Mitchell James Kaplan - By Fire, By Water - Gables

Start: Nov 7 2010 6:00 pm

Within Mitchell James Kaplan’s By Fire, By Water (Other Press, $15.95) lies a subtle, insightful examination of the crisis of faith at the heart of the Spanish Inquisition. Luis de Santángel, chancellor to the court and longtime friend of the lusty King Ferdinand, has had enough of the Spanish Inquisition. But he is from a family of conversos, and his Jewish heritage makes him an easy target. As Santángel witnesses the horrific persecution of his loved ones, he begins slowly to reconnect with the Jewish faith his family left behind. Feeding his curiosity about his past is his growing love for Judith Migdal, a clever and beautiful Jewish woman navigating the mounting tensions in Granada. While he struggles to decide what his reputation is worth and what he can sacrifice, one man – Christopher Columbus -- offers him a chance he thought he’d lost…the chance to hope for a better world. 6pm