03 December, 2006

Incantation (Alice Hoffman)

Incantation is another one of Alice Hoffman's books for young adults. Incantation is a fairly short book, telling the story of Estrella, who lives with her family in Spain in the 1500s. Estrella discovers that her family belong to a rather different church to her friend Catalina - they light candles on Friday nights, keep pigs as pets, and have special names for each other to use in the privacy of their home. When their secret is revealed, it has terrible consequences for the family.

Incantation is surprisingly graphic in its violence, and I was rather depressed by the time I closed the final cover. However, it's very well written, and I imagine a reasonably accurate portrayal of the persecution of Jews in Spain at the time - a gripping story.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I just read this book. I, too, found it depressing. On the other hand, it is a well-written, gripping book.