Incantation

( 88 )

Overview

Estrella is a Marrano: During the time of the Spanish Inquisition, she is one of a community of Spanish Jews living double lives as Catholics. And she is living in a house of secrets, raised by a family who practices underground the ancient and mysterious way of wisdom known as kabbalah. When Estrella discovers her family's true identity—and her family's secrets are made public—she confronts a world she's never imagined, where new love burns and where friendship ends in flame and ash, where trust is all but ...

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Incantation

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More About This Book

Overview

Estrella is a Marrano: During the time of the Spanish Inquisition, she is one of a community of Spanish Jews living double lives as Catholics. And she is living in a house of secrets, raised by a family who practices underground the ancient and mysterious way of wisdom known as kabbalah. When Estrella discovers her family's true identity—and her family's secrets are made public—she confronts a world she's never imagined, where new love burns and where friendship ends in flame and ash, where trust is all but vanquished and betrayal has tragic and bitter consequences.

Infused with the rich context of history and faith, in her most profoundly moving work to date, Alice Hoffman's first historical novel is a transcendent journey of discovery and loss, rebirth and remembrance.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Lamia adopts a vaguely Spanish tone for her reading of Hoffman's tale of a 16-year-old girl in 16th-century Spain who discovers she is a converso-a Jewish convert to Christianity whose family secretly practices the Jewish faith. Lamia trills her Rs and renders her vowels pleasantly strange, sounding more like a Spaniard attempting to tread the unfamiliar ground of English than a native speaker. This strategy occasionally dips toward self-parody, but on the whole, Lamia is pleasant to listen to, and the slightly childish, perky tone of her voice is just right for Hoffman's teenage protagonist. Her unusual reading provides an air of mystery that is entirely appropriate for this story of secret lives unraveled. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature - Wendy Glenn
Young Estrella DeMadrigal is a Marrano, a member of a community of Jews living in Spain in the early 16th century at a time when Catholicism was considered the one, true faith. Those who refused conversion were killed, and those who converted but retained their Jewish beliefs were forced to live secret lives. Estella's coming-of-age begins when she witnesses soldiers, who are enforcing the church council's new decree, host a public burning of books owned by a Jewish man. Although Estella's mother has taught her that she possesses the power to think her own thoughts and believe in herself, Estrella is not taught the truth about her faith. Her ignorance can no longer protect her, however, as betrayal comes too close to home when Estella's closest friend and confidant, Catalina, along with her mother, turn on another Marrano family in the community as a means to raid their cupboards once they have been taken away. Catalina, out of jealously over the fact that the boy to whom she is promised loves Estrella instead, chooses to then report the DeMadrigal family. Estrella's learned grandfather, spirited brother, and kind mother are arrested and die as a result of their beliefs. Estrella finds the strength to survive from her recognition that knowledge might yield peril but is also a source of power. She asks her readers to remember her story, to remember her. Given the moving narrative, richly drawn characters, vivid historical context, and poetic language, this task is easily within reach. Reminiscent of Ben Mikaelsen's Tree Girl, Hoffman's story is both difficult and essential reading.
Larisa Schumann
This coming-of-age story about Estrella deMadrigal, set in medieval Spain, looks at contrasts and appearances. At first Estrella sees herself as the look-alike and sister to her best friend, Catalina. She also sees herself as a Christian. But when Estrella witnesses a book burning in the town's plaza, her world begins to change. Soon public denouncements and executions follow as the town fathers accuse all Jews of witchcraft and sorcery. Estrella finally sees what has always been around her. There is a secret her family is protecting—secret knowledge of the Jews or kabbalah, which is taught in her family's house. Family rituals are really Jewish rituals and family members have secret names. Along her journey to selfhood, Estrella falls in love, loses her best friend, and survives horrific persecution. The historical setting and Biblical allusions add richness to this coming-of-age story. Alice Hoffman's characters are well developed and speak with unique voices. This story will foster discussions about diversity, religious freedom, friendships, and betrayal. But, most of all, it is a poignant and often painful tale of growing up.
VOYA - Ruth Cox Clark
