I love hearing about people’s second careers. It makes me feel hopeful—like a pivot is possible, for anyone, at any time.

We’re taught when we’re little that we have to find a career path and stick to it, but that’s not true. People shift and change and contain multitudes. People are also good at more than one thing.

Case in point: Roberta Rich, who spent many years as a family lawyer before ditching the legal jargon for words of a different kind. Now a successful historical novelist, she’s the author of four books: The Midwife of Venice, The Harem Midwife, A Trial in Venice, and her latest, The Jazz Club Spy (which launches November 22). 

Set in the 1930s, The Jazz Club Spy follows Giddy Brodsky as she navigates life at the height of the Great Depression in New York City. Below, Rich discusses her new book, her favourite local book hawkers, and her badass parrot.

Tell us about yourself. 

Writing historical novels is my second career. For many years I was a family law lawyer in downtown Vancouver. Now my days are spent peacefully, no clients, no opposing lawyers, no judges—just me and my laptop, writing. History is a wonderful thing. I have come to love the past more than the present. And the future is just too abstract to contemplate. 

What’s something you want everyone to know about you? 

I want everyone to read and love my new novel, The Jazz Club Spy: the story of a Russian Jewish immigrant girl in the 1930s working in a nightclub in New York as a cigarette girl to support her family. 

My novel has the best train-wreck prologue: my main character, Gitel, hiding inside the frozen carcass of her grandmother’s cow, watches as her village in Russia is burnt to the ground.

What’s one book that changed the way you think? 

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker is about survival instincts that have been hard-wired into our psyches over millions of years. These are the early warning signals our bodies generate to alert us to danger and keep us safe. We ignore these instincts at our peril. When I was still practicing law, I often recommended this insightful book to my clients.           

What are you currently reading?

One of my all-time favourite books of historical fiction is The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. I have read this book twice and also listened to the audio version. It is a brilliant example of using great details to evoke the 16th century without oppressing the reader with too much information. The prose is lyrical, and the characters subtly drawn. 

What’s your favourite book to give as a gift?

Narcissistic as this sounds, I tend to give my own books as gifts. Who better to get feedback from than your friends?

How would you describe your book tastes? 

Eclectic. I read a number of genres—thriller, mystery, true crime. I also love literary fiction and have recently read Abraham Vergese’s The Covenant of Water. 

What’s one book you can’t wait to read? 

I am a huge fan of Sarah Dunant’s novels, especially In the Company of the Courtesan and In the Name of the Family. Her last book was published in 2017 and I am hoping there is a new one in the works. 

What’s one book you thought you’d love but didn’t (or vice versa)?

I have begun several times, but never finished, Elena Ferrante’s coming-of-age novel, The Lying Life of Adults. I found the teenage protagonist petulant and narcissistic, and her parents over-involved and neurotic. Also, none of the characters seemed to have any motivation for their actions.

Favourite book store in Vancouver? 

I have two favourites: Book Warehouse on Main Street and Upstart & Crow on Granville Island.

Favourite local author?

Will Someone Please Answer the Parrot! was written by my friend and young adult/children’s writer Beryl Young. Her inspiration for the story was my African grey parrot, Guapa, who was a superb talker and general badass. 

Controversial: are you someone who has to finish every book you start, or can you abandon ones that aren’t working for you? 

In most things, I consider myself a completist. I’m obsessive about finishing my own manuscripts, emptying my inbox regularly, and finishing the food on my plate. Other people’s books are a different story. If a book doesn’t grab me within a few pages, I toss it. Life is too short to read boring books. 

What’s one book you wish you wrote?

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. 

Where’s your favourite place in Vancouver to read? 

I enjoy appearing at readings at local book clubs. I always learn from my readers, and I cherish them for buying and discussing my books. The world needs more readers, and perhaps fewer writers. Every book club is different, but in my experience, everyone is a delight.