Loaded Blessings

by Faith Quintero

Alternating between Inquisition-era Spain and modern day Israel, Loaded Blessings is the story of a family who loses almost everything as they flee into exile, but is left with a powerful heirloom that reaches across time. Abi Segil, an American archaeologist, jumps at the chance to examine artifacts from a sunken ship discovered off the coast of Tel Aviv. Ever since she inherited a centuries old Sabbath candlestick holder, she has been yearning to find its counterpart. She believes it could be among the artifacts of the medieval wreckage. Five centuries earlier, in Castilian Seville, Sancia Pareja watches her community succumb to the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition. She is eventually forced to make a gut-wrenching convert from her Jewish faith, leave the only land she’s ever known, or accept death at the hands of a royal edict. When her Catholic friend, Baltasar, crafts a set of bronze candlestick holders for her to take on her journey, she has no idea how his gift will reverberate through time. Includes an extensive facts within the fiction appendix and a list of informational resources.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Judaica, Ebooks

395 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 16, 2019

Reviews

[Sarah Stern · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Loaded Blessings" by Faith Quintero is a literary masterpiece. The author paints a poignant picture of what occurred to a Jewish family and their community during the harrowing days of the Spanish Inquisition. The amount of research that went into this novel must have been astounding. Ms. Quintero skillfully interweaves that plot with that of a modern day young woman in search of a family heirloom and what it tells her about her family's personal legacy. I found this book to be absolutely intriguing and could not put it down. I was equally intrigued by the plot that accorded 400 years ago and the one that occurs today, bringing one of the protagonists on a journey from the United States to current day Israel. The character development is real and believable, and the book is thick with excitement and intrigue. I would not hesitate to give this boo a solid, 24 carrot gold review.

Sarah Stern
Author of "Cherished Illusions" and "Saudi Arabia and the Global Islamic Terrorist Network"

[Marsha Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loaded Blessings
by Faith Quintero

Do you think of 1492 only as the date that Columbus “discovered” America? It was also the date of the Spanish Inquisition, the year that the Jews were expelled from Spain if they refused to convert to Catholicism…and often murdered even if they did so.

Mixing history with fiction, Faith Quintero connects the story of a Jewish family suffering through the Spanish Inquisition and their members’ own dispersal with the quest of a modern-day archeologist looking for the twin of an ancient family heirloom she was given at the time of her bat mitzvah.

While the characters may be fictional, the events are historical, carefully researched and retold so as to personalize the lives of Jews living in 15th century Spain. The modern sections of the novel are filled with mystery, adventure and romance as the archeologist examines items recovered from a sunken ship found off the coast of Tel Aviv, hoping to find her family’s treasure. The archeologist Abi, an American, meets and learns from Israelis about the current day “Palestinian”-Israeli conflict, its causes and how some are trying to bridge the gap on-the-ground with today’s youth.

Quintero includes an appendix which explains, chapter by chapter, what in the historical story is real and what is fiction. For those who want accurate sources from which to learn more about the current situation in Israel, a list of resources is included.

For lovers of historical fiction and those who enjoy reading about the modern Middle East, Loaded Blessings is a fascinating and absorbing read that will leave you wanting to do more research about both the ancient and the modern situations that form the basis of this novel.

[Karen B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loaded Blessings is a family saga about injustice and discrimination.
The story bounces between the Spanish inquisition and modern day Jerusalem; with an inherited Shabbot candlestick being the common thread throughout the years.
It is a story of love, loss and hardship.
Beautifully written. I am happy that I won an e-copy of this book.

[Brianne Klodowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly didn’t know what to expect when I picked this book up and started reading. This book was very carefully researched and I learned quite a bit from it. The storytelling was compelling and I actually really, really enjoyed it (despite quite honestly not knowing much about this era in history). This was a heavy read, but I absolutely loved the story of the candlesticks bringing the past and present storylines together. This was so well done and I respect it as a reader.

The only downfall to the story was that the dialogue was a little awkward at times. And I don’t know that the infidelity was really necessary to the plot...? Overall, this was an enjoyable and educational read.


Many thanks for providing this book via a Goodreads giveaway.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I am a Sephardic Jew and have always felt I know my family’s history well but Faith made me realize how little consideration I had given to my ancestors everyday lives, the choices they made and the perpetual fear they lived in. I read the person’s review who gave the book one star, and I’ll be honest that I can see their point in how the plot based in modern day Israel can be a bit preachy-however, these are facts of a side of narrative too few people know. Few historical fiction authors bother to include such a lengthy appendix and while I don’t want to get too side railed discussing sources, I find it ridiculous a reviewer felt the need to jab at Jewish Virtual Library-while not a scholarly site itself, it does provide heavy sourcing that someone could easily look into if they’re so inclined and I personally felt it was fantastic the author took the time to provide so many resources to someone who may be coming to these topics for the first time.

