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בידך אפקיד רוחי
כשמתברר לקתרין דה קוסטה, מטרונית יהודייה עשירה מניו-יורק, שימיה ספורים, היא מבינה שהשושלת המשפחתית תיגדע. היא מחליטה שהיא חייבת להעביר את מורשת המשפחה לשתי נכדותיה, סוזן ופרנצ´סקה. אך השתיים, נשים צעירות ותוססות בשנות העשרים לחייהן, שקועות בעיסוקיהן האופנתיים ואין להן עניין לא בסבתא ולא בעברה . ערב אחד, כשקתרין על סף הייאוש, פוקד אותה חזון; בחזונה מופיעה רוחה של מייסדת השושלת המשפחתית שלה, גארציה מנדס. מנדס חייתה בימי הביניים והיתה אשת עסקים עצמאית ובלתי נכנעת. רוחה מעודדת את קתרין לנקוט בכל תכסיס אפשרי כנגד נכדותיה - שוחד, סחיטה רגשית, ואיומים לסלקן מהצוואה - וכל זאת כדי לאלצן לקחת פסק זמן מחיי הזוהר שלהן בניו-יורק, לנסוע לאירופה ולחפש כתב-יד עתיק - ספר זיכרונותיה של גראציה מנדס. סוזן ופרנצ´סקה מכבדות את משאלתה של סבתא, אך הן ממאנות להאמין שהחיפוש יישא פרי. אלא שאז, בדרך מסתורית ומפתיעה, מתחילים לצוץ חלקים מכתב-היד בכל רחבי אירופה, יחד עם שני גברים נאים ומסתוריים. חייהן של שתי הצעירות הניו-יורקיות מתחילם להשתנות ולהשתלב בהוויתה של גארציה מנדס המתה.
בידך אפקיד רוחי משלב באופן מרהיב רומנטיקה והיסטוריה. הספר מגיש פסיפס מרתק ורב-משמעות המשלב את עולמם של יהודי ספרד בימי הביניים עם חיי דור הסילון כאן ועכשיו לשלמות אחת. בתוך כך מעלה הספר את אחת השאלות הנוקבות ביותר של זמננו: האם עלינו לקחת עמנו, עם כניסתנו אל האלף החדש, את התבונה והמנהגים שהנחו את אבותינו - או שמא עלינו להשליכם מעלינו כמו מטען עודף?
נעמי רגן ילידת ארצות הברית וחיה בירושלים זה עשרים וחמש שנה. היא מחברת של שלושת רבי-המכר הבילאומיים "ואל אישך תשוקתך", "עקדת תמר" ו"בת יפתח".
בידך אפקיד רוחי משלב באופן מרהיב רומנטיקה והיסטוריה. הספר מגיש פסיפס מרתק ורב-משמעות המשלב את עולמם של יהודי ספרד בימי הביניים עם חיי דור הסילון כאן ועכשיו לשלמות אחת. בתוך כך מעלה הספר את אחת השאלות הנוקבות ביותר של זמננו: האם עלינו לקחת עמנו, עם כניסתנו אל האלף החדש, את התבונה והמנהגים שהנחו את אבותינו - או שמא עלינו להשליכם מעלינו כמו מטען עודף?
נעמי רגן ילידת ארצות הברית וחיה בירושלים זה עשרים וחמש שנה. היא מחברת של שלושת רבי-המכר הבילאומיים "ואל אישך תשוקתך", "עקדת תמר" ו"בת יפתח".
365 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 1998
114 people are currently reading
1701 people want to read
About the author
Naomi Ragen
18 books579 followersNaomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and playwright who has lived in Jerusalem since 1971. She has published seven internationally best-selling novels, and is the author of a hit play. Naomi also publishes a regular column that deals with Jewish subjects, especially Israel.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/naomir...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/naomir...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
August 26, 2019
Naomi Ragen is a brilliant , very talented author and this , like all her books is very well written
As Catherine Da Costa ( visited by the Ghost of her intriguing ancestress , Hannah Mendes Nasi) gets her two beautiful but spoiled grandaughters - Suzanne and Francesca Abraham involved in a plan to get hold of some age-old manuscripts.
While the ending may be a bit predictable, Ragen does an excellent job of weaving the past and present together, and brings alive the rich heritage of Sephardic Jewry, while strongly illustrating the horrors of the inquisition.
What results is a fascinating blend of a contemporary and historic novel.
As Catherine Da Costa ( visited by the Ghost of her intriguing ancestress , Hannah Mendes Nasi) gets her two beautiful but spoiled grandaughters - Suzanne and Francesca Abraham involved in a plan to get hold of some age-old manuscripts.
While the ending may be a bit predictable, Ragen does an excellent job of weaving the past and present together, and brings alive the rich heritage of Sephardic Jewry, while strongly illustrating the horrors of the inquisition.
What results is a fascinating blend of a contemporary and historic novel.
April 10, 2011
I want to say something nice first. I know people- okay one person- who have been really inspired by this book. And I felt a few warm spots in my heart at various points. And Ragen had a few thoughtful insights about the value of family tradition. So that's why three stars, although I will now be snarky.
While reading Naomi Ragen's novels, I do always care about the story and characters. But mainly, I find myself analyzing the author. And wanting to write about all her books at once. At some point, Naomi Ragen became a newspaper editorial writer as well as an author, and particularly in her more recent novels (that I have seen) her characters' thoughts read like a series of editorials. This is overwhelmingly true for The Covenant, in which all "good" characters - Israeli or Palestinian - seemed to be of the universal opinion that the Middle East would be best off if Israel would just crack down on terrorists and declare eternal and unconditional sovereignty over both sides of the Jordan. I actually kind of liked that book, but seriously. It was also the main style of The Saturday Wife, although there the "editorials" were long whines about difficult and annoying it is to observe Judaism, with many snide references to rabbis as "stringency kings". And there, I was often not sure who was editorializing. Generally I assumed the mental rants belonged to the flighty and rarely-principled main character, but sometimes inconsistencies made me unsure. Was it the first-person-plural narrator of the first chapter of the book, Delilah's childhood classmates? Was it Ragen herself? During one rant about the unreasonable rules of head-covering, I flipped to the book jacket to squint at Ragen's photo. *Was* that a sheitel?
