The Inquisitor’s Niece – a Review

How much would you risk to be with the one you love?

Travel back to the 16th century, a dark time in the history of Spain and a dark time for Christianity. The air is full of deceit, lies, and cover-ups. No one can be trusted, not even your closest friends. So-called Christians kill those who are not part of the faith or will not convert to the faith in horrible ways. They are burned at the stake, and anyone who does not come to watch is suspected of not belonging to the faith. Since the main two faiths at that time were Christianity and Judaism, no Jew was safe.

It was thought that if a woman read too many books or had too much learning, it would cause her to be unstable. From early childhood, women needed to learn how to take care of a household and a husband. And get this: it was believed that fresh air could be dangerous for convalescents.

Women did not have many rights at all. It was up to the girl’s parents to choose her husband for her. Marriages were based on wealth and position, not love. For example, the arranged marriage of Luisa, the niece of the Regent of Spain, is to the booklover Deodatus. She thought their marriage would be heavenly, but it turns out not at all like she had expected.

Luisa didn’t really know him, but she knew he loved books, and she loved them too. Deodatus has an eye for young boys, not for young ladies. He consummates the marriage but not in such a way that would bring forth an heir, and he puts innocent Luisa through a lot of physical pain to satisfy his own lusts.

The man she does fall in love with is Alonso. Their meeting was arranged by those around her. His Jewish heritage means the authorities are keeping an eye on him. Once his father is condemned to death for refusing to recant his Judaism, they keep an even closer eye on Alonso.

What is going on with his father devastates Alonso. Of course, the fact that his dad, the one who raised him, is going to be burned at the stake would be horrible enough on its own, but because of what his dad is being put to death for, Alonso will also lose the right to practice medicine. He is offered an escape by a “friend” of his, Natale, a friend he isn’t sure he can trust.

In the eyes of the church, a match between Luisa and Alonso is wrong. Will they manage to escape the clutches of a church out of control and find happiness together? Or will the “church” stop them from taking control of their lives?

To live during such tumultuous times would be horrible. You would have to be careful of every word that came out of your mouth. That might be easy when you are alert, but what about when you are so tired that you can’t even think? This book made me thankful that I was born in America in the 20th century.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any fan of riveting historical fiction will get lost in this book from page one. If you would like to purchase a copy of your own, please click on the Amazon link below.

Amazon Link: The Inquisitor’s Niece

Recommended Article: Erika Rummel Interview – The Inquisition, Luisa Cordosa, and Research

Favorite Sentences:
Times were perilous, and a man’s devotion to a Hebrew Bible might be construed as an act of heresy.

He looked at the manuscripts hungrily, with the concentration of a thievish magpie.

He had no idea how to go on with this charade, how to go on with the story of their mismatched souls.

She was dressed, as usual, in a black gown of old-fashioned cut that draped her figure like a protective covering thrown over unused furniture.

The murder of the child roused an inferno, a churning, licking, yellow-tongued fury that threatened to devour the Jews.

About the Author:
Erika Rummel is the author of more than a dozen non-fiction books and three novels: Playing Naomi, Head Games, and The Inquisitor’s Niece.

She won the Random House Creative Writing Award (2011) for a chapter from The Effects of Isolation on the Brain, which is forthcoming. She is the recipient of a Getty Fellowship and the Killam Award.

Erika grew up in Vienna, emigrated to Canada and obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. She taught at Wilfrid Laurier and U of Toronto.  She divides her time between Toronto and Los Angeles and has lived in Argentina, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Erika’s Website: http://www.erikarummel.com/
Ericka’s Blog: http://rummelsincrediblestories.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/historycracks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erika.rummel.1

New Words Learned:
abeyance – temporary inactivity, cessation, or suspension

aya – Spanish for governess

brazier – a metal receptacle for holding live coals or other fuel, as for heating a room.

Cabala – a system of occult theosophy or mystical interpretation of the Scriptures originally developed orally among Jewish rabbis in the Geonic period and transmitted to certain medieval Christians, holding such tenets as creation through emanation, Messianic restoration of the world to a perfect state, and laying stress on hidden senses in the Scriptures and occult means of interpretation even to foretelling events by these methods

capon – a castrated cock fowl fattened for eating

capricious – characterized by or liable to sudden unpredictable changes in attitude or behavior; impulsive; fickle

catafalque – a raised structure on which the body of a deceased person lies or is carried in state.

chatelaine – the mistress of an elegant or fashionable household.

cingle – belt

circumlocution – a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea.

circumspect – watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent

codex – a volume, in book form, of manuscripts of an ancient text

concentric – having a common center

converso – Spanish word for convert

cortege – a procession, especially a ceremonial one

curia – one of the political subdivisions of each of the three tribes of ancient Rome

declensions – inflection of nouns, pronouns, or adjectives for case, number, and gender

dinned – assaulted with sound or persistent repetition

efficacious – capable of having the desired result or effect; effective as a means, measure, remedy, etc.

embrasure – a splayed enlargement of a door or window toward the inner face of a wall

erudition – knowledge acquired by study, research, etc.; learning; scholarship

exegesis – explanation or critical interpretation of a text, esp of the Bible

expiating – atoning for

garrulous – excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters

innocuous– not harmful or injurious; harmless

interregnum – an interval of time between the close of a sovereign’s reign and the accession of his or her normal or legitimate successor.

loggias – roofed open galleries or arcades in the side of a building especially when facing upon an open court

magnanimous – generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness

meseta – an extensive upland or plateau often with an uneven surface and forming the central physical feature of a region

moribund – stagnant; without force or vitality

patina – any fine layer on a surface

phantasmagoric – having a fantastic or deceptive appearance, as something in a dream or created by the imagination

physic – any medicine; a drug or medicament.

plenary – full, unqualified, or complete

plenipotentiary – absolute or full, as power.

polyglot – containing, composed of, or written in several languages

postulant – a candidate, especially for admission into a religious order

Priapus – In classical mythology. a god of male procreative power, the son of Dionysus and Aphrodite

rubricated – marked or colored with red

sackbut – a medieval form of the trombone

sacrosanct – extremely sacred or inviolable

salacious – lustful or lecherous

salient – prominent or conspicuous:

san – Spanish for saint

schismatics – those who separate from a church or religious communion on account of a difference of opinion

scurrilous – grossly or obscenely abusive

sumptuary – intended to regulate personal habits on moral or religious grounds.

sycophant – a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite

truckling – submitting or yielding obsequiously or tamely (usually followed by to)

urbane – reflecting elegance, sophistication, etc., especially in expression

venality– being open to bribery or corruption

verger – a church official who serves as sacristan, caretaker, usher, and general attendant

vermeil – gilded silver, bronze, or other metal, used esp in the 19th century