It is 1492 in Spain and the Inquisition is in full force. A young lone man travels to avoid being found out. Not only is the historical piece interesting, the character himself, Yonah, is interesting, forced to try his hand at whatever gainful opportunity presents itself. This was a book club pick but I missed reading it then. I picked it up to read while traveling through Spain. This made for an even better read and added to my travel experience. I recommend.

*4,5* Bastante entretenido, me leere otros del autor. PEC

I had a rather hard time getting into this, but persevered, and was glad I did. I have enjoyed the historical aspect of the book, the shedding light on a time and place I knew very little about. I grew fond of the main character and wanted things to turn out well for him. Would rather give it 3.5 stars, if it were possible to do so.

Unaufgeregt und dennoch spannend erzählt. Dass dabei der Zufall die Geschicke der Hauptperson an mancher Stelle fast schon unglaubwürdig lenkt, sei aufgrund des sympathischen Erzählstils verziehen.

If you are interested in Spanish history, this is a great romp all over the country in the years following 1492. However, I was in Spain when I read it, and had already read The Winemaker, set in Catalunya/Barcelona - and I thought that was a better book, including its characters and the plausibility of the plot. If I hadn't read The Winemaker first, and if I wasn't a bit put off by the ubiquitous and money-making enterprise of revealing Spanish Jewish history, I might have enjoyed it more.

El primer lliber que vaig llegir de Noah Gordon i em va encantar. Per com va descriure la situació social dels jueus a Espanya durant els inicis de la Inquisició de 1492 i pels paisatges i meravelles que descriu del paisatge peninsular, essent ell un autor forani.
Recomanat pel meu professor d'Història Moderna, no em va decebre en cap moment. Per tant, jo també el recomano a la gent que es vulgui endinsar als paratges de l'edat moderna espanyola.

Wonderful book of historical fiction that describes the maturation of a young boy into a physician in 15th century Spain. During his development, he is plagued by his own religion and pressure to convert to Christianity under the Inquisition, began by Ferdinand and Isabella. This is the type of novels that captivates one's interest throughout while also informing about an enlightening (part the contra-pun) time period in our world's history. 4.2 Stars.

Read this back again after many years. Not being a teenager any more, changed my perspective on this book greatly. Now being a grown-up woman this book does not look that good anymore.
The story flows ok but characters are quite plane in general, and women are basically shadows described by their physical attributes and suitability to the main character.
From a modern and feminist point of view, this is a terrible book.

Think I read the library hardcover version of this fascinating book. Wish I could give 3 1/2 stars to put it a notch above most of the things I have been slotting into 3 stars. Very touching what had to be done to preserve a faith under tough conditions of persecution.

Somehow, my mind compared this with The Coffee Trader.

Como decía al principio han sido dos libros casi seguidos de Noah Gordon y pese a que este me ha gustado algo más creo que queda bastante lejos de El médico, posiblemente su mejor obra y la que más fama le ha dado. Quizás lo más interesante sea la visión que nos muestra de ese periodo histórico concreto en el que se desarrolla la obra. Supongo que mis expectativas eran más altas y por eso me he podido sentir algo defraudado al ir leyendo la novela.
En cualquier caso la obra sigue el estilo habitual de Gordon, que consigue que la novela se haga fácil de leer.

Gripping. I went into a family-owned bookstore in my hometown (where I worked my first job) and asked the owner's daughter for a book that would take me out of my life and totally consume me. This was perfect--a true page-turner, and for a reader who usually loves books about loss and grief, and those about women's lives, this was a welcome change. I can recommend it to my guy friends too! Beautifully written, with an ending that makes things come full circle in real-life ways.

Good historical fiction of Spain during the inquisition... Not sensationalized... Just how it impacted daily lives and choices - the undercurrent of fear was real in so many conversations...

I like that Yonah's need to travel revealed the variation in how the inquisition played out across Spain.

Good for timeline and geography work...
Good for discussions on faith in isolation, revenge, family loyalty and the power of the church...