That said (verbosely, as is my wont), The Ghost of Hannah Mendes does not do this quite as much. It is an earlier book than the other two, and therefore before Ragen got into inventing characters who think in editorials. All Naomi Ragen novels, though, are editorials in some way, and are meant to teach us the beauty of thinking and living like Naomi Ragen. The Ghost of Hannah Mendes is the story of how two young women learn of the glory of religious tradition, despite their Modern Ideologies. Francesca's Modern Ideology is capitalism, rationalism, working hard in a business suit. I believe our caricature is complete. Suzanne's Modern Ideology is liberal, eat vegetarian food, wear flowy clothes. That caricature is done now too, if you want you can color it in with crayons- the flowy clothes should have really bright colors.
Suzanne and Francesca learn, as does the reader, the story of their non-fictional ancestor, Gracia (Hannah) Mendes. Mendes was a very well-respected 16th-century businesswoman who was allowed to practice Judaism only in secret but who did so with great pride and conviction. I am not sure how many of the details of Gracia Mendes' story in the book are factual, but I think most of it is.
The primary message given to Suzanne and Francesca is "Grandma Gracia worked hard and sacrificed for her religion, and what, you hardly even know anything about it. Tsk!" I wouldn't think that message would normally work for intelligent and headstrong women, but in the excitement of learning the Mendes story it seems possible. The Mendes story is the best part of the book. History, romance, political and business intrigue.
Suzanne and Francesca, though, I couldn't relate to. They are caricatured to be polar opposites, but had in common a wide-eyed passion that I don't relate to. Their first impressions of really old, impressive buildings is usually something like "breathtaking". When confronted with a non-Modern-Ideology thought, they almost always burst out a rude and abrupt protest. And worst of all, they and their romantic interests tend to call each other "my love". This is another big Ragen thing. She seems to like passionate characters who say "my love". And those names. Francesca?!
And one last gripe, about this edition anyway. Either Ragen or her editor feel a need to hyphenate "God". Okay, I know the phenomenon, maybe I'm supposed to do that too. Sorry. But when a secular character exclaims "My G-d!", it just seems strange to look at. The character is so not imagining that hyphen! And then towards the end, Suzanne says "G-ddammit!" Ridiculous...
While reading Naomi Ragen's novels, I do always care about the story and characters. But mainly, I find myself analyzing the author. And wanting to write about all her books at once. At some point, Naomi Ragen became a newspaper editorial writer as well as an author, and particularly in her more recent novels (that I have seen) her characters' thoughts read like a series of editorials. This is overwhelmingly true for The Covenant, in which all "good" characters - Israeli or Palestinian - seemed to be of the universal opinion that the Middle East would be best off if Israel would just crack down on terrorists and declare eternal and unconditional sovereignty over both sides of the Jordan. I actually kind of liked that book, but seriously. It was also the main style of The Saturday Wife, although there the "editorials" were long whines about difficult and annoying it is to observe Judaism, with many snide references to rabbis as "stringency kings". And there, I was often not sure who was editorializing. Generally I assumed the mental rants belonged to the flighty and rarely-principled main character, but sometimes inconsistencies made me unsure. Was it the first-person-plural narrator of the first chapter of the book, Delilah's childhood classmates? Was it Ragen herself? During one rant about the unreasonable rules of head-covering, I flipped to the book jacket to squint at Ragen's photo. *Was* that a sheitel?
That said (verbosely, as is my wont), The Ghost of Hannah Mendes does not do this quite as much. It is an earlier book than the other two, and therefore before Ragen got into inventing characters who think in editorials. All Naomi Ragen novels, though, are editorials in some way, and are meant to teach us the beauty of thinking and living like Naomi Ragen. The Ghost of Hannah Mendes is the story of how two young women learn of the glory of religious tradition, despite their Modern Ideologies. Francesca's Modern Ideology is capitalism, rationalism, working hard in a business suit. I believe our caricature is complete. Suzanne's Modern Ideology is liberal, eat vegetarian food, wear flowy clothes. That caricature is done now too, if you want you can color it in with crayons- the flowy clothes should have really bright colors.
Suzanne and Francesca learn, as does the reader, the story of their non-fictional ancestor, Gracia (Hannah) Mendes. Mendes was a very well-respected 16th-century businesswoman who was allowed to practice Judaism only in secret but who did so with great pride and conviction. I am not sure how many of the details of Gracia Mendes' story in the book are factual, but I think most of it is.
The primary message given to Suzanne and Francesca is "Grandma Gracia worked hard and sacrificed for her religion, and what, you hardly even know anything about it. Tsk!" I wouldn't think that message would normally work for intelligent and headstrong women, but in the excitement of learning the Mendes story it seems possible. The Mendes story is the best part of the book. History, romance, political and business intrigue.
Suzanne and Francesca, though, I couldn't relate to. They are caricatured to be polar opposites, but had in common a wide-eyed passion that I don't relate to. Their first impressions of really old, impressive buildings is usually something like "breathtaking". When confronted with a non-Modern-Ideology thought, they almost always burst out a rude and abrupt protest. And worst of all, they and their romantic interests tend to call each other "my love". This is another big Ragen thing. She seems to like passionate characters who say "my love". And those names. Francesca?!
And one last gripe, about this edition anyway. Either Ragen or her editor feel a need to hyphenate "God". Okay, I know the phenomenon, maybe I'm supposed to do that too. Sorry. But when a secular character exclaims "My G-d!", it just seems strange to look at. The character is so not imagining that hyphen! And then towards the end, Suzanne says "G-ddammit!" Ridiculous...
March 13, 2016
I admit I picked this book off the shelf because of the beautiful cover. Also, it had a ghost. And memoir 500 years old, that there is a search for. What’s not to love?
Catherine has been told she only has a short time to live. She is sad that her two granddaughters don’t follow the families Sephardic tradition, and, worse, are still single and childless. The ghost of Hannah Mendes visits her, encouraging Catherine to have her granddaughters visit Europe and find her long lost memoir. Suzanne and Francesca are opposites and not apt to work well with each other; Francesca is a workaholic who values only money, while Suzanne has given her life over to good causes. But they agree to take on the task. Once on the way, they encounter flawless men, supernatural events, and, yes, some of the memoir.
