(ISBN 068483393X, Simon and Shuster, 1998) |
A wise and deeply moving story of one family's search for its Sephardic roots by
the bestselling author of Jephte's Daughter. When Catherine da Costa, a wealthy
Manhattan matron, learns she has only a short time to live, she realizes that the family
tree will die unless she transfers its legacy to her granddaughters. But Suzanna and
Francesca, beautiful young women in their 20s, have no interest in the past. Catherine
almost despairs until, falling asleep before her fireplace, she is visited by the family
matriarch, an indomitable Renaissance businesswoman named Hannah Mendes (a true historical
figure), who offers her a partnership. Encouraging Catherine to use every trick in the
book to coerce her granddaughters to journey across Europe, Hannah promises to reacquaint
them with their roots through her own handwritten memoirs. |
 Reviews
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Readers' Comments
 Ragen's best
book to date!
Finally, Naomi Ragen has written another book. Many of us have been waiting for any
word of hers, and this book does not disappoint. I smile, I weep, I sigh, I remember; I am
IN these pages. There is love and despair, hope and hopelessness, connection and rebellion
-all woven together in a fascinating family story, set over hundreds of years from the
Inquisition/Expulsion to the present. My only complaint is that Ms. Ragen doesn't
write often enough!
 Restore your belief in
Love, Angels, Faith, and Divinity
Even though this book focuses on the Jewish religion, it really has appeal to all
faiths who hold their teachings to their heart. As a member of the Catholic faith, I even
felt acute religious awareness while reading it, because of the connection between faith,
and family. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and could not put it down after the
first hundred pages. I would give it five stars except I felt that the author
assumed the reader had too much knowlege of the Jewish faith and I wanted further
explanation of some rituals.
Great novel on the assimiliation of Jews in modern America
At seventy-four years old, widow Catherine da Costa learns she is dying from her
doctor. As she wanders around Central Park, Catherine begins to wonder who should inherit
her vast wealth that her deceased grandfather, late father, and her husband had
accumulated and left to her. Her daughter and son-in-law would use the money to show off
their wealth. Her granddaughter Suzanne would give it away. Her other granddaughter
Fransesca would probably double its value. None of them would enjoy it.
In utter despair that the family heritage will die with her, Catherine receives a
visitor in her sleep. A sixteenth century ancestor, Hannah Mendes will work with Catherine
to help Fransesca and Suzanne find their lost heritage. Out of respect for their
grandmother’s last wishes, the two sisters travel to Europe in search of
Hannah’s manuscript. Soon, they meet appropriate males and Hannah begins to educate
them as her story unfolds.
The two story lines (contemporary and Renaissance) blend brilliantly together due
to the strong writing ability of Naomi Ragen. The characters are all realistic; they
question how Jewish assimilation into the Big Mac culture of America is dealt with through
various eyes. Readers will especially enjoy the sixteenth century manuscript as that story
is incredible and feels like a real artifact. Anyone interested in well-written novels
starring Jewish culture needs to try Ms. Ragen’s works (see THE SACRIFICE OF TAMAR,
SOTAH and JEPHTE’S DAUGHTER) because they are fabulous, insightful tales.
wonderfully moving, sincere and uplifting
This is a remarkable book that skilfully intertwines two stories: a contemporary
tale about two modern rootless privileged young Manhattan women, and the story of their
ancestor -- a sixteenth century businesswoman, possibly the richest women in the world, in
flight from the Inquisition. The story takes the reader from New York to London, Venice,
Spain. It's full of romance, adventure, humor and suspense. I was so sorry when the book
came to an end and I had to let go of the characters.
In THE GHOST OF HANNAH MENDES, a dying Jewish matriarch is guided by the ghost of
her ancestor in showing her two granddaughters how to appreciate their family and
heritage.
I read an advance copy of this book and found it beautifully written and moving. As
with THE SACRIFICE OF TAMAR, I could not put it down. The characters of Catherine and
Hannah are mesmerizing as is the dizzying (and fact-based) family tree that they are
descended from. While I found the characters of Suzanne and Francesca to be too extreme
for believability, their journeys of self discovery ring true.
This book has many important and eloquent things to say about the complexities of
family, and it does so by wrapping those lessons in a fascinating and luminous story. Make
room for this one on your reading list .
