Product Description
From a New York Times bestselling author comes a journey of loss and rebirth with a startling premise inspired by historical fact. Estrella is a Marrano: one of the Spanish Jews living double lives when those who refused conversion risked everything. Estrella's discovery that her family secretly practices the ancient way of wisdom known as kabbalah leads her to her true self and true love-but also to a devastating confrontation with unimaginable evil, unleashed by the betrayal of a friend. With themes of faith, friendship, and persecution, Alice Hoffman's tragic and beautiful novel resonates profoundly in our times.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 21 reviews)

Not a balanced view of the Inquisition

A scholarly study published in 2004 found that, during the Inquisition, "Torture was rare and only about 1 percent of those brought before the Spanish Inquisition were actually executed."
There may have been situations like the burning of 50 citizens in the town square, but they will have been rare.
While I am a fan of Alice Hoffman's magical realism, this is not a book that I would recommend for an impressionable teen. It portrays every Christian in the story, except for the heroine's boyfriend, as rabid, hate-filled sadists. It's equivalent to portraying every German during WW II as sadistic murderers, which we know is not accurate. This is an extremely unbalanced view.
A high point of the story is the heroine's bitter denunciation of the priest who has failed to protect the Jews in his church.
Considering that Christianity is the last minority that intellectuals in the US now feel justified in attacking, I would not give this to a teen.
November 24, 2008

A Quiet Jewel

What happens when a young woman (16) learns that her entire life has been a lie? This is what happens to Estrella di Madrigal in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition.

She watches as those around her are arrested, tortured, and put to death because they are Conversos (Jews who have converted to Christianity). She feels for them but is happy that she and her family attend the Christian church headed by Friar DeLeon and that her brother is a seminarian.

Estrella's best friend and neighbor is Catalina. They have been close since birth but it is Catalina's cousin Andres, who lives with Catalina's family, that ultimately causes the rift between the two girls. Catalina has always believed that she and Andres would be married. But Andres sees Catalina as a sister while he looks at Estrella in love.

With the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition as a backdrop, Estrella soon learns from her honored grandfather that she is Esther, that her entire family are Marranos (Jews converted to Christianity but who practice judaism in secret). Because of Estrella's love for Andres and his for her, Catalina and her family betray the Madrigals; Estrella watches from the shadows of the crowds as her family is first denounced, then tortured, and finally put to death. She is the only one to escape.

This book is short but packs a mighty punch. Easy enough to read in one sitting but don't, no matter how much you are tempted. Take time to digest what you are reading here. Although meant for the younger reader, most adults should find this a compelling story. A word of caution: the descriptions of the torture of the Marranos is very detailed and vivid and may not sit well with the squeamish.

Different from Alice Hoffman's other novels, I found this one nevertheless equally as good. Ms. Hoffman hasn't disappointed me yet.
August 19, 2008

Amazing

When I first picked up the audio book from the library, I was nervous that it was only three CDs. When I found out it was for young adults, I grew more nervous. Then I started listening and fell in love with it. It's an amazing story. The writing is simple yet powerful. The narration is amazing. The entire story is heartfelt and deeply moving. I loved it.
April 30, 2008

Amazing

This book is one of the most amazing books that I have read. I could not put it down from the time I started reading it. It is both easy to understand and follow. The story is an incredible story of love and betrayal.
April 05, 2008

The Inquisition alive

This is not a book for the sqeamish or for younger kids. That being said, it is a wonderful read, vivid and gripping, for adults and teens. It calls up events of the time, both in daily life and in its look at a group seldom mentioned, and offers readers something that lingers after the text is done. The young adult readers in my classes have been devouring this and passing it from one to the next so quickly, my book signout can hardly keep up.
March 07, 2008

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Skylight Confessions
by Alice Hoffman

The Foretelling
by Alice Hoffman

Green Angel
by Alice Hoffman

The Third Angel: A Novel
by Alice Hoffman

The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak