The Last Jew
Noah Gordon
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
4.10
· 20 ratings · 353 pages · Published: 01 Jan 1999
Yonah Toledano, the 15-year-old son of a celebrated Spanish silversmith, has seen his father and brother die during these terrible days - victims whose murders go almost unnoticed in a time of mass upheaval. Trapped in Spain by circumstances, he is determined to honor the memory of his family by remaining a Jew.
On a donkey named Moise, Yonah begins a meandering journey, a young fugitive zigzagging across the vastness of Spain. Toiling at manual labor, he desperately tries to cling to his memories of a vanished culture. As a lonely shepherd on a mountaintop he hurls snatches of almost forgotten Hebrew at the stars, as an apprentice armorer he learns to fight like a Christian knight. Finally, as a man living in a time and land where danger from the Inquisition is everywhere, he deals with the questions that mark his past. How he discovers the answers, how he finds his way to a singular and strong Marrano woman, how he achieves a life with the outer persona of a respected Old Christian physician and the inner life of a secret Jew, is the fabric of this novel. The Last Jew is a glimpse of the past, an authentic tale of high adventure, and a tender and unforgettable love story. In it, Noah Gordon utilizes his greatest strengths, and the result is remarkable and moving.
Tagged as:
- romance 4
- europe 3
- southern europe 3
- spain 3
- historical 3
- historical fiction 3
- religion 2
- romantic love 2
- medieval 2
- drama 2
- action / adventure 2
- spirituality 1
- early modern era 1
- literary fiction 1
- Add topics
- format - reader age
- audiobook 2
- book 1
- adult fiction 1