Itemize Books Toward By Fire, By Water
| ISBN: | 1590513525 (ISBN13: 9781590513521) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) for Historical Fiction (Gold) (2011), Eric Hoffer Book Award Nominee for General Fiction (Honorable Mention) (2011), New York Book Festival, Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction (2010), Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award for Historical (Adult Fiction) (Bronze) (2010) |
Mitchell James Kaplan
Paperback | Pages: 284 pages Rating: 3.74 | 1045 Users | 191 Reviews
Rendition Supposing Books By Fire, By Water
Luis de Santángel, chancellor to the court and longtime friend of the lusty King Ferdinand, has had enough of the Spanish Inquisition. As the power of Inquisitor General Tomás de Torquemada grows, so does the brutality of the Spanish church and the suspicion and paranoia it inspires. When a dear friend’s demise brings the violence close to home, Santángel is enraged and takes retribution into his own hands. But he is from a family of conversos, and his Jewish heritage makes him an easy target. As Santángel witnesses the horrific persecution of his loved ones, he begins slowly to reconnect with the Jewish faith his family left behind. Feeding his curiosity about his past is his growing love for Judith Migdal, a clever and beautiful Jewish woman navigating the mounting tensions in Granada. While he struggles to decide what his reputation is worth and what he can sacrifice, one man offers him a chance he thought he’d lost…the chance to hope for a better world. Christopher Columbus has plans to discover a route to paradise, and only Luis de Santángel can help him. Within the dramatic story lies a subtle, insightful examination of the crisis of faith at the heart of the Spanish Inquisition. Irresolvable conflict rages within the conversos in By Fire, By Water, torn between the religion they left behind and the conversion meant to ensure their safety. In this story of love, God, faith, and torture, fifteenth-century Spain comes to dazzling, engrossing life.
Particularize Containing Books By Fire, By Water
| Title | : | By Fire, By Water |
| Author | : | Mitchell James Kaplan |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 284 pages |
| Published | : | May 18th 2010 by Other Press (NY) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Cultural. Spain. Literature. Jewish. Religion |
Rating Containing Books By Fire, By Water
Ratings: 3.74 From 1045 Users | 191 ReviewsWrite Up Containing Books By Fire, By Water
By Fire, By Water is no ordinary historical. It tells a complex tale but manages to remain captivating from beginning to end. The characters were so real, I still feel their presence although I finished reading it a few days ago. The language is precise, evocative, rich. This is a book I will read again - that is if I can get it back from my friend who snatched it from me as soon as I was done.I received this book from the author for review, with no idea of what to expect. I ended up loving this book! By Fire, By Water, Mitchell James Kaplans debut novel, had me interested from the start. It started right in with the suspense, and steadily kept my attention to the end. The characters struggles were vividly depicted and realistic.Its taken for granted that historical fiction takes facts and twists them to fit in with the plot line and drum up a little drama. I love how at the end of
By Fire, By Water contains all the elements of the best historical fiction. It's well-written, well-researched, but more importantly, it has an engaging plot and memorable characters. And I left the novel understanding more about the place, the history, and its human drama than when I had entered.There's political intrigue here, and even a clever touch of religious conspiracy (loved the appearance of the "Toledot Yeshu"!).I highly recommend By Fire, By Water.SRW
This novel is a fascinating account of the Spanish Inquisition and is told through the experiences of Muslims, Jews, Christians, voluntary and involuntary converts, as well as historical figures Isabel, Ferdinand, Columbus, Torquemada and the main character, Santángel, among others. I wanted a break from Tudor period fiction and I found this book engrossing and thought provoking. Kaplan's prose is beautiful, descriptive and heart wrenching. He makes every word count. I was pleased to read this
In 1492, three events would change Iberia and change the world: Isabella and Ferdinands reconquest of Muslim Granada, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, and Columbuss discovery of the New World. In his debut novel, By Fire, By Water, Mitchell James Kaplan shows how these events can all be traced back to Luis de Santángel, a third-generation Christian who served as chancellor to the crown. In the novel, Santángel is a likeable character whose curiosity about the Judaism of his grandparents
This book was amazing - so it gets five stars! The writing style was both informative and magnificently vivid. The reader sees Spain at the end of the 1400s during the Spanish Inquisition. You see it, you feel it and you smell it. The colors, the smells, the textures, the grit the sounds, both the beauty and the wretchedness - they are all there. The horrors of the Inquisition are made so real that it becomes very hard to even read...... That IS how it was. I don't want a fairy tale picture of
Historical fiction is my favorite genre and since I write about the Inquisition, I was interested to read this author's point of view. Kaplan has done outstanding research and brings to light Luis de Santangel, a converso and chancellor to King Ferdinand. We see the monarchs as they make their decision to unify Spain and cast out the Jews and Moslems. The Jews were singled out for persecution because the others had armies. The author's character development of our hero is a textured one. Smart
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