Hoffman, author of the apocalyptic Green Angel (Scholastic, 2003/VOYA April 2003), tears a horrific page from history and melds it with mysticism to create a spellbinding tale told by Estrella, the youngest in a tight-knit family of Spanish Jews hiding as devout Catholics during the Inquisition. Sixteen-year-old Estrella and Catalina are sure that they will marry and live next door to each other, but their idyllic thoughts end with the town council's first decree: "No Jewish books, no medical books, no magic books." The second decree lists ten ways to determine if your neighbor is a Jew. "Turn one in, and you share all he owns, halved with the court." As Estrella reads the list, she realizes the truth, one that she cannot share with anyone, especially not Catalina, whose intended has fallen in love with Estrella. At first glimpse, this tale is of betrayal, but a closer look loosens the pages of a love story-the love of one's faith and family. Estrella/Esther will survive to continue this love story. Hoffman crafts a lyrical, short-sentenced text that reads like poetry. The book itself is visually beautiful, from shades of gold and red on the cover to gray tones illustrating title pages for the sections: Soul, Angels, Darkening Light, and Husks. Although similar to Carol Matas's The Burning Time (Delacorte, 1994/VOYA October 1994) in relation to the depth of the love between mother and daughter, this novel stands alone as a tightly woven tale of love overcoming betrayal and prejudice.
KLIATT
Alice Hoffman's books of magical realism and even more magical language have great appeal to teens. Here, she deliberately focuses on a YA audience to address a difficult topic: Jews living in hiding under the guise of Catholicism during the Spanish Inquisition. Sixteen-year-old Estrella doesn't even know she is Jewish, although her family practices kabbalah in secret; but still she is bothered when a rabbi's books are publicly burned. The atmosphere of their beautiful little town becomes poisoned and dangerous. Anyone, it seems, can turn in a neighbor to the authorities on suspicion of being a Jew, and their house, lands, and possessions are forfeited. Adults are put to death and the children raised by Christians. Estrella's best friend Catalina, not as pretty or as charming, turns on her when she discovers her handsome betrothed is falling in love with Estrella and Estrella is falling in love with him. Estrella learns about betrayal and her secret identity at the same time. Hoffman's signature lyricism is much in evidence but her prose is not as rich in detail as in her other books. The result is a story that reads like a black fairy tale. The dragons to be slain are religious intolerance and racial discrimination. However, these dragons never die and ultimately only escape is possible. Hoffman introduces a little-known part of history to YA readers, but those familiar with her other books may long for more detail and motivation. KLIATT Codes: JS*--Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2006, Little, Brown, 166p., $16.99.. Ages 12 to 18.
—Myrna Marler
School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up
Alice Hoffman's historical novel (Little, Brown, 2006) is brought to life compellingly in Jenna Lamia's subtly accented reading. At the dawn of the 16th century, Spain's Jews have fled, been restricted to ghettoes, or converted to Christianity in order to live openly in Spanish society. Estrella's family has lived in her village for 500 years and is, as far as the 16-year-old knows, like all her neighbors and her best friend, fervently Catholic. In fact, however, they are hidden Jews, and Estrella realizes this only weeks before it occurs to the townspeople. Hoffman describes with accuracy, but without undue manipulation, the devastation of Estrella's family through torture and murder, her confrontation of the truths about her supposed friend and her neighbors, and her newly found and embraced identity. An interesting love story adds an unusual element to the novel. An excellent choice for curriculum support as well as for casual listeners.
—Francisca GoldsmithCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews
Echoes of the Holocaust reverberate through this 16th-century tale of a young Spanish woman who discovers through love, betrayal and tragedy that her family is secretly Jewish. Estrella has never questioned why she's sometimes called "Esther" at home, why her family lights candles before dinner on Friday and other habits-until she reads a poster that describes the practices of Jews, who hide beneath a veil of Christianity to protect themselves. Meanwhile, a growing attachment with Andres, a neighbor, poisons her relationship with her closest friend Catalina, to whom he's been promised. In revenge, Catalina goes to the authorities, setting in motion a chain of arrests, mock trials and at last, a huge auto-da-f‚ that leaves only Estrella and her grandmother alive. Having witnessed it all, Estrella washes off the ashes and sets out for the New World, vowing not to let herself or her descendants forget. More poet than historian, Hoffman focuses less on period detail than on her protagonist's inner life and voice; her tale therefore has a timeless quality, though because she leaves the background vague, and also gives Estrella's family elders mystical powers, it's not her most convincing outing. (Fiction. 12-14)
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780316154284
  • Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  • Publication date: 10/1/2007
  • Edition description: Revised
  • Pages: 192
  • Sales rank: 174,230
  • Age range: 12 - 18 Years
  • Product dimensions: 4.75 (w) x 8.00 (h) x 0.62 (d)

