Customer Reviews

The Ghost of Hannah Mendes

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Catherine da Costa is a wealthy, elderly New York Jew who learns that she is dying and realizes that the family tree may die with her 2 single granddaughters. She receives visits from the Ghost of Hannah Mendes, a Renaissance ancestor based on the actual historical figure Gracia Mendes, born in Portugal in 1510. Hannah's ghost offers advice to Catherine. Send your granddaughters in search of my memoirs.

Catherine persuades her granddaughters, twenty-somethings Francesca and Suzanne, to put their lives on hold and travel to Europe in pursuit of Hannah's lost diaries. As they discover portions of the manuscript, the story switches from the present to the past and describes Hannah's life during the Spanish Inquisition. Hannah and her family are forced to leave Spain and convert to Christianity while practicing their religion in secret. Hannah marries a fellow secret Jew and they become enormously wealthy through a thriving business of trade. Hannah uses her power and influence to assist those fleeing from religious persecution while trying to evade persecution herself. Meanwhile, in the contemporary storyline, Francesca and Suzanne meet wonderful Jewish men and fall in love as they reconnect with their heritage and learn of the suffering their ancestors faced in order to practice their beliefs.

I picked up this book because of the beautiful cover art and the synopsis sounded good. I am not Jewish and I had no expectations of this book in terms of learning something about Jewish traditions, Gracia Mendes or the plight of the Sephardic Jews during the time of the Inquisition. I can see how some might expect much more depth to this easy reading romantic story. Some difficult questions are asked. How does a family instill the importance of tradition, respect for our ancestors and maintain a sense of our family values? The author concludes the story with the simplest of all solutions facilitated by a ghost, but in the real world interfaith marriages, marriages without children or living single are becoming increasingly common choices. I do understand the message that embracing our roots is part of each person's wonderful uniqueness and that the freedom to practice what you believe is not a right that should be taken for granted. The themes of religion, tradition and family are common to humanity and were certainly touching in this book. But the tone was very light and I didn't take the book too seriously.

Overall, this was a fun read with a happy ending.

Ms Ragen is an enormously talented writer and in her previous works has succeeded in giving us a window into the hidden world of the ultra-orthodox Jews.

This novel is ambitious in another way. She has looked into another inadequately explored area of Jewish life, the period of the Spanish Inquisition, and attempted to bring it to life. A second theme of the book is the continuity of family tradition in general, and Jewish tradition in particular. Each of these ideas are worthy, however the presentation is not good enough.

The character of Hannah Mendes is truly a fascinating one, all the more so because she was a real person. I would welcome a fictionalized or more modern biography of Hannah/Gracia that would satisfy our craving for more details and provide a deeper look into that period.

I agree with several other readers that the modern story is to superficial and contrived. There were moments when I could get involved with the characters but only a few. The feeling I had was that the writer had only second hand knowledge of people like Francesca and Suzanne. The men were just props from the outset.

Some Ragen fans will be disappointed and some will love whatever she writes. If you know nothing about the Spanish Jews and are interested AND don't mind some superficial romance go ahead and enjoy this book.

Readers may find The Last Kabbalist in Lisbon a better choice.

So many reviewers have already written eloquently regarding the story-line and Ragen's skill as an author that I hesitated in writing a review as well! I promise not to be repetitive.

A few years ago, it occured to me that most of the literature that has been written with a Jewish subject or main character deals in some way with the Holocaust. In many ways, I feel that focus is absolutely appropriate. As many Jewish children of my generation have, I grew up hearing stories from my own family's experiences and made pledges to 'never forget'. Yet, as Naomi Ragen so beautifully demonstrates, Jewish history goes back far before the wars of this century and Jewish traditions and faith are lost in many families. What is it, exactly, that we pledged to remember? As in her other novels, Ragen writes Jewish characters who may be 'haunted' (figuratively or literally) by the past but who continue to move forward with their lives. Even more remarkably, Ragen does not pause throughout her narrative to explain every detail of Jewish life. She writes about the lives of her Jewish characters to tell us (the readers) about them, rather than to teach us about the religion. It IS critical that we 'never forget', yet as the Abuela of Ragen's novel learns it is even more critical that we REMEMBER. I am not only refering to Jews, I am refering to all people. It is critical that we know and remember where we came from so that we can make an educated committment to what we will carry forward with us and what we will leave behind.

The Ghost of Hannah Mendez is a wonderful work of historical fiction in that it not only raises issues and ideas of the past, but also comments quite boldly on the present.