A search for literary treasure should have been right up my alley. But detective work is not the point here. This book reads like a sermon- a racy one at points, but a sermon combined with a history lesson none the less. The moral of the entire story is to value family and religious tradition above all else, never marry outside the religion, and that women need to have children to carry the traditions on. I could have – maybe – tolerated this paean to motherhood above career if the book had been better. But it’s not. The characters never come to life. I actually kind of disliked both the granddaughters; they were caricatures. Catherine has more life than them, but is absent for most of the story. The men are too perfect to be real. In fact, the entire adventure is too perfect.
Hannah’s memoir is interspersed with the present day adventure, and it’s more interesting. Born in the Renaissance in a family of conversos, Jews who have converted to Catholicism. They haven’t, really; they continue to celebrate their traditions in private. This put them in terrible danger at this point of history, with the Inquisition going hard. At first Hannah seems to live an enchanted life, but it’s only a few years before things go bad. She rallies, however, and becomes a great heroine. She is a real, historical personage and I did enjoy learning about her, but even her part is told rather flatly.
Sadly disappointing.
Catherine has been told she only has a short time to live. She is sad that her two granddaughters don’t follow the families Sephardic tradition, and, worse, are still single and childless. The ghost of Hannah Mendes visits her, encouraging Catherine to have her granddaughters visit Europe and find her long lost memoir. Suzanne and Francesca are opposites and not apt to work well with each other; Francesca is a workaholic who values only money, while Suzanne has given her life over to good causes. But they agree to take on the task. Once on the way, they encounter flawless men, supernatural events, and, yes, some of the memoir.
A search for literary treasure should have been right up my alley. But detective work is not the point here. This book reads like a sermon- a racy one at points, but a sermon combined with a history lesson none the less. The moral of the entire story is to value family and religious tradition above all else, never marry outside the religion, and that women need to have children to carry the traditions on. I could have – maybe – tolerated this paean to motherhood above career if the book had been better. But it’s not. The characters never come to life. I actually kind of disliked both the granddaughters; they were caricatures. Catherine has more life than them, but is absent for most of the story. The men are too perfect to be real. In fact, the entire adventure is too perfect.
Hannah’s memoir is interspersed with the present day adventure, and it’s more interesting. Born in the Renaissance in a family of conversos, Jews who have converted to Catholicism. They haven’t, really; they continue to celebrate their traditions in private. This put them in terrible danger at this point of history, with the Inquisition going hard. At first Hannah seems to live an enchanted life, but it’s only a few years before things go bad. She rallies, however, and becomes a great heroine. She is a real, historical personage and I did enjoy learning about her, but even her part is told rather flatly.
Sadly disappointing.
July 21, 2012
A wealthy New York woman, Catherine da Costa, with a short time to live, she realizes that her family tree will die unless she passes on its traditions to her granddaughters, Suzanne and Francesca, they have no interest in the past.
Catherine is visited by the ghost of her family's anscestor, Hannah Mandes who encourages Catherine to get her granddaughters to journey across Europe. The sisters honor their grandmother's request out of loyalty and start to uncover ancient pages from Hannah Mendes's fascinating memoir. Their travels bring new loves into their lives,
Learning of some Jewish history and traditions was very interesting, so to learn more - I now have on my to-read list "The Long Journey of Gracia Mendes" Their ancestor.
Catherine is visited by the ghost of her family's anscestor, Hannah Mandes who encourages Catherine to get her granddaughters to journey across Europe. The sisters honor their grandmother's request out of loyalty and start to uncover ancient pages from Hannah Mendes's fascinating memoir. Their travels bring new loves into their lives,
Learning of some Jewish history and traditions was very interesting, so to learn more - I now have on my to-read list "The Long Journey of Gracia Mendes" Their ancestor.
May 27, 2015
This book started off brilliantly, and then dwindled and sputtered. I finished it because I wanted to know what was going to happen, but it was pretty disappointing. It's about a rich Jewish elderly woman who has just been told she's dying, which puts her *whole life* into a new perspective. She digs out an old family manuscript, and is then visited by the ghost of her ancestress Hannah Mendes, who tells her to send her granddaughters to Europe on a quest. The book is made up of sections of the modern story - the granddaughters traipsing off - and the old story - Hannah's, of course, which is that of the Sephardic Jews being chased out of Spain during the Inquisition, forcibly converted, practicing their religion in secret, etc.
The old part of the story was really interesting - I know literally nothing about that period, or about Sephardic culture, and really enjoyed it. The modern part - bleh. The granddaughters were stupid and unbelievable and waaaaay too innocent and naive. (What person - especially of Jewish ancestry, even if you don't embrace your faith - doesn't know that Jews were persecuted in various ways over the centuries? Um, yeah.) Everyone falls in love at first sight with the obvious Nice Boy, who *gasp* turns out to be Jewish!!! And there was a comment from the grandmother character about the perils of intermarriage which pissed me off. (Hey, I'm a product of a mixed marriage, and I still identify as Jewish - it *can* happen!! If Judaism is so amazing and wonderful, why wouldn't you think that children produced by mixed marriages would stick with it? Anyway. *ahem*) The one cool part about this book - Hannah Mendes was a real person. So - if you wish, read it for the flashback sections, and skip the rest.
The old part of the story was really interesting - I know literally nothing about that period, or about Sephardic culture, and really enjoyed it. The modern part - bleh. The granddaughters were stupid and unbelievable and waaaaay too innocent and naive. (What person - especially of Jewish ancestry, even if you don't embrace your faith - doesn't know that Jews were persecuted in various ways over the centuries? Um, yeah.) Everyone falls in love at first sight with the obvious Nice Boy, who *gasp* turns out to be Jewish!!! And there was a comment from the grandmother character about the perils of intermarriage which pissed me off. (Hey, I'm a product of a mixed marriage, and I still identify as Jewish - it *can* happen!! If Judaism is so amazing and wonderful, why wouldn't you think that children produced by mixed marriages would stick with it? Anyway. *ahem*) The one cool part about this book - Hannah Mendes was a real person. So - if you wish, read it for the flashback sections, and skip the rest.
