A superb read about the sufferings of a crypto-Jewish matriarch in the 17th century.
This saga of crypto-Jews (conversos) during the Inquisition in Mexico holds lessons and warnings for all.
Fine (Paris Lamb, 2015, etc.) begins her story in Mexico City in 1650, when Clara, the matriarch of the Crespin clan, is arrested and taken to the prison of the Inquisitors, where she will be held for five awful years. The tale is told alternately through the eyes of Clara and her granddaughter, Celendaria, conversos who secretly maintain Jewish traditions after becoming Christians. Clara was betrayed, but by whom? Celendaria’s father grieves (“Why do they persecute us? We follow their rules, worship their Savior, tithe at the cathedral. What do they want?”). This venal Inquisition encourages bribes, which, though usually ineffective, drain the Crespins, affluent merchants, dry. The years drag on. Celendaria becomes a woman and is betrothed to Francisco de Mendoza Rebozo. She also spies Father Miguel Lopez, a converso—or is he a true believer now?—making love to Mariel Behar in the confessional. But the Crespins and the Behars have had enough. After the wedding of Celendaria and heroic Francisco, family members plot their escape to the north. Even rumors of savage Native Americans are no match for the terrors of the Inquisition. Once again, like in the biblical Exodus, these Jews wish to escape oppression and seek freedom. Fine writes well, bringing the Crespins alive in speech and circumstance that reflect their social status as proudly prosperous (At one point, Celendaria’s mother asserts: “We must be resilient and survive as our forefathers did when they were driven from our ancient lands in Israel, Spain, Portugal, Brazil and Peru”). Surely the Inquisitors are among the greatest villains in history, second only, for Jews, to Hitler. But then readers will likely realize that in the best interpretation of this horror, the Inquisitors felt that they were doing God’s will, which should give everyone pause. Fine is a serious scholar of the persecution of Sephardic Jews, and the details in this book are impressive and edifying.
A superb read about the sufferings of a crypto-Jewish matriarch in the 17th century.Pub Date: March 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9826952-5-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: L'Image Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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