Meet the Author

Alice Hoffman
Alice Hoffman is the bestselling author of nearly twenty acclaimed novels beloved by teens and adults, including Aquamarine and Practical Magic, both made into major motion pictures, as well as The Foretelling, Green Angel, The Ice Queen, and Here on Earth (an Oprah Book Club selection). She has also written the highly praised story collections Local Girls and Blackbird House. The author lives outside of Boston.

Biography

Born in the 1950s to college-educated parents who divorced when she was young, Alice Hoffman was raised by her single, working mother in a blue-collar Long Island neighborhood. Although she felt like an outsider growing up, she discovered that these feelings of not quite belonging positioned her uniquely to observe people from a distance. Later, she would hone this viewpoint in stories that captured the full intensity of the human experience.

After high school, Hoffman went to work for the Doubleday factory in Garden City. But the eight-hour, supervised workday was not for her, and she quit before lunch on her first day! She enrolled in night school at Adelphi University, graduating in 1971 with a degree in English. She went on to attend Stanford University's Creative Writing Center on a Mirrellees Fellowship. Her mentor at Stanford, the great teacher and novelist Albert Guerard, helped to get her first story published in the literary magazine Fiction. The story attracted the attention of legendary editor Ted Solotaroff, who asked if she had written any longer fiction. She hadn't -- but immediately set to work. In 1977, when Hoffman was 25, her first novel, Property Of, was published to great fanfare.

Since that remarkable debut, Hoffman has carved herself a unique niche in American fiction. A favorite with teens as well as adults, she renders life's deepest mysteries immediately understandable in stories suffused with magic realism and a dreamy, fairy-tale sensibility. (In a 1994 article for The New York Times, interviewer Ruth Reichl described the magic in Hoffman's books as a casual, regular occurrence -- "...so offhand that even the most skeptical reader can accept it.") Her characters' lives are transformed by uncontrollable forces -- love and loss, sorrow and bliss, danger and death.

Hoffman's 1997 novel Here on Earth was selected as an Oprah Book Club pick, but even without Winfrey's powerful endorsement, her books have become huge bestsellers -- including three that have been adapted for the movies: Practical Magic (1995), The River King (2000), and her YA fable Aquamarine (2001).

Hoffman is a breast cancer survivor; and like many people who consider themselves blessed with luck, she believes strongly in giving back. For this reason, she donated her advance from her 1999 short story collection Local Girls to help create the Hoffman Breast Center at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA.

Good To Know

  • Hoffman has written a number of children's books, including Fireflies: A Winter's Tale(1999), Horsefly (2000), and Moondog (2004).

  • Aquamarine was written for Hoffman's best friend, Jo Ann, who dreamed of the freedom of mermaids as she battled brain cancer.

  • Here on Earth is a modern version of Hoffman's favorite novel, Wuthering Heights.

  • Hoffman has been honored with the Massachusetts Book Award for her teen novel Incantation.
    • Read More Show Less
      1. Hometown:
        Boston, Massachusetts
      1. Date of Birth:
        March 16, 1952
      2. Place of Birth:
        New York, New York
      1. Education:
        B.A., Adelphi University, 1973; M.A., Stanford University, 1974
      2. Website:
        http://www.alicehoffman.com

    Customer Reviews

    Average Rating 4.5
    ( 88 )
    Rating Distribution

    5 Star

    (54)

    4 Star

    (19)

    3 Star

    (12)

    2 Star

    (2)

    1 Star

    (1)

    Your Rating:

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    See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 88 Customer Reviews

    • Posted May 11, 2011

      Disappointing

      Only 78 pages. Reads like a high school short story writing assignment.

