired by the Church to bring her to justice for sacrilegious acts—she becomes drawn to the very man who could destroy her.

I was imagining, as I began to read, that an Inquisitor meets girl of his dreams, who may or may not be a witch, and has to wrestle with his conscience as she strives to prove to him and those around her that she is innocent. That was what I wanted to read. That isn't what happened. She only finds out he's an Inquisitor after they're married and she's pregnant. He only finds out she's a 'secret healer' after she finds out he's an Inquisitor and wisely runs far, far away. Their interactions, for the most part, are all incredibly bloodless.

This is extremely romance light, which wasn't a massive deal for me. Once I realised that this wasn't the pairing I thought it would be, I was happy to go along with just plain historical fiction. Although I thought the feminism was nice (if a little easy at times) and the main villain was deliciously disgusting and hateful, I felt the translation really held me back from enjoying the novel fully.

In a historical fiction I like immersion. I'm not saying I like everything to be in the correct dialect and grammar of the time - but the translation of language here sounded so modern that I was often thrown from the story by it. It's a shame, because I really liked a lot of the characters. The women were more fully formed than the men, and more characterisation, less plot, would have been really nice. The amount of things which happened meant that many players were uneven in their thoughts and actions.

This is a fun, quick read. However if I were Ellin Carsta, I would seriously consider changing translator, or else giving the translator a little more creative freedom to write less literally and more naturally - the loss of pacing and authentic feeling language definitely dampened my enjoyment of what otherwise could be a great, only partly fictitious, look at women healers in the 14th Century.

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heidelberg 1388: Madlen hilft der Hebamme Clara bei ihrer Arbeit und lernt vieles von ihr. Als Clara stirbt und man Madlen bittet, einer angesehenen Bürgerin bei der Geburt ihres Kindes zu helfen, gerät Madlens Leben aus der Spur. Das Baby kommt tot zur Welt, der Frau jedoch kann Madlen das Leben retten. Dennoch wird sie angeklagt, am Tod des Babys Schuld zu sein. Doch es kommt noch viel schlimmer, und bald muss Madlen aus Heidelberg fliehen...

Mein Leseeindruck:

Dieses Buch hat mich von Anfang an gefesselt. Die Geschichte von Madlen ist unglaublich spannend und ich habe sehr mit ihr mitgefühlt und gehofft, dass sich endlich alles zum Guten wendet. Madlen erlebt unglaublich viel und muss immer wieder um ihr Glück kämpfen. Dabei wirkte die Geschichte aber nie unglaubhaft auf mich. Ich konnte mir alles gut vorstellen; die Geschichte liefert ein gutes Kopfkino!

Der Schreib- bzw. Erzählstil ist dabei sehr packend und gleichzeitig flüssig. Die Charaktere wirken glaubhaft und (zum Teil) liebenswert. Ich habe mit Madlen gefühlt, gelacht, geweint, gehofft.

Wer gerne historische Romane liest, dem kann ich diesen Roman nur empfehlen! Ich bin froh, dass es noch weitere Bücher der Autorin gibt, die ich noch entdecken darf!

[Jordan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Terrible terrible terrible. It should not have taken me this long to read this book but I just couldn't bring myself to keep reading it. The writing is elementary at best: no descriptors, interesting dialogue, or beautiful language. The translation is clunky, but even that can't account for the fact that this is just written poorly. The characters are one-dimensional or just plain inconsistent. Both the hero and the villain are one note and the supporting characters are boring and undeveloped. We don't even really know what any of them look like! Some of them flip flop in character throughout the plot in an unbelievable manner. And speaking of the plot, that's horrible too. It feels like the bad first draft of a Hallmark movie set in the Middle Ages. Ugh. Just bad bad bad. Do not recommend.

[Charlie Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Secret Healer talks about Madlen, a woman who works as a healer in northern Germanic Europe during the "witch hunt" times. Though the story was interesting enough to keep me intrigued, the writing style was odd and often times simplistic. Perhaps some of that was lost in translation; I don't know. Had the writing been better, I would have given the book a 4 or 5 star.

