Flower from Castile Trilogy - Book One: The Alhambra Decree - Softcover

Gafni, Lilian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0970273517 ISBN 13: 9780970273512

Publisher: Lifeline Publishing Books, 2013

Synopsis

The year is 1491, and sixteen-year-old Isabella Obrigon is kidnapped from her privileged life. When told she isn't of Spanish noble blood, but rather the child of a Jewish woman who died in childbirth, Isabella becomes personally embroiled in the terror of the Inquisition. She finds herself imprisoned in the famed fortress of Alhambra, where an encounter with mysterious and dashing Miguel Costa impels her to accept having been adopted and to vow to find her birth parents.
 
The Spanish monarchs fight to unify Spain as a Catholic nation; as soon as the war is over, the Queen Isabella must fulfill her vow to the grand inquisitor to rid Spain of all heretics. She decrees the Jews' exile.
 
Isabella Obrigon must now decide whether to follow her heart and join her endangered brethren seeking exile, or stay and live a lie.

About this title

About the Author:

Lilian Gafni writes with passion about the experiences of displaced Jewish populations because she experienced it herself. Born in Cairo, Egypt, she attended the non-denominational French Catholic School, St. Vincent de Paul. Jews had lived peacefully for centuries in Egypt; however, a dangerous current began coursing through the city that threatened the lives of Jews. Her parents moved the family in 1951 to the newly formed Jewish country of Israel, where they hoped to raise their children in peace and safety. As have many Jews before her, Lilian had to adapt to a new life, a new country, and a new language. She served in the requisite two years in the Israel Defense Forces, which sent her to guard a Kibbutz (collective farm) in the region of the Negev. There she met American-born Joel, who later became her husband. After their marriage, they moved to the United States to his home state of California, where they raised their two children. Lilian is the author of the Flower from Castile Trilogy, Hello Exile, and Living a Blissful Marriage: 24 Steps to Happiness.

Review:

2014 First in Category CHAUCER Book Awards, Finalist, (Historical Fiction)

First Place Category Winner for the CHAUCER AWARDS 2014 for Historical Fiction

"Truth and convenience all too often pit themselves against one another. The Alhambra Decree is the first book from Lilian Gafni's Flower from Castile Trillogy, discussing the late fifteenth century wars between Islamic and Catholic Spain, as the two faiths form two nations and battle over the Iberian peninsula. A riveting tale of medieval Spain, The Alhambra Decree is an excellent choice for fans of historical fiction." -Midwest Book Review

"Gafni's understanding of the time period seems paramount, and her plot is solid. Isabella's movement between different cultures allows readers to explore what it was like to be a Catholic, Jew, or Moor during one of history's darkest periods." -Kirkus Reviews

"Flower from Castile Trilogy: Book One: The Alhambra Decree is an accessible novel that inspires interest in, and relays the complexities of, a fascinating period in history." -ForeWord Clarion Reviews

"Lilian Gafni's Flower from Castile Trilogy is the human account describing the atrocities inflicted on the unfortunate Marranos and Sephardic Jews, and even on the Moors living in the Iberian Peninsula. So much human cruelty and so many wars caused over the centuries by different religions. The detailed dialogues provide historical information, and make the protagonists more real. This book is a monument to the Marranos that suffered and lost their lives." -Manuel Luciano da Silva and Silvia Jorge da Silva, Authors of Christopher Columbus was Portuguese!

"Gafni uses historical fiction to retrace the steps of displaced Jews during the Inquisition. She writes with passion -- her experiences a springboard." -The Desert Sun

About this edition

• Publisher: Lifeline Publishing Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0970273517
• ISBN 13: 9780970273512
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384