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Incantation Alice Hoffman Books

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Incantation Alice Hoffman Books

Incantation, Alice Hoffman, 166 pages. Four stars, young adult; three stars, adult. From the reviews, I gather that Ms. Hoffman was delving into the crossover market for young adult / adult literature. That partly explains Hoffman’s return in this 2006 novel to a much earlier style of, say, Turtle Moon. A sample: “It was something small that made it happen. Small like the bite of a bug. That something was a kiss.” The plot is as sparse as that prose, and that is not a complaint. Just to let you know that this is no The Third Angel or Here on Earth or Practical Magic. Coming of Age is the key to this novel, and betrayal is the lesson learned. Concerned with Spain during the Isabella and Philip period of booting out Jews and Muslims, the novel certainly isn’t going to depict many joys. Its harshness, however, is glossed a good deal by its brevity. A fine novel for young adults—and a good enough read for adults, especially fans of Hoffman’s writing.


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Incantation Alice Hoffman Books Reviews

Always an Alice Hoffman fan, I recently read Incantation, a short book written for the young adult audience. Set in Spain during the Inquisiiton, the central character is Estrella, a teenager who learns over the course of the story that hers is a Jewish family that is Catholic on the surface only. Her world is torn apart as she, her family and their community are exposed and persecuted. She swiftly finds out who her friends are and aren't. I am intrigued by stories in which extraordinary circumstances reveal previously unknown aspects of people, how people deal with relationships and lives torn apart—who succumbs to baser human behavior and who rises to heroic dimensions. This is a gripping story. My only complaint is that it ends abruptly, so it's not quite satisfying. I think it really should have been longer.
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.
I love Alice Hoffman. The first book of hers I ever read was Practical Magic, and I didn't like it - I didn't like magic then, or witches. I was a very down-to-earth reader.

Since then I have explored other sides of myself and in turn have come to Alice Hoffman. Her use of language, her weaving of history through her books (unlike the modern-day Practical Magic), even her celebration of women, who by our nature have a special "knowing." I loved The Dove Keepers and The Red Garden.

This one absolutely beautiful and powerful writing, but how could end it so abruptly? I wanted so much more. So that is my disappointment. I loved the historical setting and how Hoffman brought the period to life and revealed secrets to me. I just wanted more.
This is a story of commitment to one's heritage and beliefs. A story of the ages which repeats itself again and again thru different times and in different places. The story of a People who have had to live in disguise in order to protect their very lives. Superstitions and avaricious greed hunted out the Jews of Western Europe in the times of the inquisition. This in places where even conversion to Christianity hundreds of years before couldn't save them. Respected families who were forever in service to their communities still were hunted out, robbed of their possessions, tortured and killed in horrific ways by the monsters of ignorance and cruelty. Incantation shows us what this unbelievable reality looked and felt like. One sweet, hardworking, devoted family's story, each character so clearly shown to be an admirable and memorable person turned to ashes by an unhappy and thoughtless young neighbor girl. A lifetime of friendship becomes the condemning arrow shot out of jealousy over a cousin's kiss and a string of pearls. This story is a peek through the veils of history, at the same deeply rooted dark side of life - an evil that permeates our world still today. Alice Hoffman's beautifully crafted story is a reminder for us all that so much still remains to be undertaken in our world to enlist intelligence, compassion and the goodness of the human spirit to create and provide a world of cooperation and peace. Dr. Robin Bentel, Marin County, Ca.
Incantation, Alice Hoffman, 166 pages. Four stars, young adult; three stars, adult. From the reviews, I gather that Ms. Hoffman was delving into the crossover market for young adult / adult literature. That partly explains Hoffman’s return in this 2006 novel to a much earlier style of, say, Turtle Moon. A sample “It was something small that made it happen. Small like the bite of a bug. That something was a kiss.” The plot is as sparse as that prose, and that is not a complaint. Just to let you know that this is no The Third Angel or Here on Earth or Practical Magic. Coming of Age is the key to this novel, and betrayal is the lesson learned. Concerned with Spain during the Isabella and Philip period of booting out Jews and Muslims, the novel certainly isn’t going to depict many joys. Its harshness, however, is glossed a good deal by its brevity. A fine novel for young adults—and a good enough read for adults, especially fans of Hoffman’s writing.