A captivating story of history, love, intrigue and
family
Few authors can capture history, human emotion and romance
as well as international bestselling author Naomi Ragen. In "The Ghost of Hannah
Mendes: A Novel", she expertly interweaves the tragic chronicle of the Spanish and
Portuguese Jews with the spellbinding tale of Hannah Mendes, a true historical figure of
unconquerable spirit and will, and the moving story of a modem American family in danger
of losing its cherished heritage. As the story opens, Catherine da Costa, a wealthy
Manhattan widow from a distinguished Jewish family, seems to have everything a woman could
want including a beautiful home overflowing with expensive treasures, fond memories of a
passionate marriage, two beautiful granddaughters, and a life filled with art, music, and
culture. As Catherine learns that she has only a few months to live she receives an
unusual, mystical visit from the family matriarch, a spirited Renaissance businesswoman
named Hannah Mendes who makes Catherine realize that she has failed to pass on her
family's rich heritage to her granddaughters Suzanne and Francesca, the last two leaves on
the da Costa family tree. Caught up in their careers and social lives, the two young women
have little interest in their grandmother, and even less in their family's history.
Guided by Hannah's spirit, Catherine convinces her granddaughters to seek their heritage.
The girls embark on a magical quest that will take them across Europe and into their own
past, a journey that changes their lives forever. Ragen's talent is endless as she moves
between the present-day story of Catherine da Costa and her granddaughters, and the life
of Hannah Mendes, which is told through the remnants of an ancient manuscript that has
been scattered throughout Europe. Using bribery, guilt, and the threat of disinheritance,
Catherine da Costa succeeds in convincing her granddaughters to leave their busy lives in
New York to go to Europe in search of the lost pages of Hannah's memoirs. But Suzanne and
Francesca soon become caught up in the exciting hunt for the manuscript and fascinated by
the story of Hannah and her family. Of course, the story would not be complete without the
handsome young men entering the scene in an astounding and unforeseen way to sweep both
girls off their feet. The manuscript of Hannah Mendes is the most enchanting and
illuminating part of the book. Hannah's story begins with her parents' expulsion from
Spain during the Inquisition, and the family's perilous passage into Portugal where
thousands of Jews hoped to escape religious persecution. Forced to publicly abandon their
beliefs and made to convert to Christianity, Hannah and her family risk their lives to
practice Judaism in secret. When her cherished husband Francisco dies at a young age,
Hannah learns to run her family's thriving business. But their growing wealth and power
cannot protect them from the brutality of the king, or the disturbing betrayal by a member
of their own family. Hannah and her family are forced to escape to Antwerp, to Venice, and
ultimately to Constantinople. Suzanne and Francesca discover Hannah's secrets as pieces of
her journal appear in old bookshops across Europe. As they delve deeper and deeper into
their search, and into Hannah's spellbinding story, eerie and baffling things begin to
occur until in a final, perplexing encounter, past and present seem to blend into one.
Ragen expertly blends a deplorable part of history into today's popular movement toward
genealogy and tracing one's family heritage. Naomi Ragen is one of the best
novelists of her time. Read just one of her books and you will anxiously await her next. The
Ghost of Hanna Mendes is sure to top the charts.
interweaves
present fiction with true history
Naomi Ragen's recent novel The Ghost of Hannah Mendes kept me interested
from beginning to end. The story focuses on the lives of the fictional descendents of the
true historical figure, Gracia Nasi, also known as Beatrice DeLuna and Hannah Mendes. The
love stories and intrigue that surround elements of the life of Dona Gracia follow a
family of assimilated Jews as they try to reclaim their heritage and traditions. It also
tells a story that nowadays is a common tale in the American Jewish community, that of a
family previously lost to Jewish traditions reclaiming their place in the community.
More Readers Write ...
 | Seeing that you left your email address at the conclusion of your most
interesting and fasination book on the lives of the Jews in Spain and Portugal during the
Spanish Inquisition which was outstanding to say the least. It's really a understatement.
