Customer Reviews

The Last Jew

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Fans of Noah Gordon will find much comfort in this book. He returns to familiar themes and rhythms in The Last Jew. Stylistically he borrows much from both master works The Physician and Shaman. While the themes and rhythms of the book are familiar Gordon brings forth a compelling new story that entertains from beginning to end. Perhaps Gordon is somewhat of a nomad, for it is the wanderings of his characters that they take form.

The Last Jew paints a vivid picture of one of Christianity's darker moments, yet in the end shows how the goodness of a person can triumph over even the greatest obstacles. Yonah Toledano discovers the cruelty of Christianity as an institution bent to serve other purposes. He discovers the true Christianity in the hearts of those who take him into their lives. The irony of the book lies in the affirmation of all faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam through the instrument of the Spanish Inquisition.

The book is about the triumph of the soul, about keeping faith and promises and about never forgetting whom you are. Shorter by a great deal than The Physician and Shaman, it would be an excellent primer for the new Gordon reader before tackling the more complex but equaling compelling trilogy.

Thank you Mr. Gordon.

I just finished reading "The Last Jew" and loved every word of it. The way Gordon describes people and places - reading it you feel yourself placed back in time in Spain during the Inquisition. I loved the mixture of drama and history and my heart went out to Yonah (the main character) as he had to leave his home after his family is killed. He has to find a new life in Spain where Jews are sought after and killed for being Jewish. He maintains a Jew throughout his life as a shepherd, an armourer and finally finds his destiny as the physician of Saragossa. If you love historian novels - here's one you've got to have!

Historical novels must succeed on two levels. First, they must succeed as novels, offering the reader interesting characters, a plotline that keeps the reader turning the pages, and sufficient descriptive information to create an imagined environment to be inhabited jointly by the reader's mind and by the text. Secondly, they must be credible evocations of the historical circumstances they seek to portray.

Noah Gordon's novel succeeds on both these levels. He tells the totally absorbing story of a young Jew from Toledo, Spain, named Yonah Toledano. When the order arrives for the expulsion of Spain's Jews in 1492, the young man finds himself suddenly on his own, bereft of family and community. He wanders the length and breadth of Spain, hiding from the Inquisition and trying not just to earn a living but also to retain whatever he can of the fact which is at the core of his being: he is a Jew, no matter what outward trappings of forced Catholicism he might put on to hide from the authorities. And here is how the novel meets the second test of historical fiction, in that it offers a wonderful insight not merely into the terrors of the Inquisition (real as those were) but more importantly into the spirits of those Jews from Spain who even though they maintained the outward trappings of Catholicism (at pain of death), inwardly remained Jews, and practised in secret, over centuries, customs which were Jewish.

The end result is an inspiring story of how a person manages to maintain his faith despite the most overwhelmingly oppressive circumstances. That is an insight which can be shared by both Jewish and non-Jewish readers. And as for Jewish readers, it can be said that this excellent novel offers wonderful insights for a Jew today here in comortable, tolerant America of what it really means to be a Jew.

This is a great book, it is definitely a page turner, larger because of a subconcious tension that the author preserves throughout the end of the novel. If you question the historical accuracy you should 1) Do a better job of studying Spanish history yourself and 2) Revisit the research credits in the back of the book- good stuff a rich protrait of life for a Sephardic Jew during the inquisition. Worth every penny.

Noah Gordon's "The Last Jew" describes the wrenching experience of the Jewish communities in Spain and Portugal who suffered horribly during the infamous Inquisition. As the book opens in 1489, the Toledano family, famous for its expertise in metalworking, is central to the story. Meir, one of the Toledano sons, is found dead in the process of delivering a sacred silver and gold object to a priest, and his death leads to an investigation which has far ranging implications for Jews and Catholics alike. Subsequently, Yonah Toledano, Meir's brother, suffers through the death and expulsion of his fellow Jews as the Inquisition heats up. He decides not to flee Spain, nor does he undergo a false conversion to Catholicism as so many others do. He travels the country pretending to be an "Old Christian" and he silently mouths the Jewish prayers that he remembers from his youth. "The Lost Jew" is a "road story" as Yonah wanders from place to place, taking up migrant labor, work in an armory and medicine. He befriends a number of people, including women, as he tries to find a purpose in life. At the back of his mind, he wants to take revenge on those who killed his brother. Unfortunately, the novel loses its way for several reasons. Yonah's character remains a cipher. He seems to care about Judaism occasionally, but most of the time he scarcely gives it a thought. He seems a little too nimble with everything that comes his way. He is equally adept at forging steel and performing surgery! The book does not have a strong central theme that carries it along. It meanders along slowly with Yonah as he travels from place to place, and the large cast of characters tends to become confusing after a while. It is also too coincidental that Yonah keeps meeting up with people that he knew as a youth. Too many coincidences weaken a book. I am very interesting in this tragic period of Jewish history, but, for all of his meticulous research, Gordon did not put together a particularly compelling story.

