I greatly admire the two women in this novel. During the 17th century Ester Velasquez is a woman living in London during a time when women were not encouraged to read or write. After the death of her family she is left alone in the world and Rabbi Moseh HaCohen Mendes takes her into his home. Over time he has her scribe for him which is completely unheard of and he helps her in her learning. I couldn’t help but feel that she is prevented from reaching her full potential due to the restrictions on women during that time.

Helen Watt living in 21st century London is a historian who comes across the writings of a man named Thomas Farrow who she finds out is actually Ester Velasquez. Along with the help of an assistant she discovers that there was a lot more to Ester than meets the eye. Ester’s life story is pretty incredible. She is a female scribe for a Rabbi, she writes under pen names as to not be caught and survives the Great Plague of London. She then marries into a wealthy family and continues to write until her death.

This was a lengthy book and I enjoyed all of it. There was quite a bit historical references which I appreciated and I loved to see how Ester was able to navigate around the walls that were put up for women during her life. I would definitely recommend this book. You will not be disappointed.

If you are interested in purchasing The Weight of Ink: