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Lewis Weinstein
The Heretic
The Heretic
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The Heretic tells the dramatic story of a family of secret Jews (conversos) living in Seville on the eve of the Spanish Inquisition, struggling to avoid the persecution of the Catholic Church.
Gabriel and Pilar Catalan have been Christians all their lives, as a result of the forced conversion (convert or die!) of their parents by Dominican monks. Gabriel returns to his Jewish heritage after the murder of his father by an anti-Jewish mob, forced to pray secretly underground.
Gabriel and his son Tomas learn the new system of printing invented by Gutenberg and build presses to preserve the 400 year religious and philosophical heritage of Spanish Jews.
Tomas falls in love with a young Jewish girl who works with him in the printing. Both young people develop a special relationship with Prince Hasan of Moorish Granada. Gabriel becomes a leading converso supporter of the Spanish royalty, and Tomas becomes a friend of the young girl who will become Queen Isabel.
Friar Perez is sent to Seville to find and arrests conversos.
All of these elements and more contribute to a fast paced story which explores issues of anti-Judaism and tolerance which have great meaning even today.
The Heretic has been widely praised by Jewish, Catholic and secular sources.
Elie Wiesel: The Heretic is deeply absorbing ... it helps Jews and Christians better understand their complex and often painful relationship.
Alan M. Dershowitz: The historical novel that is both true to the past and relevant to the present is rare indeed. The Heretic humanizes the tragic history of religious persecution.
Faye Kellerman: The Heretic is a sweeping historical tale of love, honor, justice, religion, and morality, meticulously researched and wonderfully exciting. (author Faye Kellerman has written two historical novels as well as her hugely popular detective series)
Rick Steves' Spain: To get the feel of Spain past and present, check out these three books: For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemingway); Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes); and The Heretic (Lewis Weinstein)
Professor Jane S. Gerber: I couldn't put the book down and was thoroughly absorbed in the character development and plot line. The Heretic is the best book I have encountered using Sephardic history as the backdrop. (Professor Gerber is the Director of the Institute for Sephardic Studies at the CUNY Graduate School and the author of The Jews of Spain.)
Midwest Book Review: a superbly written debut novel of political intrigue ... Weinstein is a master storyteller ... The Heretic leaves the reader looking eagerly toward his next literary effort.
Renaissance Magazine: vivid and descriptive, breathtaking detail.
from Catholic sources ...
Monsignor Thomas Hartman: a compelling read ... the book is historically accurate.
John Cardinal O'Connor: "The Spanish Inquisition of which you write in The Heretic was just one tragic event out of many in the Jewish-Catholic encounter. (Cardinal O'Connor was the Archbishop of New York)
Bishop John J. Snyder: an absorbing and challenging story ... an important epic. (Bishop Snyder is the Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine and a member of the U.S. Bishops Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.)
Dr. Eugene J. Fisher: My predecessor, Fr. Edward Flannery, used to say that we Christians have torn out of our history books all the pages the Jews remember. The Heretic may help redress that serious imbalance in historical memory between our two ancient peoples. (Dr. Fisher is Associate Director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, National Conference of Catholic Bishops.)
from Jewish sources ...
The Jewish Press: a breathtaking tour de force ... historically accurate and unusually entertaining ... an exciting page turner.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency: compelling and gripping depiction
Hadassah Magazine: a captivating first novel.
The Jerusalem Post: Weinstein portrays his characters as real people living in a very frightening period ... exciting, interesting and very readable epic.
San Diego Jewish Times: a mesmerizing novel about all those things that make us humane and caring human beings
Detroit Jewish News: literary brilliance, exciting action, romance, cinematic action on paper
Jewish Week: a stirring novel, much period detail ... much to say about family, faith and Jewish identity.
Gabriel and Pilar Catalan have been Christians all their lives, as a result of the forced conversion (convert or die!) of their parents by Dominican monks. Gabriel returns to his Jewish heritage after the murder of his father by an anti-Jewish mob, forced to pray secretly underground.
Gabriel and his son Tomas learn the new system of printing invented by Gutenberg and build presses to preserve the 400 year religious and philosophical heritage of Spanish Jews.
Tomas falls in love with a young Jewish girl who works with him in the printing. Both young people develop a special relationship with Prince Hasan of Moorish Granada. Gabriel becomes a leading converso supporter of the Spanish royalty, and Tomas becomes a friend of the young girl who will become Queen Isabel.
Friar Perez is sent to Seville to find and arrests conversos.
All of these elements and more contribute to a fast paced story which explores issues of anti-Judaism and tolerance which have great meaning even today.
The Heretic has been widely praised by Jewish, Catholic and secular sources.
Elie Wiesel: The Heretic is deeply absorbing ... it helps Jews and Christians better understand their complex and often painful relationship.
Alan M. Dershowitz: The historical novel that is both true to the past and relevant to the present is rare indeed. The Heretic humanizes the tragic history of religious persecution.
Faye Kellerman: The Heretic is a sweeping historical tale of love, honor, justice, religion, and morality, meticulously researched and wonderfully exciting. (author Faye Kellerman has written two historical novels as well as her hugely popular detective series)
Rick Steves' Spain: To get the feel of Spain past and present, check out these three books: For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemingway); Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes); and The Heretic (Lewis Weinstein)
Professor Jane S. Gerber: I couldn't put the book down and was thoroughly absorbed in the character development and plot line. The Heretic is the best book I have encountered using Sephardic history as the backdrop. (Professor Gerber is the Director of the Institute for Sephardic Studies at the CUNY Graduate School and the author of The Jews of Spain.)
Midwest Book Review: a superbly written debut novel of political intrigue ... Weinstein is a master storyteller ... The Heretic leaves the reader looking eagerly toward his next literary effort.
Renaissance Magazine: vivid and descriptive, breathtaking detail.
from Catholic sources ...
Monsignor Thomas Hartman: a compelling read ... the book is historically accurate.
John Cardinal O'Connor: "The Spanish Inquisition of which you write in The Heretic was just one tragic event out of many in the Jewish-Catholic encounter. (Cardinal O'Connor was the Archbishop of New York)
Bishop John J. Snyder: an absorbing and challenging story ... an important epic. (Bishop Snyder is the Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine and a member of the U.S. Bishops Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.)
Dr. Eugene J. Fisher: My predecessor, Fr. Edward Flannery, used to say that we Christians have torn out of our history books all the pages the Jews remember. The Heretic may help redress that serious imbalance in historical memory between our two ancient peoples. (Dr. Fisher is Associate Director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, National Conference of Catholic Bishops.)
from Jewish sources ...
The Jewish Press: a breathtaking tour de force ... historically accurate and unusually entertaining ... an exciting page turner.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency: compelling and gripping depiction
Hadassah Magazine: a captivating first novel.
The Jerusalem Post: Weinstein portrays his characters as real people living in a very frightening period ... exciting, interesting and very readable epic.
San Diego Jewish Times: a mesmerizing novel about all those things that make us humane and caring human beings
Detroit Jewish News: literary brilliance, exciting action, romance, cinematic action on paper
Jewish Week: a stirring novel, much period detail ... much to say about family, faith and Jewish identity.
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