This book traces the wanderings of a Spanish Jew towards the end of the 15th century. Forced to leave his native city of Toledo after the mysterious death of first his brother, then his father, Yonah finds that he exists in limbo. He can no longer be a Jew because the King has expelled them from the country and the Inquisition has forcibly converted, or burned, those who did not leave. He cannot renounce Judaism because in his heart, he knows he must hold fast to the religion of his father. He cannot even pretend to have become a Christian, because converts are treated as second-class citizens by all--and often burned by the Inquisition as 'backsliding Jews'.

On this basis, Yonah runs from town to town, taking on jobs and even apprenticeships, but leaving as soon as he fears that his secret will be found out. Over the course of years, we see him learn and grow, from a scared kid with vengeance in his heart to a man who has had to accept his enemies as human beings, even to respect them, as he does his duty as a physician.

He meets up with characters that illuminate their time and place: the gypsy dwarf who uses his gift for comedy to influence kings, the daughter of a silk merchant whose father won't let her marry a shepherd, the master armorer whose labor of love is a set of scalpels for his surgeon brother, and the inquisitor whose irrational rage turns out to have an organic cause.

The main character remains true to his religious ideals, while changing with each phase of his travels, and it is a joy to witness his growth and marvel at the variety in his life. As a member of the SCA...whose character is a Jew whose family comes from Spain, I found the portrayal of the Inquisition, of the reasons for expelling the Jews, and of the lives of those who remained, to be vivid and inspiring. I would love to think Yonah was my character's father or grandfather.

In short: a page turner that involves the reader from start to finish. A must-read for those interested in Jewish history, the Renaissance, and historical mysteries.

...I bought it hesitantly. I liked very much The Physician, so I decided to give this book a try. And... I loved it. The story in the first chapter is fast paced, almost a Yonah's life summary. His first sexual relationship is almost described in a short sentence! But that's only in the beggining. Quickly the book takes the narrative form we all liked in Noah's previous books. It's a book that will pull your feelings out, one that your interest is always building up. If there is anyone hesitant about buying this book... Then hesitate no more. Go buy it!

Just a thought: I think the main characters of this book and The Physician are very similar... 1. Both are (a lot)taller and stronger than average 2. Both will become physicians 3. One is pretending to be a Jew, the other pretends to be a christian 4. Both have broken noses! 5. And some more I won't tell, may be spoilers...

As a last note: I would rate this book 4.5 stars if possible, because its a great book, but I think The physician was a bit better. But I'm sure there are people who think the opposite.

As I am from Spain, I am drawn to books with a Spanish theme. The Last Jew is the story of Yonah Toledano, who truly seems to be the last Jew in Spain after the expulsion in 1492. The book starts with Yonah being only 13 years old. His brother is killed, soon his father is too, and Yonah wanders throughout the country, first escaping, then trying to make a living. The book ends when he is 33 years old, after many, many adventures. This was an entertaining book, although at times a bit unnerving.

For example, there were many mistakes in the spelling of Spanish names. Maybe I should offer my services as an editor, because really, consistency is not that difficult. Yonah himself gets his name spelled Jonah on the jacket! Bernardo becomes Bernado, Ana Montalbán becomes Montelban, Isabel turns into Isobel, etc... It is bad already if you mangle the names of your characters, but even in the acknowledgments there are a couple of people who may be thinking that this Noah Gordon is a careless dork.

