The Ghost of Hannah Mendes

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!

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.

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.

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.

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