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By Light of Hidden Candles

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By Light of Hidden Candles
$14.95eBook: $6.95
Author:
Genres: Historical Fiction, Jewish, Romance
Tags: Inquisition, Jewish History
Publisher: Kasva Press
Publication Year: 2017
Format: Paperback
Length: 352
ASIN: B07465K978
ISBN: 9780991058471
Rating:

In a mud hut in the Jewish Quarter of 16th-century Fez, a dying woman hands her granddaughter a heavy gold ring—and an even heavier secret.

Five hundred years later, Alma Ben-Ami journeys to Madrid to fulfill her ancestor's dying wish. She has recruited an unlikely research partner: Manuel Aguilar, a young Catholic Spaniard whose beloved priest always warned him about getting too friendly with Jews. As their quest takes them from Greenwich Village to the windswept mountain fortresses of southern Spain, their friendship deepens and threatens to cross boundaries sacred to them both; and what they finally discover in the Spanish archives will force them to confront the truth about who they are and what their faiths mean to them.

At times humorous, at times deeply moving, this beautifully written and meticulously researched book will appeal to anyone interested in the history of Inquisition-era Spain, Sephardic Jews, or falling in love.

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About the Book

In a mud hut in the Jewish Quarter of 16th-century Fez, a dying woman hands her granddaughter a heavy gold ring—and an even heavier secret.

Five hundred years later, Alma Ben-Ami journeys to Madrid to fulfill her ancestor’s dying wish. She has recruited an unlikely research partner: Manuel Aguilar, a young Catholic Spaniard whose beloved priest always warned him about getting too friendly with Jews. As their quest takes them from Greenwich Village to the windswept mountain fortresses of southern Spain, their friendship deepens and threatens to cross boundaries sacred to them both; and what they finally discover in the Spanish archives will force them to confront the truth about who they are and what their faiths mean to them.

At times humorous, at times deeply moving, this beautifully written and meticulously researched book will appeal to anyone interested in the history of Inquisition-era Spain, Sephardic Jews, or falling in love.

 

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Endorsements
Alma Ben-Ami is next in line to attempt to solve the mystery handed down through the generations of her Jewish family, from grandmother to grand-daughter, that involves returning a gold signet ring to its owner or his descendants. Determined to end this 500-year-old quest, Alma signs up for a class at New York University that promises archival research. Manuel Aguilar and his mother moved to New York from Spain several years ago, and he is now also attending NYU. Having grown up Catholic, Manuel even considered becoming a priest once he finishes his education, but in the meantime, he wanders into a Judaica store and meets Alma, with whom he strikes up a friendship. Alma and Manuel team up and head to Spain with their class for a semester to research their respective family histories. What they find growing between them as well as what is hidden in the archives surprises them both. Verdict: This debut from author Levy is part history lesson and part love story that spans from the Spanish Inquisition to present-day Manhattan. Levy provides plenty of detail for the history lover about being Jewish in today’s world and over the centuries as well as a sweet and poignant love story for romance fans. A story that is often funny, always intriguing, and at times suspenseful.—Lisa Jordan, Johnson Cty. Lib., Overland Park, KS
– Library Journal
Engaging characters, a 500-year-old family mystery, and romance — what more could a reader want? I had a hard time putting it down!
– Maggie Anton, award-winning author of the Rashi’s Daughters trilogy
Daniella Levy’s first historical novel, By Light of Hidden Candles, includes many attractive aspects: main characters who transcend our expectations, a mystery originating in Inquisition-era Spain and Morocco, a touch of chaste romance, and a whiff of magical realism. Alma Ben-Ami doesn’t quite fit the stereotype of the contemporary religious Jewish girl in New York: with a healthy dose of sass and spunk, she confidently claims her religious observance while taking risks to forge an independent path and fulfill a mission passed down through the centuries by the women in her family. She partners in this effort with a young Spanish student with his own family mysteries to solve; add to the mix the fact that he is a Catholic considering the priesthood, and the plot complications multiply. Moving back and forth in time throughout the novel, Levy respectfully navigates the sensitivities of religious boundaries, the delicacies of falling in love, the demands of family honor and loyalty, and the complicated history through which the generations of characters in the book travel. She evokes the rich legacy of Sephardic Jewish Spain, leading her young characters to meaningful, life-affirming answers. A well-researched and engaging debut, By Light of Hidden Candles is an enchanting read.
– Barbara Stark-Nemon, author of Even in Darkness
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About the Author
Daniella Levy

Daniella Levy is a mother of three, rabbi's wife, writer, translator, self-defense instructor, bridal counselor, black belt in karate, and certified medical clown—and she still can't decide what to be when she grows up. She is the author of Letters to Josep: An Introduction to Judaism, and her articles, short fiction, and poetry have been published in both English and Hebrew in popular and literary magazines such as Writer's Digest, Pnima Magazine, Reckoning, Newfound, the Rathalla Review, and the Jewish Literary Journal, as well as online platforms such as Kveller, Aish.com, JWire, Ynet News, and Hevria.

Born in New York, Daniella immigrated to Israel with her family as a child. She currently lives in Tekoa, Israel, with her husband and their three sons. She wrote her first book at age ten and completed her first full-length novel at fourteen. Her Talmud studies notes from high school consisted of a series of silly dramatizations of Jewish sages yelling at each other. She’s pretty sure her teacher would have been horrified.

She blogs at LetterstoJosep.com about Judaism and life in Israel, and at The Rejection Survival Guide about resilience in the face of rejection and criticism. Connect with her online at Daniella-Levy.com.

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