That being said I loved it. I really did. I tend to race through books but this one I took my time with and even delayed finishing it because I just wasn’t ready to be done with the story yet. I liked that the ending wasn’t something typical or predictable. The first book I’ve truly enjoyed in a long while to the point I immediately gifted a copy to a friend and told multiple friends about it as soon as I finished it.

[DAB-E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful story and provides a great look into history. I have never studied much about the middle ages and this gives a lot of insights into why the world is what it is today why and people still struggle. I had never heard of some of the unjust activities of Columbus nor of all of this different times people have been exiled.

I really appreciate the Facts and Fiction section at the end as well as the list of materials and resources to learn more.

I received this book as a give away from good reads. I am so thankful that I won. I may not have read this wonderfully written book otherwise.

Thank you Faith for providing a beautiful story that provides so much history and facts along with it.

[Bertha Strauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loaded Blessings is a fascinating novel based on factual documents of events happening in Spain and Portugal and beyond, starting around 1475 as the Jews succumbed to the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition.
Based on these true events the author told a fictional story of a modern day archaeologist from the United States tracing her ancestors back in time while examining artifacts from a sunken ship discovered off the coast of Tel Aviv.
The story is quite compelling and the appendix listing and giving a brief history of all the true events within the fictional story is extremely informative and, of course, disturbing.
Well worth reading

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical story told with fictional characters making it all the more interesting. Discusses the Spanish Inquisition and the 1492 "discovery" of the New World by Columbus. The story of present day Israel also told via interesting fictional characters and a love story, brings the reader up to date with the truth, in my opinion, of present day circumstances in Israel. Had the pleasure of hearing the author speak about her novel which was her first. Lovely, forthcoming, charming woman. I highly recommend this book especially for Jewish book clubs and for those on college campus.

[Jo Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the parts of the book about the Inquisition and I learned a lot about that time in history.

Unfortunately, the sections devoted to modern times seemed to be a venue for the author's political diatribe. The ending was particularly disturbing. I do not want to go into details because of spoilers, but the events in the final chapters were totally out of character and unnecessary to the story.

[Deborah Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. I especially enjoyed the sections that took place in the middle ages. I appreciated the historical background at the end. I also appreciated the background and perspective on the modern-day issues in the Middle East.

[Christi M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super read! Pretty heavy on the history, which is why it took longer to read, but fascinating and kept my attention going. What a great learning experience!

[Lauren Stark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun but heavy book, great if you are interested in jewish history and culture.

[Miss E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me at page one.... Excellently comes together
A beautiful read
Highly recommended

[Susan G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about the Spanish Inquisition. It is a fast-moving, educational read that captures your attention from beginning to end.

Faith Quintero is a very talented writer, who seamlessly weaves the history of the Spanish Inquisition and the horrors that the Jewish people faced, thru a story that takes us thru many generations of her character’s ancestors, up to modern days.

I started reading “Loaded Blessings” at the same time that I watched the documentary, “Children of the Inquisition” at a genealogy conference. The two complemented each other perfectly!

In an age where DNA tests are prevalent, and people are becoming more and more interested in Genealogy, there are many Christians who are discovering that they have Sephardic ancestry. This book is a terrific resource for people of all religions who want to learn about the Inquisition. It also demonstrates how “Conversos” secretly maintained their Jewish traditions, and the pain and hardship they encountered while doing so. As a bonus, in the back of the book, the author includes a list of facts within the appendix as well informational resources.

In these modern times we take our freedom of religion for granted. Every Jew should be informed as to what their ancestors endured just because they were Jewish, and how they risked their lives to preserve their Judaism and customs. This book does just that!

[Captain Cocanutty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to finish this book, I really did, but I got to page 177 and had to stop.

I thought the part of the book written during the Inquisition were reasonably well done. I'm not a fan of present tense/first person story telling, but it was interesting enough to read, and the parts where Sancia and her family weigh the pros/cons of converting/staying Jewish were some of the most compelling parts of the novel. Some of the Inquistioners barging in and arresting x converso scenes did feel a bit repetitive in a word-for-word way, but overall in this area I think the author shows the most promise.

BUT the modern-day aspect of the story was SO AWFUL I had to stop reading. I think this half of the book had soooo much potential for some kind of comparison of how religious chauvinism is wrong in all ages and circumstances, no matter who is doing it. But no.

Again the first-person/present tense narration was a little clunky to read, but I found the character of Abi much less interesting and far underdeveloped. All of her goals and ambitions were kept relatively secret up until I stopped reading, and it made her character feel a bit flat and her chapters felt like they were there to boost the word count.

