The Last Jew

By: Noah Gordon

Narrated by: Phillip Church

In the year 1492, the Inquisition has all of Spain in its grip. After centuries of pogrom-like riots encouraged by the Church, the Jews - who have been an important part of Spanish life since the days of the Romans - are expelled from the country by royal edict. Many who wish to remain are intimidated by Church and Crown and become Catholics, but several hundred thousand choose to retain their religion and depart; given little time to flee, some perish even before they can escape from Spain.

Yonah Toledano, the 15-year-old son of a celebrated Spanish silversmith, has seen his father and brother die during these terrible days - victims whose murders go almost unnoticed in a time of mass upheaval. Trapped in Spain by circumstances, he is determined to honor the memory of his family by remaining a Jew.

On a donkey named Moise, Yonah begins a meandering journey, a young fugitive zigzagging across the vastness of Spain. Toiling at manual labor, he desperately tries to cling to his memories of a vanished culture. As a lonely shepherd on a mountaintop, he hurls snatches of almost forgotten Hebrew at the stars, as an apprentice armorer he learns to fight like a Christian knight. Finally, as a man living in a time and land where danger from the Inquisition is everywhere, he deals with the questions that mark his past. How he discovers the answers, how he finds his way to a singular and strong Marrano woman, how he achieves a life with the outer persona of a respected Old Christian physician and the inner life of a secret Jew, is the fabric of this novel. The Last Jew is a glimpse of the past, an authentic tale of high adventure, and a tender and unforgettable love story. In it, Noah Gordon utilizes his greatest strengths, and the result is remarkable and moving.

©2000 Lise Gordon, Jamie Beth Gordon, and Michael Seay Gordon (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Historically accurate and interesting characters.

The reader ruined the audio book for me. I took the book out of the library so I wouldn’t have to listen to the narrator anymore. You would have thought that, knowing the book was about Jewish people, he would have asked for proper pronunciations of the half dozen words used throughout the book, plus the Hebrew names of the months. It was awful.

The Last Jew

Characters, Dialoge, & Description was excellent. More important was this a part of history that isn't taught in school. I enjoy learning & I did with this novel.

Captivating as the others

Familiar themes run through this work. But there are a few twists. Worth the read.

A Reliquary

Like the gifted artisans depicted in the story (Bernardo Espina and Helkias Toledano), Gordon brilliantly (yet simply) tells the story of The Spanish Inquisition from the perspective of the meek.
The protagonist, Yonah Toledano, is inescapably endearing—and the narrative makes you feel as though you’re traveling his journey, learning his skills, experiencing his plight, feeling his anguish and his joy. I learned so much reading this book, just as I did reading The Physician. I feel the mark of a gifted writer is that the story grips you and draws you in so deeply, you feel immersed in it and almost forget you’re reading it. It’s a wonderful way to learn history and culture and contemplate the complexities of religion vs “a lived faith.” (And, as a physician, I personally love how Gordon weaves Avicenna and The Canon of Medicine into his stories.)
Wonderful book!

Aprendí mucho de la historia

Me gusto que no es tan larga . Bien narrada . Me gustó que usan palabras en español y cuando los personajes de otro capítulo aparecen nos recuerdan sobré ellos