      1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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    • Posted January 16, 2009

      more from this reviewer

      I Also Recommend:

      How I Live Now
      If I Should Die Before I Wake
      The Naming (Pellinor Series #1)
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      The Foretelling

      Beautiful

      Beautifully written, and a beautiful story, but it happened too fast. Really important things would be described in less than a sentence. I just wish it was longer.

      1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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    • Anonymous

      Posted September 1, 2008

      Amazing

      I bought this book at school it was the best book I have ever read in my life. But I am only 14.

      1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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    • Anonymous

      Posted July 8, 2008

      A reviewer

      This book truly cast a spell on me. It was so beautiful and tragic, with a glimmer of hope at the end. Even though it was set in the time of the Spanish Inquisition, I believe anyone can relate to it. The feeling of betrayal and love is something anyone can identify with. The imagery was beautiful, and the allegories were superb. I especially liked how she decribed the burning paper as doves. And how there was a dragon who comes up from the well. My favorite, however, is how her mother described tears as being blue. Such a beautiful story.

      1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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    • Anonymous

      Posted January 27, 2008

      Magical.

      I was assigned to read a book based outside of the country, and I was given a choice of a couple books. Included in these choices was Incantation, by Alice Hoffman. I mainly grabbed it because I absolutely LOVED the cover-art. But when I began to read it, I was amazed. It illustrated everything so simply, yet so darkly. The book is a work of art reccommended to anyone who loves a good romance/mystery/coming-of-age tale.

      1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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    • Anonymous

      Posted May 8, 2013

      I had to read this book in middle school. If you enjoy romance,

      I had to read this book in middle school. If you enjoy romance, drama, betrayal, violence, etc, this book is for you!

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    • Anonymous

      Posted October 15, 2012

      Great book !

      This book is greatly written so make sure to put it on your list!

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    • Posted April 26, 2012

      Highly Recommended

      I recieved the book in perfect condition, with no rips, tears, scratches, or any other mark. The book itself is a very good book, but sad too. I think it is a must read for teens and young adults.

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    • Posted October 11, 2011

      An Absolute Masterpiece

      This book is a perfect mixture of wisdom, love, and tears. It opens up a whole new perspective on life and the Spanish Inquisition. This book certainly made me become more aware of the world and the uglier side of human nature. Hoffman has made a masterpiece from one of the most horrid events in the history of human nature.

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    • Posted March 9, 2011

      more from this reviewer

      I Also Recommend:

      The Scarletti Curse
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      Wonderful short story

      A nice short story of the repression of Jews. Would have liked to have the story been alittle longer, think them traveling to amsterdamn would have been nice and once they got there. Plus the development of the relationship that was just starting.

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    • Anonymous

      Posted February 12, 2011

      A Must-Have Book! 5 Stars!

      This book has amazing detail, and interesting story-line! i felt as if I was there, like i was the main character staring death in the face! Couldnt be any better. 5 Stars.

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    • Posted January 25, 2011

      You have to read it!

