Doña Gracia’s Gold Pendant: A Historical Fiction Novel Kindle Edition

4.5 out of 5 Stars – Customer Reviews

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Imagine having to guard the secret of your family under the threat of mortal danger

This historical novel is a story of love, jealousy, intrigue, mortal terror – of family secrets, courage, and devotion. It depicts the wide-ranging journey of Doña Gracia Nasi, a wealthy young Jewish widow from a family of forced converts, exiled from Spain in the 16th Century. Doña Gracia’s turbulent history comes to life, from age 12, when she is first told the secret of her forcibly converted family, to her escape from the terrors of the Inquisition in Portugal finally to Constantinople, via London, Antwerp, Venice, Ferrara, Lyon and Saloniki.

The true story of Doña Gracia – forced convert, tycoon, charmer of kings, savior of her people!

A successful businesswoman and visionary in a world in which women had no rights, Doña Gracia risks her life and her immense fortune to save her persecuted people. She powerfully bends kings to her will in an era of flourishing culture and the religious battles between Christians, Jews, and Moslems. Heralded the “Queen of the Jews,” she succeeded in obtaining a royal decree from the Ottoman sultan to settle the city of Tiberias. Meanwhile, her heartbreaking feud with her sister, Brianda, nearly sparked a world war! Scroll up now to get your copy of Doña Gracia’s Gold Pendant!

Editorial Reviews

These characters capture the hearts of readers, drawing them into the story…the language is flowing. Doña Gracia is a role model! President of the State of Israel, Mr. Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin, in a personal letter to the author

Michal Aharoni Regev exhibits impressive literary capability and a lyrical talent for painting in words, both large public events and private ones. Doña Gracia comes to life very vividly before our eyes, portrayed in confident, diverging lines. First Source Newspaper, Havazelet Farber

In a wondrous journey, Michal Aharoni Regev follows the gold pendant of “the queen of the forced converts,” a journey encompassing many countries and seas, leading the reader through a time tunnel to seek out some fascinating characters. Prof. Aviad Hacohen, President of The Academic Center for Law and Science

From the Author

Thank you, readers for choosing to read this novel and taking part in a story depicting the triumph of the human spirit: the story of Doña Gracia Nasi, a woman who changed the world. I wrote my book in acknowledgment of and admiration for the courageous actions of Doña Gracia Nasi, a woman of vision and initiative, who risked her life and her immense fortune in order to save her family, and in service of the values of mutual responsibility and a shared fate among Jews and the annusim, the forced converts. She was a businesswoman in a male-dominated world, acting out of the deep inner conviction that if she did not act to save her brethren, the secret Jews–the annusim, not one Jew would be left in the world. She was a woman who was ahead of her time, forecasting the return to Zion, the Land of Israel, and taking action to settle the Jews in their country. I hope to share with you the torch of the victorious spirit of Judaism and the life story and heroism of Doña Gracia and the annusim who, despite the persecution of the Inquisition and the threat of auto-de-fé (burning at the stake) risked their lives to secretly preserve their Judaism and their culture so that “the candle of the People of Israel shall never go out” and “the chain of generations shall remain unbroken.” The vision and deeds of Doña Gracia are a model for every person, teaching us that any of us can alter our lives, create a change in society, defeat the forces of evil, and create a better world in which to live. Doña Gracia’s life is comprised of a mosaic of public and private events, including impressive successes and echoing failures. My life, too, is a tapestry of hopes, accomplishments, and disappointments, ultimately leaving me with the question: what have I achieved during my years on earth. My wish is that we can all follow in the light of Doña Gracia. The novel is dedicated to Doña Gracia Nasi’s memory, and was written in memory of one of my ancestors, Rabbi Abba, who died a martyr’s death when he refused to convert.