Paloma lives with her family in Spain in the 1480's. Her father and grandfather are wealthy Jewish tax collectors who fight to keep Jews safe and in favor with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. When Paloma's grandfather discovers that Paloma has a quick mind and a skill with numbers, he trains her to be his traveling companion in his diplomatic missions. Paloma meets traiders, cardinals and the King, himself, but what she really wants to do is to go home, get married, and have children. She also worries about the future as the Christian rulers of her country ask more and more of the Jews, even as they become less tollerant of their religious practice. As Paloma watchs her younger siblings come of age and get betrothed, her loyalty to her grandfather and her people battles with the deepest desires of her heart.
Gail Carson Levine is most famous as the author of Ella Enchanted which won a Newbery Honor and was made into a movie. Most of her books are fantasy, but she has written a different historical fiction, Dave at Night, which is one of my favorites of her books. This one was interesting, and I was fascinated by the historical and cultural aspects of the story, but I thought, overall, it lacked the sparkle of her earlier books. It seemed more plot driven rather than character driven. That is the challenge in Historical fiction. You have to fit your characters into the story, instead of letting the characters create the story. Still, I enjoyed the book and I am glad I read it because I learned a lot about a period of history I didn't know about before. (2020, 400 p)
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