June 2, 2014
This book is so good. Hard to put down. Historical fiction wrapped up in a love story and Jewish identity. What could be better!? I love the author.
Learned so much history while reading this book. I have a new appreciation for Pepper! That's right pepper. Read the book and discover pepper for yourself. Absolutely loved this book.
Learned so much history while reading this book. I have a new appreciation for Pepper! That's right pepper. Read the book and discover pepper for yourself. Absolutely loved this book.
June 10, 2008
I really wanted to like this book. This book had a lot of potential - it was about a family trying to understand the actions of a heroic anscestor (Gracia Mendes) at the time of the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions. Naomi Ragen could hardly have found a better backdrop for this novel. Gracia Mendes was a fascinating person and the sixteenth century was a terrfying time to be Jewish. However, the author bungled what could have been an interesting novel.
Problem #1: The characters were flat, trite, and annoying. Catherine da Costa, the matriarch, was extremely flat. Somehow, she failed to instill Jewish values in her grandchildren and she sends her grandchildren on a quest to find out about their ancestor Gracia Mendes and their Jewish heritage when she finds out she is dying. Her daughter Janice is a cliched Reform Jewish American Princess from New York. The granddaughters - Suzanne and Francesca - are essentially parodies of Reform Jewish women in their twenties.
Problem #2: The writing is stilted. I dreaded the portions about the contemporary characters because I didn't care about them. I really wanted to know more about Gracia Mendes and crypto-Judaism. Unfortunately, I ended up getting about as much information about Gracia Mendes as I did reading her wikipedia entry. Likewise I learned as much about the Spanish Inquisition as I could get from a wikipedia search. The history is very elementary and the author never fully develops the Gracia Mendes portions.
Problem #3: Gracia Mendes' ghost supposedly visits Catherine, Francesca, and Suzanne and eventually Francesca and Suzanne visit with her. The ghost story was really poorly done. I did not think it added to the story at all.
Problem #4: The book is VERY preachy. The author is an orthodox Jew who clearly looks down on Reform and possibly even Conservative Judaism. She went on and on and on about the need to only marry Jews. I found myself skipping those parts.
Overall, I cannot recommend this book.
Problem #1: The characters were flat, trite, and annoying. Catherine da Costa, the matriarch, was extremely flat. Somehow, she failed to instill Jewish values in her grandchildren and she sends her grandchildren on a quest to find out about their ancestor Gracia Mendes and their Jewish heritage when she finds out she is dying. Her daughter Janice is a cliched Reform Jewish American Princess from New York. The granddaughters - Suzanne and Francesca - are essentially parodies of Reform Jewish women in their twenties.
Problem #2: The writing is stilted. I dreaded the portions about the contemporary characters because I didn't care about them. I really wanted to know more about Gracia Mendes and crypto-Judaism. Unfortunately, I ended up getting about as much information about Gracia Mendes as I did reading her wikipedia entry. Likewise I learned as much about the Spanish Inquisition as I could get from a wikipedia search. The history is very elementary and the author never fully develops the Gracia Mendes portions.
Problem #3: Gracia Mendes' ghost supposedly visits Catherine, Francesca, and Suzanne and eventually Francesca and Suzanne visit with her. The ghost story was really poorly done. I did not think it added to the story at all.
Problem #4: The book is VERY preachy. The author is an orthodox Jew who clearly looks down on Reform and possibly even Conservative Judaism. She went on and on and on about the need to only marry Jews. I found myself skipping those parts.
Overall, I cannot recommend this book.
April 25, 2024
This book is about appreciating your family history. It is based on a Jewish family and their struggles, but you do not have to be Jewish to love this book. I am a "sucker" for books with love of family and faith--- and adding a little romance never hurt anything!
Few authors can capture history, human emotion and romance as well as international bestselling author Naomi Ragen. In "The Ghost of Hannah Mendes: A Novel", she expertly interweaves the tragic chronicle of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews with the spellbinding tale of Hannah Mendes, a true historical figure of unconquerable spirit and will, and the moving story of a modem American family in danger of losing its cherished heritage. The novel is absolutely riveting. It is a wonderful mix of culture, history, romance, mystery and suspense. I found it an enchanting and charmful way of learning a piece of history through fiction. This is a wonderful book for people who view history as boring. One can feel the cruelty that was felt by the jewish people during this time through the eyes of a fiction character. Which in turn, leaves one with a new perspective and respect for culture and history. The words simply flow and keep ones attention.
Few authors can capture history, human emotion and romance as well as international bestselling author Naomi Ragen. In "The Ghost of Hannah Mendes: A Novel", she expertly interweaves the tragic chronicle of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews with the spellbinding tale of Hannah Mendes, a true historical figure of unconquerable spirit and will, and the moving story of a modem American family in danger of losing its cherished heritage. The novel is absolutely riveting. It is a wonderful mix of culture, history, romance, mystery and suspense. I found it an enchanting and charmful way of learning a piece of history through fiction. This is a wonderful book for people who view history as boring. One can feel the cruelty that was felt by the jewish people during this time through the eyes of a fiction character. Which in turn, leaves one with a new perspective and respect for culture and history. The words simply flow and keep ones attention.
February 25, 2018
Very disappointed in this book. I stayed with it to page 199 (halfway through); then skipped to final chapters. The cliche characters and the Romance style of the narrative grated. It began with sisters so opposite that you knew the author set it up, how fantastic and beautiful everyone was, how breathless. And the end, pure romance girl goes to her man.
I was very interested in reading about Hannah Mendes. This is not the book.
It did lead me to find two others that might shed more light on the person of Hannah: The woman who defied kings and The long journey of Gracia Mendes.
I was very interested in reading about Hannah Mendes. This is not the book.
It did lead me to find two others that might shed more light on the person of Hannah: The woman who defied kings and The long journey of Gracia Mendes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2009
The idea is interesting, but this book lost me with the manuscript of a diary from the 1500s that sounds like it was written by a new age spiritualist of today. Don't let me get started on the shallow characters of the modern times....
June 8, 2022
This really is a book of 2 halves and I much preferred one half to the other.
