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: 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: 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: 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: Our lives in parallel
Review: Zimler's fascinating story is set in 1506, during the massacre of Jews in Lisbon. Berekiah Zarco is one of the New Christians, those Jews forced to convert to Christianity, but Zarco and his family and friends also secretly practice the Jewish faith. As the massacre overwhelms the city, Zarco discovers his uncle and an unknown woman murdered in the family cellar, locked from the inside. Obsessed with finding those responsible, Zarco, along with his former lover Farid, risks his safety hunting for clues. The two also brave the maelstrom of atrocities to find their missing relatives and friends. I found it difficult to connect with the characters at the beginning, but as the story wound itself into patterns, the book became hard to put down. I was rather surprised at the untrumpeted homosexuality of Farid, which is mentioned a few times in the book. It's treated as part of the texture of his personality and nothing more, which is as it ought to be. I think it's a great book overall, although the parallels to the Holocaust and other instances of intolerance aren't as poignant and clearcut as one would think. Still, it's highly recommended, especially for its historical detailings.
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