Your book The Ghost of Hannah Mendes gives the reader an insight into the
suffering of our nation throughout the ages, and although I am not from Sephardic heritage
(as far as I know) I just felt I had to drop you a line. |
| I just returned from a week in Israel (not enough time), a UJA Mission where I
started reading The Ghost of Hannah Mendes. Not only is it bueautifully written and filled
with information that can motivate and educate, but it is so rightr on. I have tried to
explain the connection that I feel with my heritage and tradition, and I have just been
unable to muster up the words and the emotions. Your book is so full of ways to explain
and to share. I thank you. What a beautiful and thought provoking experience. I live in
Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States and am looking forward to reading your first three
books. Again, thank you. |
| I just finished reading "The Ghost of Hannah Mendes" and am compelled
to drop you this note. I have never enjoyed a book more than I have this one! As an avid
reader I have read countless books, many I enjoyed but couldn't tell you who wrote it or
what the name was if I had to, this one is one I will never forget! Thank you for your
efforts in coomunicating to the rest of the reading world not only a beautiful and
touching story but to pass on to those of us who have had no knowledge of what the Jews
had to live with during that period of time. |
| Todah rabah for the wonderful "Ghost of Hannah Mendes". I
began this adventure on my plane ride to Israel and completed it two weeks later in the
Galilee. Of course, you must know how unbelievable that was since the ending is there. On
my way back to Tel Aviv, we passed a road direction sign to Ha Nasi. I almost fell out of
my seat. You helped make an unbelievably wonderful trip to Israel and to Hannah's past and
future. Again, todah, todah. |
| This is just a fan letter and I feel honored to be able to tell you how much I
enjoyed this book and all of your other books. For probably a year, I walked through
bookstores hoping you wrote another book. So much hunger for knowledge and passion for
reading makes me want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful novel.
Wonderful escape from the trivalities of every day life and problems. Your gift of moving
through time and having it all flow together, well let me just say, my family hasn't seen
much of me for two days. You are a wonderful author and I look forward to your next book. |
| I have just finished reading "The Ghost of Hannah of Mendes" and the
tears are still steaming down my face. What a wonderful gift. Somewhere in middle of
reading this book I said to myself that I wish I could tell you how moving and touching,
how warmly wriitten this book is. And then - there was your email address. Thank you once
again for a really good read and I am eagerly awaiting your next novel. |
| Thank you so much for writing "The Ghost of Hannah Mendes". It's a
beautiful book; I was moved to tears by it. I didn't discover until I was in college that
I am a Sephardic Jew by right of blood, and that my grandmother's entire family was taken
from Saloniki and killed at Auschwitz. I finally found out why I could never understand my
grandmother's "bad Spanish"! It was Ladino! My mother had tried to hide our
heritage, I think because she has always been afraid. I'll send a copy of your book to my
mother! G-d bless you now and always. |
| Just a note to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your latest book "The
Ghost of Hannah Mendes". I have read your three previous books, and enjoyed them very
much, but feel that in Hannah Mendes you did much more than presenting a life story. You
were able to bring to your readers an important piece of our history, which, otherwise,
only few would have known. I hope that many people will have the chance to read the book.
As I know that many of my friends wait to read your books after they are translated to
Hebrew, I hope that you will soon have it translated. |
| It is such an honor and a pleasure to write to you. I just finished The Ghost of
Hannah Mendes. I was so moved when I (finally) realized she was not ficticious! What a
well-written, warm, inspiring novel. I have read all of your books that are available in
the USA and I am anxiously awaiting your next book. I am at a loss for what to read until
then. Can you suggest anything remotely as inspiring as your books? You've had
such a positive influence in my life. I really enjoyed
experiencing the different types of Jewish characters in all of your books and felt a
kinship to each of them. (I only wish I had a Sephardic background!) Thank you so much for
providing positive Jewish literature for so many people and for inspiring myself and so
many others. |
| I just finished reading The Ghost of Hannah Mendes and felt compelled to write
and tell you how much I loved this book. I am an avid reader and have read all of your
books. I waited expectantly for this new one to arrive at the library. As a Jew I always
enjoy reading books with a Jewish theme. I must tell you that I read this book in
approximately twelve hours. Once I picked it up I really could not put it down. As a Jew
who was born and raised in Canada by Canadian parents, it is always interesting to read of
different aspects of our history as a people. This novel left me with such a magical,
mystical feeling. I was brought up by a mother and grandmother who both felt that they had
been visited by the spirits of past relatives. I was also left feeling that I really would
like to know how Suzanne and Francesca lived out the rest of their lives. My husband and I
have tried to rasie our children with a sense of the importance their past will play on
their future and hope that this upbringing will keep them within the Jewish faith. I
thank you for this wonderful novel and can only say that I can't wait for your next one. |
| I am enjoying Ghost of Hannah Mendes immensely. I teach theology in a Catholic
school to 12 year olds and our religion is based upon yours. You share your faith with us