A wealthy American septuagenarian, Catherine da Costa, is told that she is dying and she then has a dream/ghostly visitation encouraging her to ensure her (spiritual) legacy is carried on after her. Her 2 granddaughters, Francesca and Suzanne are despatched to Europe in search of the lost manuscript of their ancestor, Hannah Mendes and to ‘find themselves’.
In fairness, the book is easy to read but the part set in the present didn’t hold my interest much and I found the characters too one-dimensional.
What I did enjoy was the historical elements, learning about Hannah’s story and the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions. It really did make me want to drop the novel and find an actual biography of Hannah, which I hope to do. She was clearly a remarkable woman and I would love to see a fictionalised account of her life by someone like Alice Hoffman, who brought Masada so beautifully to life in The Dovekeepers.
A wealthy American septuagenarian, Catherine da Costa, is told that she is dying and she then has a dream/ghostly visitation encouraging her to ensure her (spiritual) legacy is carried on after her. Her 2 granddaughters, Francesca and Suzanne are despatched to Europe in search of the lost manuscript of their ancestor, Hannah Mendes and to ‘find themselves’.
In fairness, the book is easy to read but the part set in the present didn’t hold my interest much and I found the characters too one-dimensional.
What I did enjoy was the historical elements, learning about Hannah’s story and the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions. It really did make me want to drop the novel and find an actual biography of Hannah, which I hope to do. She was clearly a remarkable woman and I would love to see a fictionalised account of her life by someone like Alice Hoffman, who brought Masada so beautifully to life in The Dovekeepers.
February 16, 2020
This was okay??? I felt like I couldn't DNF it because Francesca is a systems analyst like me and also learning about other culturals! The manuscripts excerpts were a bit hard to get through and Suzanne generally came off as selfish. Anyway, this has been a review.
Owned ebook 2/2 for the month
Overall owned book 2/5 for the month
Owned ebook 2/2 for the month
Overall owned book 2/5 for the month
June 20, 2023
Sephardic Jewish history, ancient manuscripts, book dealers, romps through intriguing parts of Europe and some strong female characters all made me round up my review. The silly and predictable pieces of romance and mysticism could easily have made me round down instead. I really enjoyed the novel, but I would't necessarily call it great literature.
September 13, 2025
A captivating blend of history and storytelling, filled with wisdom and resilience.
February 1, 2019
This was an excellent read, if you like family, family-oriented books, and happy endings. I do not. While there was significant and very well-researched history, the jumps required to pull the various sub-plots together were... almost insulting, from the point of view of anyone who does not believe in the primacy of family lineage and blood-lines.
March 2, 2008
Book Description
When Catherine da Costa, a wealthy Manhattan matron, learns she has only a short time to live, she realizes that her family tree will die unless she passes on its legacy and traditions to her granddaughters.But Suzanne and Francesca, beautiful young women caught up in trendy causes and ambitious careers, have no interest in the past.Catherine almost despairs until one night she is visited by the ghost of her family's anscestor, an indomitable Renaissance businesswoman named Hannah Mandes.The ghost of Hannah Mendes encourages Catherine to use every trick in the book to coerce the granddaughters to journey across Europe and acquaint themselves with their roots.While the sisters honor their grandmother's request out of loyalty, they believe their quest is futile--until it starts to uncover ancient pages from Hannah Mendes's fascinating memoir, and brings new loves into their lives.
In 2005 after I'd been in Bookcrossing about 2 years, I had a PM from someone recommending this book because I had a lot of Isabel Allende books on my 'shelf'. That's how it got on my wishlist & I thought I wouldn't get to read it until another BCer sent me a copy.
It's a lovely book. The cover makes it look serious but it isn't. There are 2 styles, the writings of Hannah Mendes from the 1500s & the contemporary story of Catherine & her grand daughters which is almost chick lit, the sisters bicker on the plane & as another character points out 'behave like typical Americans'. The writings of Hannah Mendes are more poetic & rich with descriptions of feasts, clothes & the story of a family pursued by the Inquisition.
The travel part of the book is great especially when they vist Venice.
The main theme is the continuation of family and the importance of family ties.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes a historical romance or travel book.
When Catherine da Costa, a wealthy Manhattan matron, learns she has only a short time to live, she realizes that her family tree will die unless she passes on its legacy and traditions to her granddaughters.But Suzanne and Francesca, beautiful young women caught up in trendy causes and ambitious careers, have no interest in the past.Catherine almost despairs until one night she is visited by the ghost of her family's anscestor, an indomitable Renaissance businesswoman named Hannah Mandes.The ghost of Hannah Mendes encourages Catherine to use every trick in the book to coerce the granddaughters to journey across Europe and acquaint themselves with their roots.While the sisters honor their grandmother's request out of loyalty, they believe their quest is futile--until it starts to uncover ancient pages from Hannah Mendes's fascinating memoir, and brings new loves into their lives.
In 2005 after I'd been in Bookcrossing about 2 years, I had a PM from someone recommending this book because I had a lot of Isabel Allende books on my 'shelf'. That's how it got on my wishlist & I thought I wouldn't get to read it until another BCer sent me a copy.
It's a lovely book. The cover makes it look serious but it isn't. There are 2 styles, the writings of Hannah Mendes from the 1500s & the contemporary story of Catherine & her grand daughters which is almost chick lit, the sisters bicker on the plane & as another character points out 'behave like typical Americans'. The writings of Hannah Mendes are more poetic & rich with descriptions of feasts, clothes & the story of a family pursued by the Inquisition.
The travel part of the book is great especially when they vist Venice.
The main theme is the continuation of family and the importance of family ties.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes a historical romance or travel book.
April 18, 2016
I love historical fiction, but sometimes I have difficulty (translated, I'm picky) with the ones that go from characters in the past to characters in the present. I find either the contemporary sections are wondeful but the author’s voice just doesn’t translate to an older, fifteenth-century style and it ends up sounding ridiculous (ie, Serensissima by Erica Jong). Or vice-versa: the parts taking place in the past are wonderful, but the contemporary characters sound ridiculous (ie The Awakening, by Marion Zimmer Bradley). An example of a book I found to equally master both voices was The Plague Tales by Ann Benson.
