Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Incantation
    Unavailable
    Incantation
    Unavailable
    Incantation
    Audiobook2 hours

    Incantation

    Written by Alice Hoffman

    Narrated by Jenna Lamia

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Bestselling author Alice Hoffman tears a page from history and melds it with mysticism to create a spellbinding, highly acclaimed tale about the persecution of Jewish people during the sixteenth century.

    Estrella is a Marrano: During the time of the Spanish Inquisition, she is one of a community of Spanish Jews living double lives as Catholics. And she is living in a house of secrets, raised by a family who practices underground the ancient and mysterious way of wisdom known as kabbalah. When Estrella discovers her family's true identity—and her family's secrets are made public—she confronts a world she's never imagined, where new love burns and where friendship ends in flame and ash, where trust is all but vanquished and betrayal has tragic and bitter consequences.

    Winner of numerous "best book" citations and infused with the rich context of history and faith, Incantation is a transcendent journey of discovery and loss, rebirth and remembrance that Newbery Award-winning author Lois Lowry described as "Magical and spellbinding...Painful and exquisitely beautiful."

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateOct 2, 2006
    ISBN9781423323631
    Unavailable
    Incantation
    Author

    Alice Hoffman

    Alice Hoffman is the author of more than thirty works of fiction, including The Book of Magic, Magic Lessons, The World That We Knew, Practical Magic, The Rules of Magic (a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick), the Oprah’s Book Club Selection Here on Earth, The Red Garden, The Dovekeepers, The Museum of Extraordinary Things, The Marriage of Opposites, and Faithful. She lives near Boston.

    Related to Incantation

    Related audiobooks

    Children's Historical For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Lucky Were the Bodies

      May 3, 2022

      Lucky Were the Bodies
      8 min read

    • Article

      Six Sonnets

      Jan 1, 2021

      Goldenrod, I could say, you know, everybody wants somethingfrom me, but, well, everybody wants something and nobody wantsnothing from me, goldenrod, towhead, beast. Goldenrod, you packthe meadows like gold-plated sardines. I have heart palpitationsbu

      3 min read

    • Article

      Five Poems

      Nov 1, 2020

      We went to visit our brother.They had a special, blue roomfor the purpose of waiting.A counselor came over andcalled my sweater “too provocative.”Nora started laughingand then I started laughingand then our brother came outand told us about the squir

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Last Friend on Earth

      May 4, 2023

      It was as if Doreen Saunders had been waiting for me, passing the time until my arrival. She might as well have been sitting in a rocking chair, knitting needles clicking, jam tarts cooling on the side, the door wide open, waiting for the next visito

      6 min read

    • Article

      A Story Pilgrimage

      Jun 8, 2021

      A Story Pilgrimage
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Ruins

      Aug 5, 2021

      The Ruins
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Show Boy

      Oct 9, 2019

      The Show Boy
      9 min read

    • Article

      Five Poems

      Nov 1, 2022

      Five Poems
      3 min read

    • Article

      Four Poems

      Mar 1, 2022

      I met the Bishop on the roadand much said he—same old porridgeI heard as a child, my little bodya “foul sty.” “Love has pitched his mansion.” MaybeLove pitched her silken tent.Love has raised its dwelling inthe place of reproduction, which can be fit

      3 min read

    • Article

      Little House

      Jun 5, 2023

      On Monday nights our mother made popcorn and served it to us in mugs with milk poured over. My younger sister and I carried our mugs into the family room and ate the popcorn with spoons, like cereal. We were five and seven. Until we were allowed to s

      21 min read

    • Article

      Heave’s Whisky

      Feb 27, 2024

      Heave’s Whisky
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Bluebeard of Wives

      Oct 3, 2019

      A Bluebeard of Wives
      6 min read

    • Article

      Lakshmi

      Sep 8, 2022

      Lakshmi
      19 min read

    • Article

      Hiraeth

      Apr 7, 2022

      Read the judges’ comments at http://writ.rs/wmmay22 FIRST PLACE £200 Damien McKeating has written stories since his primary school teachers taught him how to put letters together into words. If he looks vague when he talks to you, he’s either working

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Postmenopausal Fairy Tale

      Feb 4, 2019

      The Postmenopausal Fairy Tale
      9 min read

    • Article

      As the World Collapses

      Jul 27, 2017

      As the World Collapses
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Thirty Names of Night

      Oct 30, 2020

      The Thirty Names of Night
      13 min read

    • Article

      The Art of Fiction No. 251

      Mar 15, 2022

      The Art of Fiction No. 251
      20 min read

    • Article

      South Africa, My Home

      May 20, 2021

      Her company Diana Ferrus Publishers publishes the work of writers from previously disadvantaged communities. In association with the University of the Western Cape, she has published the life stories of former activists and unionists: Liz Nana Abraha

