grammargirl: (Default)
[personal profile] grammargirl
[livejournal.com profile] beingblueagain has been recommending this book to me for ages--at least since my YA lit class last semester, and maybe even since my Children's lit class over the summer. In any case, I finally got around to reading it when I found myself copyediting the new back matter that [livejournal.com profile] beingblueagain wrote for the upcoming paperback edition. Mostly I'm not going to do book logs for books I read in the course of my job--I have a hard enough time keeping up as it is--but since this involved taking an actual hardcover book home with me, and I read it mostly for pleasure, I'm counting it.

Incantation is the story of Estrella de Madrigal, a teenage girl living during the Spanish Inquisition. Estrella has a secret, a secret so dangerous that she herself does not learn of it until it is too late: she and her entire family are Marranos, Jews who hide their faith and pose as good Catholics to avoid persecution. Estrella and her best friend Catalina think that they will be together forever, until a forbidden kiss between Estrella and Catalina's cousin Andres starts a cycle of jealousy and betrayal that tears Estrella's family apart.

Incantation is an incredibly fast read--it only took me a few hours to read in its entirety--and for that reason I'd suggest either taking this book out of the library or waiting until it comes out in paperback. That being said, it is truly a powerful story of betrayal, loss, and hope, and Hoffman's lyrical prose is beautiful. This one didn't quite make me cry, but it came close. Highly recommended.

:)

Date: 2007-04-02 08:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] beingblueagain.livejournal.com
Glad you finally read it!

I just bought LIFE AS WE KNEW IT from Amazon.

Re: :)

Date: 2007-04-02 08:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] grammargirl.livejournal.com
Oh yay! You and [livejournal.com profile] penmage seem to have similarly good taste when it comes to YA lit, and she recommended it to me first so I'm sure you'll love it as much as we did. :)

Profile

grammargirl: (Default)
grammargirl

April 2009

S M T W T F S
   1234
567891011
1213 1415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 30th, 2025 11:35 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios