Rating: 
Summary: Historical fiction; mystery; mystic meditation
Review: The inquisition came to Portugal later than it did to Spain. Jews were not tossed out of Lisbon as they were out of Madrid. Not right away. Prior to exile there was a period of " grace ", in which the Jews were given twenty years to completely convert to Chrisitianity. This period was characterized by pogroms, by terror, by ostracism and prejudice. In Lisbon as well as in Madrid (as in Germany some years later) Jews who had been valued members of a community rapidly became oppressed, feared, and despised. In a time of drought and plague, it was easy to blame the Jews, and also easy to burn them in huge bonfires, even those Jews who had converted to Christianity. Many secretly remained Jews, practicing their religion, and many of those who practiced studied Kabala, which is one of the roots of neo-platonism, and of the renaissance, and the source of a rich mystic tradition that continues to this day. Richard Zimmler's book is a wonderfully rich depiction of these terrible times. It is also a thrilling mystery, and an adventure story of the first order. And on every page, unobtrusively, without rancor, pretension, or arrogance, it meditates on the hard questions of life: how can GD tolerate a world of such cruelty; how can a world of such cruelty shine with such beauty; why is the world so constantly in need of redemption, and how is it that simple kindness and the complex passion for truth redeem it over and over again at every moment? Books, brothers, fathers and wives, masters and disciples, artists and thieves, murderers and schlemiels, illuminated manuscripts and minds illuminated by winged visions; all these things fill this book with unceasing interest and beauty. No wonder it's out of print.
Rating:
Summary: An engaging historical novel
Review: A columnist's praise in the June 9, 2000, issue of the Mexico City newspaper Excelsior alerted me to "The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon."I found the plot delightfully engaging; it was hard to put the book down. Zimler's portrait of Lisbon in 1506, with Jews being killed by the Christian majority, is vividly drawn. And it appears to be historically accurate: the Encyclopaedia Britannica confirms that there was a massacre of Jews in Lisbon that year. Reading the novel, you're in the center of a pogrom, and it's not pleasant. Zimler's portrayal of life under siege is an accomplishment in itself, and interweaving it with a well-constructed detective story is even more remarkable. The next time I'm in Lisbon, I'll walk through the Rossio and the Alfama with a more informed perspective. In sum, I highly recommend this novel. I have a few criticisms. The novel tends to portray Lisbon's Christians as unkempt savages, literally cretins (a pejorative word derived from the Latin for Christian). Zimler's vehemence in this regard surprised me. And the self-righteousness of his hero, Berekiah Zarco, becomes hard to take at times, particularly when it's combined with an intrepidity that Batman and Robin might envy. Moreover, I agree with another posting that the regular rendering of a verb "to gift" was irritating and distracting. (The word "center" was also occasionally used in odd ways, but "gift" was particularly grating.) I know of nothing in Portuguese that requires such usage. I wondered whether the supposedly nonfictional author's note was a literary device or a statement of historical fact. I think I've been able to figure out which it is, but the author may not want the answer posted here, so I'm not going to gift (I mean give) my opinion. Let it be part of the mystery!
Rating: 
Summary: The exodus of 1506
Review: Reading Richard Zimler's book The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon is similar in a way to looking at a painting by the Flemish painter Hironymous Bosch: both have many-layered, complex compositions, full of mysterious sometimes gory details yet one can not stop looking /reading them. No wonder the author himself referred in passing, to a painting by Bosch glanced upon by Berekiah and his friend Farid in one of the city's palaces. I was fascinated not only by the main story itself ascending way beyond a regular murder mystery, but also by it's frame tale - namely, the discovery of Zarco's manuscript by Zimler back in 1990 in Istanbul. Yet, one can not but recall the words of Golden-Age Spanish-Jewish poet Solomon Ibn-Gabirol who wrote: "The poem's best - is its fiction", and that much can apply to this book, by the time you reach the middle of it, it no longer matters whether back in 1990 Zimler actually stayed in Istanbul, found Zarco's manuscript and edited it into contemporary fiction, to be published about a decade later. If indeed these facts are true and not mere fiction - than the world has been blessed with an important discovery of an illuminating historical document that sheds more light on the grim events that took place during 1506 in Lisbon.
But surely this is not the main point behind this amazing, captivating and touching narrative. What, then is Zimler's bottom-line?
Might it be a warning to Jews all over the world that no place is indeed safe for them in the long run? After all it can not be a mere coincidence that in 1530 Zarco warns his future readers about further wrong-doings towards the Jews of Europe, be it in during his life-time or hundreds of years later - (1930- for instance). One can not help but notice how the graphic descriptions of the massacre of the Anusim during Passover of 1506, connotes in a powerful and disturbing parallels to similar events recounted after the late 19th century pogroms in East Europe as well as after the Holocaust. Still, this book was not written only for a public well versed in Historia Judaica,
therefore I tend to believe Zimler aimed to reach a higher, more spiritual level of awareness in his reader, pointing out that the real issue here is all about living without masks, telling us between the lines, that a person can only be complete if he lives his life in a place where he is accepted as he really is - be it a Jew or a Muslim, straight or gay.
Rating:
Summary: A vivid historical novel
Review: A columnist's praise in the June 9, 2000, issue of the Mexico City newspaper Excelsior alerted me to "The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon," and I bought a copy. I found the plot delightfully engaging; it was hard to put the book down. Zimler's portrait of Lisbon in 1506, with Jews being killed by the Christian majority, is vividly drawn. And it appears to be historically accurate: the Encyclopædia Britannica confirms that there was a massacre of Jews in Lisbon that year. Reading the novel, you're in the center of a pogrom, and it's not pleasant. Zimler's portrayal of life under siege is an accomplishment in itself, but to interweave it with a well-constructed detective story is even more remarkable. The next time I'm in Lisbon, I'll walk through the Rossio and the Alfama with a more informed perspective. In sum, I highly recommend this novel. I have a few criticisms. The novel tends to portray Lisbon's Christians as haggard savages, literally cretins (a pejorative word derived from the Latin for Christian). Zimler's vehemence in this regard surprised me. And the self-righteousness of his hero, Berekiah Zarco, becomes hard to take at times, particularly when it's combined with an intrepidity that Batman and Robin might envy. Moreover, I agree with the June 7, 2000, posting that the regular invocation of a verb "to gift" was irritating and distracting. (The word "center" was also occasionally used in odd ways, but "gift" was particularly grating.) I know of nothing in Portuguese that requires such usage. I wondered whether the supposedly nonfictional author's note was a literary device or a statement of historical fact. I think I've been able to figure out which it is, but the author may not want the answer posted here, so I'm not going to gift (I mean give) my opinion. Let it be part of the mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Historical fiction; mystery; mystic meditation
Review: The inquisition came to Portugal later than it did to Spain. Jews were not tossed out of Lisbon as they were out of Madrid. Not right away. Prior to exile there was a period of " grace ", in which the Jews were given twenty years to completely convert to Chrisitianity. This period was characterized by pogroms, by terror, by ostracism and prejudice. In Lisbon as well as in Madrid (as in Germany some years later) Jews who had been valued members of a community rapidly became oppressed, feared, and despised. In a time of drought and plague, it was easy to blame the Jews, and also easy to burn them in huge bonfires, even those Jews who had converted to Christianity. Many secretly remained Jews, practicing their religion, and many of those who practiced studied Kabala, which is one of the roots of neo-platonism, and of the renaissance, and the source of a rich mystic tradition that continues to this day. Richard Zimmler's book is a wonderfully rich depiction of these terrible times. It is also a thrilling mystery, and an adventure story of the first order. And on every page, unobtrusively, without rancor, pretension, or arrogance, it meditates on the hard questions of life: how can GD tolerate a world of such cruelty; how can a world of such cruelty shine with such beauty; why is the world so constantly in need of redemption, and how is it that simple kindness and the complex passion for truth redeem it over and over again at every moment? Books, brothers, fathers and wives, masters and disciples, artists and thieves, murderers and schlemiels, illuminated manuscripts and minds illuminated by winged visions; all these things fill this book with unceasing interest and beauty. No wonder it's out of print.
Rating:
Summary: Zimler's Amazing story
Review: This book was so powerful. I really enjoyed what the author did with this book. After a seredipitous find of a genizah in his friend's basement, he creates this phenomenal story--weaving elements of history, religion, mystery, and tragedy. Berekiah is a secret Jew in 16th century Portugal. His family professed that they converted and were "New Christians" after 1492, but they continued their Jewish customs and traditions. When his world is turned upside down by the death of his beloved uncle, Berekiah sets out to find the murderer. With the "Old Christians" marauding the streets of Lisbon, killing many Jews and plundering their possessions, Berekiah and his best friend, Farid, search for answers. Only someone who intimately knew Uncle Abraham could have killed him, and Berekiah searches for the killer amongst his own friends and loved ones, the inner circle of "threshers", fellow secret Jews that studied Kabbalah with his uncle. Berekiah tells the story in first person narrative, and I felt that we were not able to learn very much about him because of this. We learn more about his family and the inner circle of threshers than we do about him. The story is also told in present tense, so it is very easy to get steeped and feel like you are right there with Berekiah and Farid. I enjoyed this book very much and I learned a great deal about Marrano history.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling, Surprising Must-Read Book
Review: You will not only find that this book is full of surprises and horrifying (yet histotically accurate) events, you'll find yourself engrossed into the mystery that makes up the plot of the novel. Yes, it's graphic and down-right disgusting to learn of the tragedies faced by the Jews and Jewish converts of 17th century Portugal, but the perplexing mystery that grows and wanes by discoveries throughout the book will prevent you from setting this book down for any lengthy amount of time.
Rating:
Summary: Superb intellectual mystery
Review: Without a doubt this is one of the finest literary whodunnits written in recent years. Though to call it a 'whodunnit' automatically puts it into that subclass of murder thrillers and it is far superior to those. It failed to meet my expectations, and this has nothing whatsoever to do with the book or the author, because of the publishing gump. The Arcadia version B format has a review on the back that screams: "an American Umberto Eco".
And so raises expectations to unscalable heights.
To draw a parallel, it's akin to those fantasy novel reviewers who proclaim the next trite offering as 'surpassing' or 'the new' Tolkien. Talk about setting an author up for a fall.
So, this is not on the same level as Eco. In fact, there is nothing out there to come close to Eco, so forget the reviews and recognise that this is a brilliantly characterised, superbly plotted literary murder mystery set in 1506 against the backdrop of the persecution of the New Christians. Zimmer makes one slip - he introduces our erstwhile detective - Berekiah/Pedro - to a sidekick. If only we could get away from sidekicks!
Nevertheless the plot, the scene and the intensity of the writing does mean this is the finest intellectual murder mystery of the twenty-first century.
But it is not an Eco.
Rating: 
Summary: Agonizingly slow
Review: I just finished Last Kabbalist and it was a chore to do so. The dialogue was amateurishly written and I found that I really didn't care at all about any of the characters. I AM a kabbalistic Jew and bought the book full of anticipation. After the first chapter, however, I proceeded with what could best be decribed as a dogged determination. I had to finish it to see if it ever got any better. Unfortunately, it never did. I finished it with nothing more than regret for the time I wasted in reading it. Not recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Gruesomely enthralling
Review: This book has some amazingly disgusting scenes that are described during the pogrom of the Jewish settlement in Lisbon. Disturbingly, these scenes only make the book that much more interesting and engrossing. The book is a wonderful novel set in an incredible time period. One interesting feature is the change in tense from past to present about halfway through the book. The reader can't help but feel the madness that consumes the protagonist as his obsession to find his Uncle's killer leads him on a maddeningly winding trail. Besides having a great plot line this novel also has the benefit of giving an insight into Kabbalah, a fascinating movement. Readers of mystery and students of religion will relish the experience of reading this fine work.
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