in your writings, like Sotah, too. Thank you. |
| I have "just" finished your unbelievable spell-binding novel. When I
found your message with your e-mail address, had to immediately write you. There were
moments I felt like Suzanne, then Francesca, then Catherine! Your book has made want to
explore the books you used in your writings as I don't want this feeling of closeness I
had with the people mentioned. I know this is fiction, however my heart is overflowing
with the proudness of my heritage. What I really want to do is say thank you for this
treasure!!! I amy add thank you for your other three novels--all throughly enjoyed and
most of all, always a learning experience. |
| I am a member of Philadelphia Chapter of Hadassah. When I was told by my daughter
that you have agreed to speak at our Healer Builder Creator donor dinner next spring, I
immediately went to the bookstore and purchased The Ghost of Hannah Mendez. My daughter is
one of the young leaders of Hadassah and she is organizing the donor event. She and I,
both, are two of your biggest fans. We have read Jephte's Daughter, Sotah, Sacrifice of
Tamar, and now, Hannah Mendes. This story was so very different than your others, and yet
just as wonderfully written. When my husband spoke to me while I was reading, it was
almost as if he had interupted my journey. It was so mystical that I felt as if I, too,
saw the "lady." I was very sorry to have finished the book.....so much so, that,
upon completion, I turned to the beginning and read it through again. To say I loved the
book is such an understatement. I look forward to hearing you speak at this important
event in Philadelphia, and I will certainly recommend your wonderful book to every one of
my friends, relatives, and Hadassah sisters. |
| FIRST OF ALL I HAVE ENJOYED ALL OF YOUR BOOKS MY ONLY PROBLEM WITH THEM IS THEY
ALL END TO QUICKLY. I SPENT THE GREATER PART OF YOM-KIPPUR READING HANNAH-MENDES WHICH I
HAVE FOUND MORE HELPFULL A READING THAN A MACHZOR THIS YEAR ANYWAY. YOU ARE A GIFTED
AUTHOR, AND I AM ONE WHO IS IN CONSTANT AWE OF THOSE WITH SUCH TALENT A MOST HEALTHY AND
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. |
| I'm a 14 year old girl who lives in Tel Aviv, Israel. I've read all your books,
and I wanted to tell you how much they influenced me. I read each and every one of them
more then 3 times, and each time I cried and was amazed by the world who was so different
from mine. Before I read your books, I didn't know much about religious people but i hated
them. I don't know why but i just did.
After I read your book I started to see them in a different light. I didn't, and I
still don't understand them, but I learned that there is a citron beauty in believing. The
books thought me a lot about the world i didn't want to know about. |
| My favorite book is Jephte's Daughter. I read it more then 3 times in English and
in Hebrew. I felt like I am Batsheva, even though we are so different. I really think
you're a great writer. I am a senior in high school and in my AP English class we were
assigned novel projects. Our teacher gave us a list of books to choose from and I had
managed to narrow it down to Sotah and The Chosen. I asked my teacher what she thought and
she recommended Sotah. I will admit that I looked at it with slight apprehension when I
bought it at the bookstore, but within the first 50 pages I was hooked. I devoured it and
loved every bit of it. You had me in tears for the last two chapters (including the
epilogue) and I can't recall another book that has ever had that effect on me (no small
feat, trust me). I have recommended your book to many of my friends, most of whom are not
Jewish. You have a gift of being able to write a Jewish story with crossover potential,
which is the very topic I am currently writing my critical essay on. I just wanted to tell
you and that I look forward to reading your other two books, as well as The Ghost of
Hannah Mendes and any more that follow. |
| I am a fan of yours having read your wonderful books. But I just felt that I had
to write to you to tell you that no book has ever affected me more than "The Ghost of
Hannah Mendes". I read this book in 48 hours due to the fact that I could not put it
down. Being a Jewish woman I feel lost at times when my heart is not faithful to all that
matters. I was awakend to the horrors and suffering that the Jews of Portugal went through
during The Spanish Inquisition. Not being knowledgeable about it, I learned something
through reading this book. Thank you so much for all your wonderful books, but also for
writing something so wonderful as Hannah Mendes. Thank you for making me feel proud to be
a Jew. |
| I have just devoured all four of your books in two weeks. They are so compelling
I could not put them down, nor did I want them to end. Four years ago I was blessed to
have visited Israel and fell totally in love with your country and the Jewish people. Your
description of Israel in all your books brought so many wonderful memories flooding back
to me. Thank you so much for the wonderful give of your books in my life. We truly all
must realize the presence of God every minute in our lives. |
| Thank you for "The Ghost of Hannah Mendes." I have just finished
reading this latest book of yours. It was very difficult for me to put it down. You opened
up so much Jewish history in a relatively short novel. It moved me very much, so much that
I had to write this first letter to an author of I have ever sent. So much history, so
much tradition of a part of Judaism that I knew very little about. The relationships
between the people were so real. Thank you again. |
| I study in the 10th grade in Ben Gurion high school in Petah Tiqwa. As a boy that
likes literature and going to study literature teaching I wanted to say that if there
someone who teached me to love literature, it was you and your wonderful books. Not only
that I learned a lot about the haredim but also I understood their way of life. Your books
are written in an interesting way that combine the plots and a lot of details about the
life of the Orthodox communities.