In this case, with Ghost of Hannah Mendes, I found I enjoyed reading the excerpts from Hannah’s journals, and wished there were more of them. I found I cared more about Hannah telling her own life story than waiting for Suzanne or Francesca to stop whining and get a life. In particular, I found Francesca’s ignorance of the Spanish Inquisition laughable.
I did like Catherine da Costa, however. I liked what she had to say. I really did like what this book had to say, and I related to it largely because of my own quest for family history. My critique is that reading it was like finding islands of beautiful insight amidst a river of exclamation points and cliches. Still Catherine’s last words made it worth it for me—I wanted to tear those two pages, and the parts of Hannah’s manuscript out and keep them.
In this case, with Ghost of Hannah Mendes, I found I enjoyed reading the excerpts from Hannah’s journals, and wished there were more of them. I found I cared more about Hannah telling her own life story than waiting for Suzanne or Francesca to stop whining and get a life. In particular, I found Francesca’s ignorance of the Spanish Inquisition laughable.
I did like Catherine da Costa, however. I liked what she had to say. I really did like what this book had to say, and I related to it largely because of my own quest for family history. My critique is that reading it was like finding islands of beautiful insight amidst a river of exclamation points and cliches. Still Catherine’s last words made it worth it for me—I wanted to tear those two pages, and the parts of Hannah’s manuscript out and keep them.
February 4, 2011
I really wanted to like this book which is the story of a family trying to learn more about their heroic anscestor (Gracia Mendes, a real historical person) at the time of the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions. Gracia Mendes was a very interesting person and I wanted to know more about her and her life. This period in history was a terrfying time to be Jewish and it should make for a great book. Despite this, I was disappointed in the modern day characters (two grandaughters and a grandmother) who were trite "Danielle Steelish" romance characters. The plot has the grandmother regretting the fact that she failed to instill Jewish values in her grandchildren. She sends the grandaughters on a quest to Europe to find the missing pages in their ancestor's diary which she hopes will inspire them to appreciate and honor their Jewish heritage (and of course find and marry Jewish husbands). I liked the writing during the periods of the book when history was discussed but the modern day sections and characters seemed silly. This book is also very "preachy" about the author's viewpoints regarding interrmarriage. The author must be an Orthodox Jew and it seems she looks down on Reform Judaism and certainly interrmarriage. The book dwells on and on about the fact that Jews should only marry Jews, Christians should marry Christians, and they can't be truly happy unless they do. I found myself skipping the sections about the modern day characters and only reading the sections about Gracia Mendes.
February 13, 2010
Every so often a book comes along to which one hopes the end will never come. The Ghost of Hannah Mendes was such a book. An intricately wove tale bridging the past and the present, combines history, genealogy and romance to create a must read! Being an amateur genealogist myself, I found the genealogy aspect fascinating!
It all starts when the elderly Catherine de la Costa finds out she is dying and is thus visited by the apparition of Gracia Hannah Mendes, an ancestor who lived as a converso during the Spanish Inquisition. This spiritual visitation convinces Catherine that she must send her granddaughters on a quest to find the lost manuscript of Hannah Mendes. This was not simply the folly of a dying woman. It was her desire that her deep-rooted family tree would not die with her. Although her granddaughters went along with her requests for purely selfish reasons, they emerged connected to both past and future in more ways that they ever thought possible.
I was especially fascinated with the description of the life of a converso during the Spanish Inquisition, as revealed through Hannah Mendes’ manuscript. It was such a horrible time and we are almost taught to glorify King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella because of their association with Christopher Columbus’ journey. We tend not to associate them with such horrors as the auto-de-fes, etc.
I still am looking forward to reading Ms. Ragen's other books!
It all starts when the elderly Catherine de la Costa finds out she is dying and is thus visited by the apparition of Gracia Hannah Mendes, an ancestor who lived as a converso during the Spanish Inquisition. This spiritual visitation convinces Catherine that she must send her granddaughters on a quest to find the lost manuscript of Hannah Mendes. This was not simply the folly of a dying woman. It was her desire that her deep-rooted family tree would not die with her. Although her granddaughters went along with her requests for purely selfish reasons, they emerged connected to both past and future in more ways that they ever thought possible.
I was especially fascinated with the description of the life of a converso during the Spanish Inquisition, as revealed through Hannah Mendes’ manuscript. It was such a horrible time and we are almost taught to glorify King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella because of their association with Christopher Columbus’ journey. We tend not to associate them with such horrors as the auto-de-fes, etc.
I still am looking forward to reading Ms. Ragen's other books!
April 20, 2008
Historical novels are my favorite genre of book, and this is by far my FAVORITE book. I love how it deals with the family's past and the present at the same time, and how it all relates. One's ancestry isn't just pictures of people, it's decades and centuries of people's lives- their heartaches, their struggles, their loves, and their sacrifices for future generations. This book particularly because of it's dealings with the Inquisition, which is just heartbreaking.
The author yearns for readers to understand that we weren't born rootless because the past can't be overcome. Nor should it be overcome. For in this world of "jeans and Rollerblades and bad T-shirts and Walkmans... there is no danger in our differences; but in the overwhelming tedium of the ... sameness that is drowning out what each of us has learned, what each of us can contribute."
So in the end this beautifully-written historical romance asks (begs, really) all of us, whatever our culture or ethnicity to hold on to our rich heritage and thereby stop what many sociologists have called the McDonaldization of our world.
(took the last couple of lines from an amazon review)
So maybe this won't be on any classics lists, but I totally love this book. If you have any recommendations that are similar to it, let me know! :)
The author yearns for readers to understand that we weren't born rootless because the past can't be overcome. Nor should it be overcome. For in this world of "jeans and Rollerblades and bad T-shirts and Walkmans... there is no danger in our differences; but in the overwhelming tedium of the ... sameness that is drowning out what each of us has learned, what each of us can contribute."
So in the end this beautifully-written historical romance asks (begs, really) all of us, whatever our culture or ethnicity to hold on to our rich heritage and thereby stop what many sociologists have called the McDonaldization of our world.
(took the last couple of lines from an amazon review)
So maybe this won't be on any classics lists, but I totally love this book. If you have any recommendations that are similar to it, let me know! :)
January 1, 2016
Note: there are some spoilers in this review.