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Family Plot

      May 7, 2020

      The Family Plot
      10 min read

    • Article

      Two Poems

      Jul 1, 2023

      I The teenaged girl is searching for a placethat goes through, the holeto put the tampon inside. When she finds itshe asks her mother, Is this where the penis would go?Yes, her mother explains.Then I will never have sex. II Sweltering New York City.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Diamonds

      Jun 4, 2018

      Diamonds
      9 min read

    • Article

      Always Someone Leaving

      Jul 6, 2023

      Always Someone Leaving
      5 min read

    • Article

      After Kaddish

      Sep 27, 2018

      After Kaddish
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Change

      Aug 8, 2019

      The Change
      10 min read

    Reviews for Incantation

    4/5

    356 ratings41 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Alice Hoffman never disappoints. Another gem. The audio was near perfect.
    • 5/5
      This book mesmerized me and I read it in one sitting. It is about a village in Spain, during the 15th or 16th century, inhabited by Christians, Muslims and Jews. The Jews live behind a gated wall which is locked each night. Their books are all burned and they are all considered as heretics. The entire village knows that they will all perish one day.Those Jews who wish to live, live a life of pretense. They pretend to have Christian names, they pretend not to observe the Sabbath, they pretend all the while not do the Jewish things that they do.The main characters of the book are a Jewish girl, Esther; no one knows that is her real name and her friend Catalina. Catalina is not a Jew. She does not know that her best friend is a Jew. Esther's brother is in Seminary as becoming a Catholic priest is one way to help protect the Jews. She lives with her mother, grandmother and grandfather who is a teacher. Unbeknownst to the community, he teaches the village Jews at night in a cellar room. He is also a surgeon and only the Jewish community knows that as well.Catalina's intended falls in love with Esther and when Catalina discovers this she becomes so angry that she turns the family in as Jews. What follows is horrible. Actually, what goes on throughout the entire book is horrible.This book is written by Alice Hoffman. A writer I have yet to see "blow" a book. I highly recommend this book. It is short, easy to read, but I wouldn't have a child under 15 or 16 read it.I, however, know that within the next 6 months, I will have read it again. I have never read material like this written in such a simplistic manner. Kudos to Hoffman. She has done it again.
    • 5/5
      I could listen to this narrator's voice forever. she does an incredible job. The story itself is heartwrenching and beautiful. I definitely recommend.
    • 3/5
      Terror and grief are intermingled with love and fidelity. This tale transcends time. Though historically based, the fictional characters are timeless. Their struggles about humanity and loyalty and love reveal to the reader truths about humanity: time unfortunately does not change how differing beliefs and cultures react to one another. The friendship between Catalina and Estrella seems typical and almost too predictable, as does the humans named Estrella and Andres falling in love seems timeless; yet, far-fetching is the thought that a Catholic and Jew would marry during this time period. Hoffman inspires introspection as to where our society ranks in regard to similar tales. A definite companion book for any teen interested in Jewish history.
    • 2/5
      Too graphic for me. Broke my heart. I Couldn't finish!
    • 5/5
      The more things change, the more they stay the same!
    • 5/5
      This young adult novel is small but the subject matter really packs a punch. It took me only two hours to read, but I suspect it will stay with me a good while. Estrella, is 16 years old in the year 1500. This is the year that the Spanish Inquisition comes to the town she lives in. Estrella knows little about the Jews in her town, other than that they live in their own area and wear red circles sewn on their clothing. She and her family attend one of the Catholic churches in the town, the one further from their house. They light candles on Friday nights, and make the sign of the cross a little differently from most of the people in town, but Estrella never gives this a thought. She and her best friend, Catalina from next door, have planned to stay close for their whole lives, living close together and raising their children together. But that isn’t to be. Catalina has an understanding with her cousin Andres; they will marry when the time comes, although she treats him somewhat disdainfully. Although they fight it, Andres and Estrella fall in love- and Catalina sets out to destroy Estrella and her family. It’s an easy thing for Catalina to do, because- although Estrella doesn’t know it- they are Jews just pretending to be Catholic, which makes them even worse in the eyes of the Inquisition. Worse, Estrella’s mother is a healer, her father a scholar and a surgeon, all things that mark them as witches. Told in the first person, we get the full force of Estrella’s horror as she watches her family destroyed. She learns that not only is Catalina not who Estrella thought she was, but Estrella herself is not who she thought she was. It’s a jolting enlightenment and a brutal coming of age that she goes through. The story is told beautifully; there is not one wasted word in the book. It reads like it could be set to music. Love, fear, prejudice, stupidity, jealousy, ignorance; it has all the ingredients for an opera. I think this is a valuable book for teens; the Inquisition isn’t something that’s mentioned much in school and it needs to be remembered.
    • 3/5
      This was an ok read. A little dull, not like the other books of Alice Hoffman's I have read. It did not have that magical element that I am always excited about in her books. However, the story is a very sad one.
    • 1/5
      I found this book to have many mistakes concerning the conversos. My family is Bnai Anousim (descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jews that were forced to convert) and I found the mistakes irritating. There are much better books about this subject.
    • 4/5
      "incantation" was a dark, compelling read set during the Spanish Inquisition. Through the eyes of a young Jewish woman, Estrella, the main protagonist, the reader witnesses a world full of evil and senseless brutality. Estrella's life as she knows it is stolen from her thanks to jealousy and vindictiveness. While Catalina showed her true ugliness, Estrella was a shining light.This novel brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion but it was this line in the final chapter that moved me the most: Some people say, Save yourself and you save your life. I say, Be yourself and save your soul.A compelling read.
    • 3/5
      a good historical fiction story that covers a topic often joked about (the spanish inquisition) but not often actually learned about. I liked that it focused on family and culture but I didnt like the romantic aspects much since I felt they werent properly fleshed out or necesary. Also, for some reason all the copy I read had all the dialogue in intalics instead of quotations which I found confusing. But thats probably just me being picky. :P
    • 5/5
      Very Sad