Looking forward to your next book. |
| As an addicted reader, I always have a new book on tap, picking it up almost as
soon as I've finished the current one. However, THE GHOST OF HANNAH MENDES made such a
profound impression on me that, try as I might, over the pages of whatever I opened were
Suzanne, Francesca, Catherine, et al. I cannot get them out of my thoughts and heart. What
a marvelously moving and wonderfully written work. Thank you for it. |
| I love your books. When is the next coming? Soon, please. You are not afraid to
expose certain practices, tendencies, intentions, and the horrible intolerance among our
"religious" brethren. I only wish you did not have such subject matter to deal
with. Unfortunately, our "dirty linen" is exposed to the whole world - Jewish
(which should be revealed to us) and the non-Jewish (which is hurtful and embarassing).
When will we learn to be mentschen, forgiving, tolerant, lovingly out-reaching and
supportive of all Jews - especially the women, the mothers of our future. Right on, Naomi! |
| I used to love to read as a child. Now, in my late 20's, I look back and
see that the only books that I have picked up over the last decade are those that have
lesson plan ideas. (I teach Kindergarten). Then, last Summer, a friend insisted that I
read Jephte's Daughter. I was mesmerized. I could not put the book down, looking for every
opportunity to read just a few more pages. This summer, I read Sotah, which captured me
even more. (The Sacrifice of Tamar is next.) I think it only took a few days. I was so
proud of Dina for straying from the only path she knew. How could she be sure that her
life was right if not to explore other paths? She reminded me of myself at that same age.
I was not raised in the same manner, but when I met the man of my dreams (who is now my
husband), I knew somewhere deep in my heart that we were meant to be together. However, I
was only 19 years old. We dated and fell in love, but I had to leave him for a while, date
others and find that he was the one. I thank G-d every day for how much my husband loves
me and how happy I am to know that I truly love him. I felt that I could relate to Dina in
some way. I married him at 23, more sure of who I was and wanted to be. He had a chance to
learn more about himself, which is equally important. Thank you for giving me a character
that helps me only further justify my happiness. I thank you also for taking the time to
read this, I apologize for the length of my words, but I just had to share it with the
person that brought it out from within my soul. I am glad to hear that your stories are a
success in Israel. I wonder, however, is there a woman in Meah Shearim who is brave enough
to read your work? Are you considered as and author at all among the very religious?
I am curious to know. |
| I just finished you book! The rest of the house is fast asleep but I couldn't
join them until I had read it all. The book was wonderful, I have enjoyed your others too.
I've never written to an author before. When I saw the e-mail address I knew I had to
write my feelings out to you. Thank you for writing such wonderful stories. I enjoy
reading books with Jewish content, it gives me a connection and an understanding of who I
am, where I'm going and from where I've come. I look forward to your next book. Thank You! |
| Thank you for your latest work, "The Ghost of Hannah Mendes." What an
important message you have incorporated into this historically vivid, riveting novel! The
story should be so instrumental in reviving or sustaining interest in our Jewish heritage,
across varied sectors of society. For that message, as well as for the pure entertainment
aspect of reading the tale of "Dona Gracia," I need to express my appreciation
to you.
This tale clearly represents a great labor on your part, as well as an obvious love
for your people. My thanks and gratitude ... |
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