THE BOOK FAIR

Review:

“The Last Jew”, focuses on the historical period of the Inquisition in Spain during the 1490’s.

Fifteen year old, Yonah Ben Helkias Toledano, forced to flee his home after the murder of his family, vows to his deceased father that he will always remain a Jew.   Young Toledano travels the countryside, taking odd jobs, always wary of strangers, while looking for fellow Jews.  His travels take him far and wide, leading him through a menagerie of people and places as he avoids the Inquisitors.

Years later, with a new and prominent profession, Yonah Toledano thinks of return to Toledo with the hope to avenge his father and brother.

 

Well written, well plotted, beautifully descriptive, with well-defined characters, and informative of Jewish history in 15th Century Spain.