I really enjoyed this book. I do not agree with the 2 & 3 star reviews!! 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. As the story opens, Catherine da Costa, a wealthy Manhattan widow from a distinguished Jewish family, seems to have everything a woman could want including a beautiful home overflowing with expensive treasures, fond memories of a passionate marriage, two beautiful granddaughters, and a life filled with art, music, and culture. As Catherine learns that she has only a few months to live she receives an unusual, mystical visit from the family matriarch, a spirited Renaissance businesswoman named Hannah Mendes who makes Catherine realize that she has failed to pass on her family's rich heritage to her granddaughters Suzanne and Francesca, the last two leaves on the da Costa family tree. Caught up in their careers and social lives, the two young women have little interest in their grandmother, and even less in their family's history. Guided by Hannah's spirit, Catherine convinces her granddaughters to seek their heritage. The girls embark on a magical quest that will take them across Europe and into their own past, a journey that changes their lives forever. Ragen's talent is endless as she moves between the present-day story of Catherine da Costa and her granddaughters, and the life of Hannah Mendes, which is told through the remnants of an ancient manuscript that has been scattered throughout Europe. Using bribery, guilt, and the threat of disinheritance, Catherine da Costa succeeds in convincing her granddaughters to leave their busy lives in New York to go to Europe in search of the lost pages of Hannah's memoirs. But Suzanne and Francesca soon become caught up in the exciting hunt for the manuscript and fascinated by the story of Hannah and her family. Of course, the story would not be complete without the handsome young men entering the scene in an astounding and unforeseen way to sweep both girls off their feet. The manuscript of Hannah Mendes is the most enchanting and illuminating part of the book. Hannah's story begins with her parents' expulsion from Spain during the Inquisition, and the family's perilous passage into Portugal where thousands of Jews hoped to escape religious persecution. Forced to publicly abandon their beliefs and made to convert to Christianity, Hannah and her family risk their lives to practice Judaism in secret. When her cherished husband Francisco dies at a young age, Hannah learns to run her family's thriving business. But their growing wealth and power cannot protect them from the brutality of the king, or the disturbing betrayal by a member of their own family. Hannah and her family are forced to escape to Antwerp, to Venice, and ultimately to Constantinople. Suzanne and Francesca discover Hannah's secrets as pieces of her journal appear in old bookshops across Europe. As they delve deeper and deeper into their search, and into Hannah's spellbinding story, eerie and baffling things begin to occur until in a final, perplexing encounter, past and present seem to blend into one. Ragen expertly blends a deplorable part of history into today's popular movement toward genealogy and tracing one's family heritage. Naomi Ragen is one of the best novelists of her time. Read just one of her books and you will anxiously await her next. "The Ghost of Hanna Mendes" is sure to top the charts.

First off, "The Ghost of Hannah Mendes" will never be a literary classic, but it does have its merits. It's a historical romance with a message. A dying woman, a member of the Sephardic aristocracy is visited by the ghost of her ancestress, Hannah Mendes, and told to send her granddaughters to Europe in search of a missing manuscript. This manuscript is the ghost's autobiography and describes her life during the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and the trials of the Inquisition. With great reluctance, the granddaughters undertake the task, finding pieces of the manuscript in different places and the loves of their lives in the process. As the manuscript is pieced together, the narrative shifts from present to past and Mendes' story unfolds.

From the standpoint of technique. the book is clunky and more than a little cliched. The characters, especially those of the two granddaughters, are fairly shallow stereotypes. The ghost of Mendes seems to appear as a dea-ex-machina everytime the plot needs a little jolt.

And yet there is a certain beauty in the book that elevates it above most others of its genre. Ragen has an obvious love of Jewish culture and her descriptions positively glow. The historical material is fascinating and gives the book more depth than the usual romance. The supernatural element adds charm, especially for those of us who like a little paranormal in the mix. Ragen's images of the individuals of each generation as branches of a tree and the sadness of a branch with no leaves are quite beautiful. Her point is that we are not just ourselves, but have a duty to both honor the past and maintain our traditions for the future. Ragen may be writing specifically about Jewish families and Jewish culture, but it's equally true of others.

This book gives an interesting overview of the history of Jews in Spain before, during and after their expulsion from Spain in 1492. At the same time, the reader is engrossed in the adventure and mystery surrounding a family's search for its roots which date back to the 14th century.

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.

Naomi Ragen's recent novel "The Ghost of Hannah Mendes" kept me interested from beginning to end. The story focuses on the lives of the fictional descendents of the true historical figure, Gracia Nasi, also known as Beatrice DeLuna and Hannah Mendes. The love stories and intrigue that surround elements of the life of Dona Gracia follow a family of assimilated Jews as they try to reclaim their heritage and traditions. It also tells a story that nowadays is a common tale in the American Jewish community, that of a family previous lost to Jewish traditions reclaiming their place in the community.

I love Naomi Ragen's books, and The Ghost of Hannah Mendes was no exception. My only complaint is that I can't put her books down and then I have to wait to long until her next book is published. I am a Christian and I enjoy reading books that educate as well as entertain and I have enjoyed so much learning a little about Jewish culture and the different Jewish sects that Naomi Ragen has written about in her books. I throughly enjoyed The Ghost of Hannah Mendes.