[Maxine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, despite the fact that it contained some serious flaws, which other readers have also pointed out.

Although I liked its heroine immediately, I put down and picked up the book several times before getting hooked.

Madlen is a young girl in 1300's Europe, training with the local midwife, Clara. The midwife is compassionate and skilled, and Madlen is a devoted student. When Clara dies suddenly and tragically, young Madlen is soon called upon to assume her duties. After assisting in a complicated situation, Madlen is accused by the woman's husband, a vicious and powerful member of the local gentry, of causing the loss of the baby.

Although acquitted, Madlen's life spirals out of control as the vengeful husband continues to persecute her. Madlen's father, a poor working man, considers her a burden to be married off. Her mother is long dead. Her father's only concern with Madlen's plight is that it might ruin her chances with the man he's chosen to be her husband.

Forced to flee after being framed for a heinous crime by her nemesis, Madlen, with the help of her brother, sets off in cruel winter with only slight hope for her future and her very survival.

Madlen's story sheds light on the plight of women and of class privilege in the Middle Ages. Childbirth was perilous. Doctors were of little help, but superstition and ignorance made being a healer or midwife dangerous. If things went wrong, they were often accused of witchcraft or sorcery. But there's a heartwarming sisterhood among women, a willingness to stand together to help and support other women.

The story itself is good, though somewhat marred by the inclusion of things that seem out of place for the times. There is a surprising use of words that appear more like 20th Century slang than 14th, and the courtroom procedures seem almost like TV courtroom dramas of today, peopled with characters from a 1300s town.

Even if sometimes a bit implausible, The Secret Healer is an interesting read, with moving moments and surprises contained within.

[Betsy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually push through even mediocre books, but I couldn't take this one past half-way. Apparently the historical fiction I'm used to is fairly well researched, but this one was far from that. It was a light, modern story set 600 years in the past - complete with low class folks defended by lawyers and midwives who take modern sanitary precautions. I gave it a try but had to move to something that let me lose myself in the past.

[Melodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I pushed through this mildly interesting but mostly mediocre romance. A young woman with knowledge of herbal healing finds herself up against the superstitions and fears of her time. Additional wrinkle is that she finds herself married to one of the church's prosecutors.
Language very simplistic, characters either flat or over the top.It had promise but failed to deliver.

[Sally · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the most un-historical historical novel I've ever read. It's the 1300's but people know about germs, how to do CPR and women's rights were already starting.
Did the author not research at all? And they used modern day slang and sayings! Just bizarre.

[BeeHay Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a pharmacist, I was intrigued with The Secret Healer's skill with herbs. Nice story line, kind of a predictable plot, however, overall an entertaining read (& free on Amazon).

[Coco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannender Roman mit einer tollen Protagonistin.

[Erin (Historical Fiction Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find this and other reviews at: http://historicalfictionreader.blogsp...

My interest in Ellin Carsta’s The Secret Healer began with its sequel. The Master of Medicine intrigued me, but I have trouble reading books out of order, so I chose to backtrack and pick up the initial volume of the Die heimliche Heilerin series.

First and foremost, I want to note The Secret Healer is not immersive historic fiction. Carsta’s worldbuilding is thin and there is virtually no meat to the story. I hate turning anyone off a novel, but I genuinely feel this volume is best-suited to readers who prefer lighter fare.

Carsta’s cast is large which might have been difficult if the characters had been more complex, but I found them easy to keep straight. Each has a very defined role in the novel and while I’d have personally liked a greater degree of development and depth, I feel the simple characterizations appropriate to the style and tone of the narrative.

Thematically, the novel reminded me a great deal of The Whaler by Ines Thorn. Carta’s work takes place in the 1300s while Thorn’s takes place in 1700s, but the subtext of both novels tackles the social disparity that existed between men and women for the vast majority of German history.

[Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secret Healer (The Secret Healer Series)

The story of Madlen. This is a story of a time where women could do many things and healing other could get you kill of you were a woman. Madlen help her friend who was a midwife and when she was kill Madlen was as to help a noblewoman and her problem begin. Can Madlen find happiness or will she be on the run? Great story.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many people didn't care for this book but with the translation and everything I read it knowing full well that it might be askew and with that in mind I really enjoyed it. I'm on to the other book in the 2 book series. With everything in mind take a chance. I thought it was good right out of the gate (forgetting it wasn't written in our time).

[Turtelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich fand das Buch so schlecht und doch hats mich irgendwie gefesselt und ich konnte nicht aufhören zu lesen. Ganz seltsam. Ich fands schlecht geschrieben, sehr simplistisch. Stilistisch absolutes minimum. Erzähltechnisch gabs eigentlich auch nicht viel her: „Wer bist du? Meine Nichte? Aha, ich kenn dich nicht, aber du kannst oben einziehen.“ So gings das ganze Buch durch, als hätte man jegliche Erläuterungen weggestrichen. Eigentlich war auch die Geschichte nicht wirklich was neues... aber irgendwie wars dann wieder gut zu lesen, wenn man sich erst mal an den Schreib- und Erzählstil gewohnt hat. Ich werde erstmal mit Band 2 weitermachen. Auch weil es sich flott liest.

Nicht wirklich zu empfehlen, obwohl... ?

[Sarlis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hatte auch hier was anderes erwartet. Dennoch an sich war die Geschichte flüssig und aufeinander aufgebaut. Aber ich konnte eben nicht so richtig mit den Protagonisten mitfühlen.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5🌟

[Judy Churchill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Madlen is a 14th century woman with a tender hearted skill for healing people. She uses herbs and natural methods, but is accused of working with the devil. She had a number of close escapes. The book was very simplistic and minimally interesting. I did finish it, however.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mir war der Schreibstil etwas zu einfach. Rein von der Sprache her hatte ich nicht das Gefühl, im Mittelalter zu sein. Aber die Geschichte ist großartig, mitreißend und man fiebert die ganze Zeit mit, was als nächstes passiert.

Wer bislang keine historischen Romane gelesen hat, sich aber gern mal mit der Thematik auseinander setzen möchte, dem kann ich das Buch empfehlen.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Most of the characters were compelling and interesting, especially the heroine, her aunt, her lawyer, and the villain of the story. The history wasn't particularly accurate. There were a lot of mistakes and obvious lack of research, and some incredibly jarring anachronisms, especially in the legal proceedings and the manner of speech sometimes used by the characters. The romance was kind of bland, and I never could figure out what was going on with the heroine's relationships with her father and brother; those needed more background and development. I ended up flipping through the last third of it, after it became too boring to keep reading word by word. After the heroine's marriage, things just weren't as interesting, even though she had more adventures to go through before the end of the book. I did read the ending, and it was satisfying enough, but probably more of an ending expected of a romance novel than a historical novel (and I went into this book thinking it was primarily a historical fiction novel, with some romance....which is what it was, until the end).

I know this was translated from German, which may account for some of the anachronisms in speech. But, it can't totally explain a mediocre and poorly researched book. I'd recommend it to someone who doesn't know a lot about Medieval European history, and just wants a good adventure story.

[Paul Burnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 14th Century was no time to be a healer, though the need then was greater than today, what with bleeding and prayer being the most used treatments available to university-trained doctors. At the outset, Madlen is a 15-year-old girl living in Heidelberg occasionally assisting a midwife and healer with births and herbal remedies. Her father Jerg does not appreciate her absences from the housework. Following the midwife’s untimely death, and responding to her own wish to be helpful to suffering folk in her city, Madlen predictably falls afoul of the evil nature of an ambitious local nobleman. The story and the characters, though not fully rounded out, are engaging from the first pages onward, and we find ourselves alternately rejoicing at Madlen’s good fortune and then despairing with her as fortune’s fickleness turns her joy inside out. The plot passes from crisis to bliss to crisis, sometimes rather swiftly. The prose in translation is adequate, but laden with anachronistic expressions, and the point of view of the narrative occasionally shifts two or three times on a single page.