I picked this book up at random at the library, not really expecting much more than a quick read for entertainment. Well, I got much more than I bargained for.
The story weaves the lives of 4 women together: Hannah Mendes, a Jewish woman in the 1500's, Caroline, a New York Jewish matriach dying of cancer, and Suzanne and Francesca, Caroline's granddaughters. Caroline, Suzanne and Francesca are descendents of Hannah Mendes. Caroline realizes that she hasn't done everything she should in her life. She sends her granddaughters to Europe to trace a missing manuscript written by Hannah Mendes. Along the way, the story of Hannah Mendes is discovered, Caroline finds peace, and the two girls find direction and a sense of purpose.
What makes this book unique is that all of the women must come to terms with their faith and their heritage. Hannah discovers that her faith is the great secret to survival. But it is something that each woman must discover for herself.
Warning: One character engages in premarital sex. The character later realizes that sleeping around was really wrong. There are no sex scenes or explicit details at all. But if you feel restrictive about such subjects, then you should steer clear of the book.
I picked this book up at random at the library, not really expecting much more than a quick read for entertainment. Well, I got much more than I bargained for.
The story weaves the lives of 4 women together: Hannah Mendes, a Jewish woman in the 1500's, Caroline, a New York Jewish matriach dying of cancer, and Suzanne and Francesca, Caroline's granddaughters. Caroline, Suzanne and Francesca are descendents of Hannah Mendes. Caroline realizes that she hasn't done everything she should in her life. She sends her granddaughters to Europe to trace a missing manuscript written by Hannah Mendes. Along the way, the story of Hannah Mendes is discovered, Caroline finds peace, and the two girls find direction and a sense of purpose.
What makes this book unique is that all of the women must come to terms with their faith and their heritage. Hannah discovers that her faith is the great secret to survival. But it is something that each woman must discover for herself.
Warning: One character engages in premarital sex. The character later realizes that sleeping around was really wrong. There are no sex scenes or explicit details at all. But if you feel restrictive about such subjects, then you should steer clear of the book.
decided-not-to-read
April 22, 2010Among a certain cohort of Jewish women (including myself), everyone has read Naomi Ragen's early potboiler novels: Jephthe's Daughter, The Rape of Tamar, Sotah. Each one tells a modern story that echoes themes from one of the more sensationalist Bible stories. These books are not outstandingly well-written, nor are the characters outstandingly well fleshed out. But they're not bad, & they're almost impossible to put down once started. Rather different was The Covenant, an angry story dealing with terrorist attacks in Israel. And very different was Chains Around the Grass, an uncheery novel that is apparently partly autobiographical & seemed better-written (in my opinion).
But to get to the current book: I kept hearing about this one & finally got hold of it. Unfortunately, it's not holding my interest at all. The characters are just too flat, & it's just too obvious where the story is going. Also, it seems the author really has a point to make, & that's weakening the story. If I were stuck on a desert island, I'd finish this, but as it is, life is too short & there are too many good books waiting to be read...
P.S. But I'll probably keep reading Naomi Ragen's new books!
But to get to the current book: I kept hearing about this one & finally got hold of it. Unfortunately, it's not holding my interest at all. The characters are just too flat, & it's just too obvious where the story is going. Also, it seems the author really has a point to make, & that's weakening the story. If I were stuck on a desert island, I'd finish this, but as it is, life is too short & there are too many good books waiting to be read...
P.S. But I'll probably keep reading Naomi Ragen's new books!
March 12, 2018
This is a story about the Mendes women, living and gone. If you like romances this one has several beginning with Hannah herself, known as Gracia because of those who wish to obliterate the Jewish people - primarily the church of Rome. She is, as you might guess, Spanish, but the persecution of the Jewish population led to their move to Portugal and other areas. No matter where they settled it seemed that the church followed them hoping to obtain not only their deaths but their riches as well.
Suzannah and Francesca Abrhamson life in New York and have little knowledge of their heritage and ancestors. When their grandmother learns she is dying she convinces the two that they need to track down the pages wirtten by their ancestor, Gracia (Hannah) Mendes whose life was deciated to helping others particularly those of Jewish background. The grandmother has another motive: She wants to see her grandchildren married so the family tree continues. This, then is their story and that of Gracia (Hannah) herself. It's a beautiful tale fill of faith, love and family. Furthermore, it's a tale about the Jewish people, their persecution and efforts to survive. I enjoyed this read very much.
Suzannah and Francesca Abrhamson life in New York and have little knowledge of their heritage and ancestors. When their grandmother learns she is dying she convinces the two that they need to track down the pages wirtten by their ancestor, Gracia (Hannah) Mendes whose life was deciated to helping others particularly those of Jewish background. The grandmother has another motive: She wants to see her grandchildren married so the family tree continues. This, then is their story and that of Gracia (Hannah) herself. It's a beautiful tale fill of faith, love and family. Furthermore, it's a tale about the Jewish people, their persecution and efforts to survive. I enjoyed this read very much.
March 29, 2009
The historical parts of this book were what first grabbed my interest. I really enjoyed reading from Hannah Mendes' perspective. That said, I also found that with so many intervening stories, I had a hard time remembering what was happening with Hannah from time to time.
As far as the modern-day characters go, I didn't expect to like Francesca as much as I did. At first glance she seemed so different from me. She was a career business woman who was prudent with her money, but liked having it around. I really started to like reading the sections from her perspective when she started looking into her family's history. I expected to like Suzanne better. She worked in a Womans Center, didn't have a lot of money, but shared what she did have. I thought I'd connect with her caring nature with women in crisis, but I found her to be flighty. Also, she first had little respect for what her ancestors went through to get her where she was.
I liked the overall transformation that all the characters underwent as their history unfolded for them.
As far as the modern-day characters go, I didn't expect to like Francesca as much as I did. At first glance she seemed so different from me. She was a career business woman who was prudent with her money, but liked having it around. I really started to like reading the sections from her perspective when she started looking into her family's history. I expected to like Suzanne better. She worked in a Womans Center, didn't have a lot of money, but shared what she did have. I thought I'd connect with her caring nature with women in crisis, but I found her to be flighty. Also, she first had little respect for what her ancestors went through to get her where she was.
