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Loading... The Last Jew (2000)by Noah Gordon
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.   ) GiGiGo | Feb 5, 2021 |   ) gildaclone | Jan 16, 2018 | ) OccassionalRead | Sep 8, 2015 | The novel gave me a lot to think about, which might be simplistic--why are men prejudiced in matters of religion? To me it is a matter of one's personal belief--a matter of faith--and should be respected. I got a feeling for the times at which the story took place, through the author's vivid descriptions. The action seemed too fortuitous and on occasion contrived; Yonah would meet just the right person at the right time. The author's research into the period was thorough--conducted mainly through interviews with and help of people mentioned in the extensive Acknowledgements. The maps of Yonah's journey from Toledo and to Saragossa on the endpapers were invaluable. ( ) janerawoof | Apr 27, 2015 | Overall, this is a good read. I would highly recommend it to any lover of historical fiction. ( ) maryreinert | Aug 16, 2013 |
 Mit seinem neuen Roman hat Noah Gordon wieder zu jener Balance zurückgefunden, die schon seinen weltberühmten ersten „Medicus“ auszeichnete. Seine farbigen Zeitbilder vergangener Historie umgeben ein in „gut“ und „böse“ zweigeteiltes Personentableau, ohne dabei in platte Schwarzweißmalerei zu verfallen. Was in dem zweiten Teil der Medicus-Trilogie „Die Erben des Meidcus“ doch schon sehr plakativ daherkam, findet in der zwanzig Jahre währenden Entwicklungsgeschichte des „Medicus von Saragossa“ eine differenziertere Betrachtung. Selbst der positiv besetzte Held erweist sich hier als anfechtbar, wird beinahe zum Dieb und tötet mehrere Menschen. Im Original überschrieben mit „The Last Jew“ geht es hier auch weniger um das Arztsein des Helden als um das Credo, daß die Angehörigen der drei Schriftreligionen in ihrem Glauben an Gott doch eigentlich weit mehr verbinden als trennen sollte. Gordon gelingt es, dieser höchst aktuellen Thematik einmal mehr eine ,Magie‘ abzugewinnen, die ohne jede Länge bis zur letzten Seite Wirkung zeigt. La trama de esta novela toma como punto de partida la expulsión de los judíos en la España del siglo XV y como protagonista al joven Yonah Toledano. Cuando Yonah es separado de los únicos miembros de su familia que quedan con vida, se ve forzado a abandonar su hogar natal en búsqueda de un nuevo lugar en el que poder establecerse sin tener que renunciar a sus creencias. Así, inicia un largo periodo durante el cual deberá recurrir a su ingenio para poder salvaguardar su secreto. Los cambios continuos de identidad y oficio irán forjando su personalidad, y las dificultades no harán sino reafirmar sus orígenes. Desde sus días de pobreza y soledad hasta sus últimos años como reputado médico, seguimos la vida de un personaje extraordinario y de un no menos interesante periodo histórico, en el que las traiciones e intrigas estaban a la orden del día.
In the year 1492, the Inquisition has all of Spain in its grip. After centuries of pogrom-like riots encouraged by the Church, the Jews - who have been an important part of Spanish life since the days of the Romans - are expelled from the country by royal edict. Many who wish to remain are intimidated by Church and Crown and become Catholics, but several hundred thousand choose to retain their religion and depart; given little time to flee, some perish even before they can escape from Spain. 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. No library descriptions found. 
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.79)
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