[Vikki Vaught · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Musings

Rating: 3.5

What a mixed bag! While at times, I could not read fast enough, at other times, I almost stopped reading. I listened to the audio, so I am taking that into account. Also, since this is translated into English, that could affect the cadence of the writing.

There's no doubt, this is an emotionally-charged story, but it reads as a 21st-century novel set in the 14th century. I missed the usual feel of a Medieval novel.

The heroine does something that totally turned my stomach, yet even though I came very close to not finishing the book, I read on. I am glad I read the entire book, parts of it are fascinating and had me cheering even though how things played out would never have happened during this time period. I know I am being vague, but I do not want to give anything away.

If you can overlook the modern language and the historical improbabilities, then you will enjoy a compelling story. I know I did. The bottom line is, this is fiction and a writer can twist things. Happy reading!

[Cindy Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good

From a historical aspect, this was a riveting read. But it is definitely not a romance novel. It is a story filled with cold, hard facts relating to how women were treated in an earlier era. I found the storytelling flat, but the historical information was great. I would not recommend as a romance novel, but highly recommend from the historical aspect. The subject matter is multifaceted..ie, women's right to work, control their own health, be literate, own property, sexual and physical abuse, legal rights on all fronts and control of their bodies after conception. Ms Carsta has a great talent of laying out the facts and drawing picture of the issues as each one comes to light. I had a difficult time with Johannes after his discovery of who the secret healer was... that is not love. But it is an honest portrayal of how one might act on that situation during that era.

[Chira · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utterly forgettable if not for how startlingly anachronistic it is. I had to keep double-checking what century this was supposed to take place in: about a third of the book takes place in a courtroom, which is about the only part of the plot not told by the blurb. While courts were around, the set-up and actions feel entirely too modern to evoke Medieval times. The tension of the romance between Madlen and Johannes is an utter lie, made worse by the fact that it becomes strangely hard to tell characters apart. They all feel like stock characters with no passions or motivations aside from a very small handful.

The tensions of the plot feel equally contrived: one moment Madlen is winning her case with everyone on her side, saying that her accuser isn't to be trusted, and the next everyone's against her, all that previous suspicion completely gone with no good reason. Translating certainly didn't help, but it can't be avoided that the plot and characters are just flat to begin with.

[Rebecca (LirilAB) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was my Kindle First choice for April. While probably not highly realistic for the 14th century considering how many were reportedly put to death for things like heresy and witchcraft for the smallest of reasons, I really enjoyed reading The Secret Healer. It was fairly action-packed, included a bit of romance, and had a cast of likable characters. Despite the oft-desperate trials of the main character, Madlen, the book also had enough of the feel-good moments that could inspire me to feel happy for humanity.

[Darla McLaughlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Horrific Flaw

I enjoyed almost everything about this book, it kept my interest, the characters were individually developed, and the story flowed well. My issue is that the heroine who seemed a genuinely tender hearted passionate healer had no problem taking the most innocent and defenseless life of all when she performed the abortion...I cannot recommend this book at all for all of her goodness she did such a sick horrible thing.

[Carmon Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was SLOoooooooW to start. It was around page 175 before I truly got into it. Once I did, it was easy to finish. I enjoyed the story overall. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to someone because I can't really categorize it in any way. Romance? Not enough. Intrigue? Eh. It was a decent read.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Kindle First choice. Historical fiction about a German woman in the 14th century who has a talent for healing using herbs but ends up on trial for a murder which she didn't commit. It was a quick read, a very simplistic style of writing ,however and a few rather hard to believe events. Not sure I could recommend to any of my reading friends.

[Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible writing style (or translation?). Almost would consider it more YA especially with the overly simplistic writing. Flat characters that you don't really care about. Felt very 'preachy' when talking about anything with religion, almost beat you over the head trying to convert you feeling.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Historical? - Not!

Historical romances should have some basis in history. This story gives no indication that it takes place the Middle Ages. The author gives modern day values and attitudes to her characters, making the story very un-believable.