I liked the overall transformation that all the characters underwent as their history unfolded for them.
January 22, 2012
I loved the first 2/3 of this book, but then....the ghost scenes were a bit much for me. I felt like they were not necessary at all, and that the same information could have been passed along in the document. I guess the ghost was supposed to be the only explanation of why the granddaughters would continue the quest, and end up in Venice, when they didn't plan any of it, but still....
The author could have handled their motivation as just being to please their grandmother.
A rich, non-religious Jewish woman in NY is visited by the ghost of her ancestor who died in the 1500s. She is told to convince her non-observant granddaughters to go to Europe and seek out a missing manuscript. The search and the papers will explain their family history and secrets, and will lead them to find husbands, peace, and God.
It is a very interesting story and brings up all kinds of questions about faith and values, the importance of family, why one would want to have religious rituals, and why people in power feel the need to force their religion onto everyone else.
The author could have handled their motivation as just being to please their grandmother.
A rich, non-religious Jewish woman in NY is visited by the ghost of her ancestor who died in the 1500s. She is told to convince her non-observant granddaughters to go to Europe and seek out a missing manuscript. The search and the papers will explain their family history and secrets, and will lead them to find husbands, peace, and God.
It is a very interesting story and brings up all kinds of questions about faith and values, the importance of family, why one would want to have religious rituals, and why people in power feel the need to force their religion onto everyone else.
January 6, 2010
The story crosses historical fiction with a romance novel.
The positives: I've found myself recalling images and incidents from the book, about the Inquisition, Spain and Venice. Makes me want to read more about Sephardic Jews, the source material Ragen used about the historical characters.
The negatives: I was dissatisfied with the portrayal of the contemporary women, the granddaughters whose lives were changed by the journey undertaken on behalf of their dying grandmother. It's fiction, so the contrivance that they could be convinced to take a break from their previous lives to fulfill the wish of their (conveniently) well-to-do grandmother is fine. But their internal lives did not have a satisfying dimensionality.
And this book deserved a better copyeditor. Over use of a few words took me out of the story ("bespoke", the copper colored hair, and I could go back and find about a dozen more, but I don't want to spend the time).
The positives: I've found myself recalling images and incidents from the book, about the Inquisition, Spain and Venice. Makes me want to read more about Sephardic Jews, the source material Ragen used about the historical characters.
The negatives: I was dissatisfied with the portrayal of the contemporary women, the granddaughters whose lives were changed by the journey undertaken on behalf of their dying grandmother. It's fiction, so the contrivance that they could be convinced to take a break from their previous lives to fulfill the wish of their (conveniently) well-to-do grandmother is fine. But their internal lives did not have a satisfying dimensionality.
And this book deserved a better copyeditor. Over use of a few words took me out of the story ("bespoke", the copper colored hair, and I could go back and find about a dozen more, but I don't want to spend the time).
November 14, 2011
Catherine Da Costa has just found out she does not have long to live. She regrets not having instilled in her granddaughters a sense of their heritage. This is where it goes out on a limb. She is visited by the ghost of her ancestor Gracia Hannah Mendes, a wealthy woman who lived through the Inquisition (a real person). Gracia tells Catherine to find the rest of her journal. Catherine sends her granddaughters Francesca and Suzanne on this quest. They are opposites -- Francesca is responsible and hard working while Suzanne is flighty, liberal and a vegan. Catherine also hopes that they will find nice Jewish husbands as well. Throughout the book, the ghost of Hannah Mendes steers them along a certain path. Each time they find pages of the journal, they are italicized. Towards the end of the book the lines cross a bit and it gets a little confusing. The theme of the book is to honor your heritage so that it can be passed on to future generations.
January 31, 2008
In general, though I'm not Jewish (it was rec'd by a Jewish friend), I liked the book...the fact that the Nasi-Mendes family is real adds depth to the fiction and learning about the Inquisition in more detail was worth the read. I criticize the book on three levels...1) the supernatural realm of ghosts got a bit much and I think detracted from the story, 2) the granddaughter characters were fairly pathetic and it was really hard to like them or sympathize with them making it a little difficult to get through, and 3) it turned into more of a romance than I was anticipating and cared for...with a VERY prominent 'marry your own' theme that was disturbing to me. So for the historical aspect and for a read demonstrating the value of family and of roots, I would recommend as a 'pretty good read'.
May 5, 2008
I finished this a few days ago and was extremely disappointed in it. It sounded like it had such good potential and the idea could have possibly made an excellent book. But...it didn't. The historical aspects were entertaining and well written and I really enjoyed them but when the author entered current day it kind of fell apart. There were too many romantic novel cliches, the characters were too stereotypical and there were too many coincidences that were attempted to be explained by the elusive existence of the "ghost". At times there were truly beautiful lines and on occasion, beatiful paragraphs but they were thrown together with some truly mediocre writing. It was almost as though there were two different people writing this.
Despite my dislike for this story, I intend on seeking out the other novel this author has written. I'm curious to see if it follows the same lines.
Despite my dislike for this story, I intend on seeking out the other novel this author has written. I'm curious to see if it follows the same lines.
June 29, 2010
My friend recommended this book--and even lent it to me to bring back East!--and I am SO glad she did! I loved it. It's a heartfelt story about family and accepting the role the past plays in your future.
This was a great summer read: engaging plot line, interesting format, lots of heart. The characters fell into typical stereotypes and there were places where it felt a little choppy or I wished the author would've taken a slightly different perspective, but I loved the underlying message. It also gave me a bigger picture of the hostilities and injustices Jewish people have suffered throughout their history and the strength of their devotion to their traditions and beliefs. And on top of all that, it totally made me want to get more motivated about my own family history!
Make sure this is in your pool bag this summer!
This was a great summer read: engaging plot line, interesting format, lots of heart. The characters fell into typical stereotypes and there were places where it felt a little choppy or I wished the author would've taken a slightly different perspective, but I loved the underlying message. It also gave me a bigger picture of the hostilities and injustices Jewish people have suffered throughout their history and the strength of their devotion to their traditions and beliefs. And on top of all that, it totally made me want to get more motivated about my own family history!
Make sure this is in your pool bag this summer!
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