Incantation

I love this author and bought this book unaware that it was geared towards the teenage/young adult market. Still, I very much enjoyed it. In it, the author tells the story of Estrella, a young girl in medieval Spain at the time of the Spanish Inquisition, when Jews in Spain were persona non grata. So, many Jews converted to Catholicism but followed Judaic customs and religious practices in secretWhen Estrella turned sixteen, her world changes. She discovers a long held secret about her family. The only bright spot in her life is that her best friend’s cousin is enamored of her. Unfortunately, her best friend is enamored of her cousin. This causes her best friend to become hostile towards Estrella, a hostility that leads to a devastating betrayal. As a result, horrific events transpire that she could never have imagined.This book is a wonderful introduction for the teenage/young adult reader to that period in history known as the Spanish Inquisition. It is a well-written and heartbreaking story.

Story is good but leaves you wanting for more. I guess most books do. The good ones you don't want to end.

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.

This is a story abouta young girl who is part of a family of Converso's - Jews who had to live as Christrians and practice their faith in hiding in Spain and Italy or suffer horrendous deaths. It is an up close and personal - living history of a time and place and what it was to be a Jew in Eastern Europe, witness pogroms, flee, live in hiding, loss. Finding a new home only to live in secret and in terror. The little girl doesn't know she is Jewish until late in the story. Over jealousy about a boy a gentile girl turns on the family, tells lies as they have always been told about blood libel, witchcraft, etc. Dragged from their homes these Jews are tortured and burned alive while "neighbors" ransack their homes. Books are burned. It is beautifully crafted story - I was so disappointed, though, that it ended in less than 100 pages. After reading and witnessing such horror, I wanted to know what happened next. I wanted to know about the girl's journey carrying all this inside of her, along with the boy she loves. Going through all the horror I felt cheated - only because the writing is so exquisite and the characters so alive. I don't know if this is a story or a novella. I wanted more.

Arrived in pristine condition

This is my second book that I have read by this author and each one was well worth the read. She captures the reader pretty quickly and then leads you on an interesting and thought provoking journey. I have 2 more of her books to read and I am looking forward to both.

Always an Alice Hoffman fan, I recently read Incantation, a short book written for the young adult audience. Set in Spain during the Inquisiiton, the central character is Estrella, a teenager who learns over the course of the story that hers is a Jewish family that is Catholic on the surface only. Her world is torn apart as she, her family and their community are exposed and persecuted. She swiftly finds out who her friends are and aren't. I am intrigued by stories in which extraordinary circumstances reveal previously unknown aspects of people, how people deal with relationships and lives torn apart—who succumbs to baser human behavior and who rises to heroic dimensions. This is a gripping story. My only complaint is that it ends abruptly, so it's not quite satisfying. I think it really should have been longer.

Ok the problem I had was that I didn't totally realize it was YA when I bought it.The other problem I had was that I feel like Hoffman got bored about a third of the way into a writing REALLY interesting novel and so tied it all up, and ended the book, I was about 88% through when I realized I'd read it all in about 2 hours.I wanted to see a confrontation with Estrella and Catalina. I wanted to see her journey. I wanted, I wanted, I wanted, but none of it came to fruition.It was an really great first draft, the problem with that being, it wasn't a draft, it was the published work.

This is a tale about the persecution of Jews in Spain during the 1500s. We learn how they had to hide their own religion in order to stay alive. Love, hate and betrayal all play a part in this tragic tale. Ignorance and prejudices ruined lives and sent many people to their deaths. The tragedy starts after Estrella falls for the boy that her best friend wanted to marry. Her friend betrays her and her family to the courts and watches them all go on trial for the crime of being secret Jews. This is a graphic tale, very violent but superbly written

I would read anything written by Alice Hoffman, she is one of my favourite authors. Everything she writes is magical and I read her books over and over. Incantation is pure escapism, brilliantly written and impossible to put down.

The title of the review comes from the fact that I've already read it - this was bought as a gift.However, I ended up with a French copy - I didn't notice the tick boxes on the ordering page (the 'French' option has now been removed).I must commend Amazon, who refunded my money within two days and advised me that I could keep the book - must polish up my French!AliceB

Superb book

not one of her best books