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Wiseman, Eva
3 Reviews
(3)
YA
In 1348 Strasbourg, Natan (who is Jewish) and Elena (who is Christian) begin a tentative romance. Then Natan is murdered by anti-Semitic thugs--and he becomes an ibbur whose soul enters another's body, in this case Hans, a rival for Elena's affection. The story's urgency is borne out by history; an informative author's note tells more about anti-Semitism in medieval France. Glos.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
(4)
YA
Hasidic teen Chanie is torn between following the expected path (seminary, marriage) and pursuing her dream of becoming a singer. The book is set in Crown Heights in 1991, and the shadow of the race riot looms over the story, even as Chanie (secretly) befriends an African American girl and starts seeing a non-Hasidic boy. The story's a bit overstuffed but engaging nonetheless.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
(4)
YA
When Isabel, the beautiful daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella's respected court physician, discovers her family's secret Jewish roots, her bold actions put the family in peril as the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada threatens torture, expulsion, and death. The characterization of historic figures is over the top, but this is a powerful, dramatic portrayal of Spain's brutal years leading up to the 1492 Jewish expulsion.
Reviewer: Rita Soltan
3 reviews
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