      Incantation is a wonderful novel by Alice Hoffman. It is a captivating book that is great for young adults. It is a story about love, betrayal, family, and secrets. Estrella discovers her family secrets and not everything she thought she was is true.
      In Spain 1500, Estrella de Madriga lives with her family in a tiny village in Spain called Encaleflora. At this time there was the Spanish inquisition and it was a dangerous time for varying religions to be. Many Jews at this time were either out of Spain or being searched for. Many Jews had to go into hiding because of it and practice their religions secretly. Estrella thought that she knew the world around her: who her friends were, who she was, what her family was like. But when she discovers a secret that has burdened her family it changes her world forever, everything that she thought she knew changes. Her Grandmother is harsh and is very critical of Estrella and what she does, but what drives her to be like this? Her Grandfather is the opposite as a powerful man he ignores her and keeps his eyes on her brother, the family jewel. Luis is her brother and is studying to become a priest and can rarely visit his family. Catalina is Estrella's best friend and is promised to marry her handsome cousin Andres. He has blonde hair and blue eyes which is a rarity in their small village. Estrella's mother is beautiful with an education and is one of the best yarn dyers in the town.
      This book was outstanding and has made me reread it over and over again. I was truly captivated by the love, family, and betrayal that was expressed throughout the novel. Though outstanding overall in a few parts of the novel it managed to get a little slow but it was still an amazing book.
      I would recommend this book for teenagers and adults, for there were a few parts that might go over a younger child's head. It would help if you had some background knowledge to the time period. But overall it was a beautiful storyline and that is why it was a must read

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    • Anonymous

      Posted January 13, 2011

      nice

      we read this book in 8th grade! amazing!!!

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    • Anonymous

      Posted October 1, 2010

      READ NOW!

      this book made me breathe heavily and cry and cheer. its a beautiful love story, a terrible tragedy, and full of grief and sadness. its the most emotional book ive ever read. please read this, buy this, you wont regret this purchase. (: best of luck - erica

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    • Posted May 26, 2010

      A book I loved.

      This was a great book. It was emotional and even though predictable, I loved it. The way it was written is just the way Spain was at that time. I felt so connected to Estrella because she was such a strong character. I loved it from begining to end.

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    • Anonymous

      Posted May 5, 2010

      wow!

      this book brings every aspect you can think of together. It brings together history, religon, romance, envy, and way way more. it's an amazing book. let's just say not everything is what it seems. Are you what you think you are?

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    • Posted March 30, 2010

      not my favorite by this author

      mostly I love Alice Hoffman, she can take you to dark places safely, and poetically, but Incantation felt more like a detailed synopsis than a book and Catalina and Estrella were too black and white for my tastes ...

      0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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    • Posted November 26, 2009

      more from this reviewer

      I Also Recommend:

      The Foretelling
      The Hunger Games (Hunger Games Series #1)
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      EMOTIONAL READ

      This book is breath taking, heart breaking, and changes the out look of life. Amazing read. It is worth the buy! Remarkable..:)

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    • Posted June 17, 2009

      more from this reviewer

      A Quiet Jewel

      What happens when a young woman (16) learns that her entire life has been a lie? This is what happens to Estrella di Madrigal in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition.

      She watches as those around her are arrested, tortured, and put to death because they are Conversos (Jews who have converted to Christianity). She feels for them but is happy that she and her family attend the Christian church headed by Friar DeLeon and that her brother is a seminarian.

      Estrella's best friend and neighbor is Catalina. They have been close since birth but it is Catalina's cousin Andres, who lives with Catalina's family, that ultimately causes the rift between the two girls. Catalina has always believed that she and Andres would be married. But Andres sees Catalina as a sister while he looks at Estrella in love.

      With the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition as a backdrop, Estrella soon learns from her honored grandfather that she is Esther, that her entire family are Marranos (Jews converted to Christianity but who practice judaism in secret). Because of Estrella's love for Andres and his for her, Catalina and her family betray the Madrigals; Estrella watches from the shadows of the crowds as her family is first denounced, then tortured, and finally put to death. She is the only one to escape.

      This book is short but packs a mighty punch. Easy enough to read in one sitting but don't, no matter how much you are tempted. Take time to digest what you are reading here. Although meant for the younger reader, most adults should find this a compelling story. A word of caution: the descriptions of the torture of the Marranos is very detailed and vivid and may not sit well with the squeamish.

      Different from Alice Hoffman's other novels, I found this one nevertheless equally as good. Ms. Hoffman hasn't disappointed me yet.

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    • Anonymous

      Posted June 3, 2009

      I Also Recommend:

      Eclipse
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      excellent!

      This book is breath taking! I couldn't put it down! Once you read this book, you will wan't to read it again and again and again!

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