Wiseman, Eva. The Last Song.

Wiseman, Eva.  The Last Song.  Tundra Books     232p  $17.95      978-0-88776-979-5       ms/hs       VG-BN       Historical Fiction

This novel is a story that needs to be told, about a family that must hide its Jewish heritage against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition.

For children, the atrocities of the Spanish Inquisition are difficult to understand and even more difficult to teach in a way that is both educational and acceptable.  The Inquisition is often abridged in a world history course because of its violent nature.  The tortures of Torquemada and his henchmen are well-known and vile.  Eva Wiseman has found a realistic yet imaginative way to present the story of a Jewish family’s struggle to survive amidst treachery and prejudice.  Her plot and descriptions tell the story without undue horror.  The goal of the Inquisition was to rid Spain of false practitioners of Catholicism, but an ulterior motive of greed was definitely present.  Who would benefit if Spain expelled the Jews?  Since Jews were not able to take any silver and gold on their exile, Spain would! 

Young Isabel knows nothing of her Jewish heritage.  Instead, she is raised by her parents as a Catholic.  Her father is a physician to the monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, and he adores his daughter.  Thinking he will betroth her to Luis, who comes from a reputable family, in order to protect her, he is unaware of Luis’s shortcomings.  When Isabella meets Yonah, a young Jewish jewelry maker, she falls in love, both with him and with her Jewish heritage.  She hides her identity to go to a meeting with other Jewish “converts” and spurns Luis.  When her father is arrested by the Grand Inquisitor, she realizes that the family’s fate is in her hands.  Her father will die if she does not act!  Wiseman’s creativity shines here as she has Isabel approach Torquemada with the accusation that they are related and that he is part Jewish!  In the grand finale, the Jews are evicted from Spain. The outcome depends entirely on the good graces of Uncle Diego, one of Torquemada’s familiars.  Wiseman continues her tradition of educating the world with her unique combination of history and fiction, a dramatic writing style, and grand storytelling ability.          

Spanish Inquisition-Fiction, Jews in Spain-Fiction    --Martha Squaresky