The absolute worst part of the book was when it tried getting political. As someone who enjoys reading about political issues, it could have been enjoyable to read if it had more nuance than your typical Turning Point USA Facebook post, a Ben Shapiro Tweet or any other edgy political discussion of your choosing. One of the characters, Ari, says "I ask, do Black Lives Matter in Nigeria where Islamic militants have been slaughtering African Christians by the thousands?" (pg 177).

Overall, if you don't mind digging through some painfully boomer Facebook 'political commentary' you may be able to make it through this book for the sake of the somewhat decent chapters.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a split screen narrative that alternates between 1490’s Spain during the Inquisition and modern day Israel. While the historical narrative was interesting and well done, the contemporary narrative got completely derailed by the author using her characters to download all of her didactic, preachy and one-sided political views about Israel. And then it got really weird with, almost out of nowhere, the protagonist advocating for an open marriage, or as she called it “consensual non-monogamy.” It was so bizarre especially since her relationship with her husband was barely mentioned throughout the book. The appendix includes over 40 pages of “notes.” Some are interesting about the historical facts and figures in the book (though she quotes the Jewish Virtual Library extensively which I’m not sure is the most scholarly and reputable source). However, most of them go off on a tirade about the United Nations, UNESCO, BDS and more. She also includes 8 pages of “resources” which are all Israel related websites, most of which really have nothing to do with the novel. The vast number of typos was disappointing and distracting and in the end I was so annoyed that I wasted my time reading this entire book.

[Anita R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book about the Spanish Inquisition and the treatment of the Jews and the new converts to Christianity. The story starts in 1478 in Spain and ends in 1530 . The chapters alternate between modern day Israel and the ancient Spanish story. I learned a lot about the Inquisition and the battle modern day Israel has to remain safe from terrorists and invaders. I didn’t enjoy the ending and think it took away from the story about the Inquisition.

[Linzee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loaded Blessings by Faith Quintero is a fantastical historical fiction book, that ultimately has anything but fiction between the pages. Quintero's novel tells the tales of two strong female characters, Sancia and Abi. Sancia's story resides in Spanish Inquisition, where you grow with the character and her family on their journey through persecution based on the soul status that they are Jewish. As you flip through the pages, the story of Abi, located in Israel, is on her quest to find the missing link in her archaeological genealogy. Quintero magnificently juxtaposes the two stories, as Sancia is living in a time of persecution in Spain; while Abi is enjoying her work trip, to the free democracy of Israel in the Middle East, that unfortunately faces a lot of persecution itself. What Quintero does ever so cleverly in her novel, is that she "mah nishtanah's" (creates a question-answer form) of Abi's conversations surrounding the state of Israel. Where a lot hate for the beautiful country of Israel is put out, Faith Quintero puts in fact, to prove and beautifully explain the nuances and important details about Israel and the mainstream narrative of the conflict. Quintero leads with an open heart. The novel opens with the horrid and harsh reality the Jewish people faced in Inquisition Spain, but in my opinion, the choice was a sobering necessity. The book made me smile, laugh, cry, grieve in an essence, and even made think about the book while I was away from it. Faith Quintero's novel is about growth and the journey. The journey of survival, and finding new meanings to life; you can even say it is filled with Loaded Blessings. I highly recommend the expansive, yet well-paced and perfectly detailed novel; that will make you feel the history, anxiety. victory, wonderment and more emotions in between, while questing on this adventure.

[Amy R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brings the Spanish Inquisition period to life with its main character. Too little is written about this period, so this is a great addition to the literature. The story also gives an important perspective on modern day Israel and the challenges it faces. There is a lot to digest for those less familiar with the latter, but hopefully it will lead readers to learn more.

[Helene · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Interesting meld of Anthropologist and history of
Spanish Inquisition.
I was disappointed in the end of the book

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

The story goes between Inquisition era Spain to modern day Israel, as a woman searches for an heirloom candlestick.

[Fara · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is the character flaws that ruin the story for me. Enough would have been enough. Enough said!!! I don't want to give spoilers.

[Melinda Roth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating setting and juxtaposition of the Spanish Inquisition and current day Israel. Well researched, but the story was too contrived for my taste.

[Sarah Woodhouse · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book at all. It just came off as bashing Christianity. We're not all evil, as it is implied.

[BookRascal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the history in this book. I didn't research all the dates but I already knew about a lot of these events. I was really engrossed in the history but the modern storyline fell flat.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. This book is very interesting. It seemed like the dialog was kind of stiff in places, I think the author was trying to fit in so much of the historic information that it felt bogged down. I still enjoyed it though. The author spent a lot of time researching this book and you can tell. I had never studied The Spanish Inquisition. This book points out how unfair the Jews were treated under the Catholic church. Once again, religion is a dangerous thing when being practiced by men with their own agenda.