Speaking of names, it was a good idea to name the evil villain Inquisitor Bonestruca. Sounds like what he did for a living.

I loved the part about the Jocs Florals, where the second and third prizes are a gold rose and a silver violet, but the first prize is a real rose, because "nothing made by humans could surpass a flower made by God". In this very competitive society we live in, wouldn't that be a terrific lesson to teach our children? Can you imagine a school competition, where the kids area actually rooting to get second place?

This book is also home to one of the most ill-written sentences I've ever encountered: "Her thick-lipped pudenda was a small animal with a wild brown pelt".

I liked the map of Spain listing the travels he made. But the map is incomplete, and what's with the dotted lines? As much as I've thought about it, I cannot figure out their significance.

This book is quite engaging, but slightly simplistic in its approach to historical fiction, and in the same way that the names are sometimes misspelled, the facts are muddled at times. For example, the book says that "Henry IV of Castilla had no sons [...] but he had a daughter, Juana, believed to have been the illegitimate child of Henry's mistress, Beltrán de la Cueva". No, no, no. For starters, Beltrán de la Cueva was a man. Henry's wife, Juana, is said to have had a daughter, also named Juana, with Beltrán de la Cueva. This is why in Spanish history the younger Juana is known as La Beltraneja. Henry wanted to name her his heir, but noblemen didn't like that, and supported Henry's youngest brother Alfonso, who one day appeared dead. Eventually, Isabel La Católica (what you Americans know as Isabella, even though she was not Italian), who was Henry's sister, became Queen of Castilla. This is all very simple stuff, that you learn in the third grade or so.

If this is a genre you enjoy, then you must read Arturo Pérez-Reverte. He is a master writer, who understands history and brings the context alive with rich and complex characters.

Although I know very little about the Inquisition and do not have a strong historical background, I found this book interesting and thought-provoking. This is basically a survival story. Yonah learns to survive physically, mentally, and spiritually against huge odds. At times, I felt he was a bit "over the top" with his ability to adapt so easily and become a master metalsmith and then a physician, but undoubtedly, there are individuals who do succeed in many diverse areas. Yonah was smart and talented. Equally important, his family background provided him with a sense, not of entitlement, but one of obligation to do his best, taking care of himself and those around him. As interesting as he is as a main character, the individuals around him are also remarkable in that they are so human and are formed and reformed by the circumstances they find themselves in.

Overall, this is a good read. I would highly recommend it to any lover of historical fiction.

Noah Gordon has here produced a solid novel about the fictional Yonah Toledano, surviving son of a Jewish silversmith slain in the furor of the Spanish Inquisition because of his involvement with churchly politics and relics. Yonah must fend for himself in the aftermath of his family's destruction and flees his native Toledo to travel across the Spanish countryside, becoming peon, shepherd, sailor and armorer by turns. Fleeing his enemies who are constantly behind him in the form of the dreaded Inquisition, Toledano takes a number of aliases and eventually settles first in the area of Gibraltar in southern Iberia and then in the north in Saragossa where he at last finds his calling as a physician. The story's well crafted, the characters richly drawn, and the details of the various cultures (from the Spanish towns and countryside to the flight of the Jews and the lurking of the gypsies) even more so. But the story is marred by a series of coincidences that impel the plot forward and are sometimes a stretch. Yonah becomes a man in the process, learning to work and fight, and to love women, though he finds these last hard to come by in his habitually straightened circumstances. Still, he grows with each experience and eventually finds a rough form of reconciliation and solace with the heritage he has lost. The best part of the tale is the well detailed and convincing background Gordon has managed to develop for his story. Nor is the story farfetched for Yonah remains very much a realistic person and does not miraculously metamorphose into a heroic gladiator type despite the trappings of sword, armor and knighthood he eventually acquires in his travels. Though he ultimately rises to the occasion to kill one man who clearly deserves it and arranges for the deaths of two others who had aimed to bring about his own, Yonah remains very much an everyman as he struggles to find his vocation and destiny. The female characters were a might weak and overly confined to the background of the tale but this didn't detract from the book's effectiveness. In the end it was quite compelling (after a somewhat sluggish start) and the ending suitably uplifting. -- SWM