      A beautiful but very sad book. Be prepared to cry when you read this book. It is beautifully written but very sad.
    • 5/5
      Anything by Alice Hoffman is going to be good. Incantation is no exception. It tells a brief story of a family of Jews during the Spanish Inquisition. It is a story of love, hate, betrayal, and loss. Worth the read and can be read in one sitting, if desired.
    • 4/5
      A great story about the persecution of the Spanish Jews. I have never read much on this subject so I found it to be quite interesting. I was so intrigued how the relationship between Estrella and Catalina changed, and all over a boy. I was appalled by that. The story is a real eye opener about this time in history. It is a teen book so it seems to be quite simply written, but being a quick read is sometimes a good thing. It has made me want to read more about his topic so I find that to be a good thing.
    • 4/5
      This is a solid piece of historical writing, with a focus on the Jewish persecution that occurred in Spain. While the story does not include any specific dates, I think it is safe to say that it is set during the earlier years of the Spanish Inquisition, which would place the story around 1500's. The story chapters are uniquely named and their meaning becomes clear near the end of the story. Geared towards a YA audience, the three main characters - Estrella, Catarina and Andres - came across a bit-light weight against the backdrop of events occurring in their town/village, but that is just my observation. The romance angle seems to crop up in a lot of the YA books I have read. It cropped up in this book and I felt it really didn't add anything extra to the story.... more of an add on to justify the division in friendship, the acts that follow and to possibly attract an audience type that likes to see a bit of romance in their stories. The story also has a mystical feel to it, giving it the effect of experiencing the story as seen through a lace or gauze veil.Favorite quote: Knowledge was the way of our people, and knowledge was dangerous. It was the thing that freed you and the thing that put you in peril. A true statement that can be applied to any number of situations and a valuable lesson for inclusion in any book.
    • 5/5
      rabck from bethieb; YA book about a secretly Jewish family being betrayed by the girl's best friend during the time of the Spanish inquisition. Doesn't go into much detail, but leaves the reader with a lot to think about.
    • 5/5
      Set during the Spanish Inquisition and centered on a young girl who doesn't know that her family is hiding the core of their beliefs, this book is both heartbreaking and spirit-full. Alice Hoffman's depiction of Estrella and her family, and simple acts of childhood pettiness that can lead to tragedy, paints the horror of that portion of history with a frightening reality. As much about family as about history, and as much about being true to one's belief in oneself as anything else, this is a powerful work, and well worth reading. Much as it is meant for young adults, though, it doesn't shy away from the worst moments that individuals faced during the Inquisition. If I were going to pass this on to a young reader, I'd want them to read it with family so that they'd have someone to talk about it with during and after the reading--I think this is a read that requires that attention and time. It will certainly stay with me.Recommended.
    • 5/5
      I loved this story about the persecution of Jews in Spain during the Inquisition. Poignant and sad, but a good read for young adults. Jenna Lamia's voice as the young Estrellia will haunt you.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. I think The Foretelling was better, but I don't mean that as a slight on this one. Hoffman's writing style and characters are always mesmerizing to read...each character is believable and a bit dreamy and there's a strong sense of empowerment I get when I read her books, especially as a female. I really liked how when characters spoke in this one...their words are italicized instead of in quotations. It gave me the distinct impression that I was inside Estrella's head, listening in on her thoughts and the thoughts of others around her.
    • 5/5
      Incantation by Alice HoffmanPurchased5/5 starsI picked up Alice Hoffman’s Incantation on a whim while at my local used bookstore. This book was meant to be my no pressure, no review, just for the hell of it read and then I devoured it in two very, very late night sittings and realized I have to review this book. Incantation is the tragic and heartbreaking story of Estrella de Madrigal and her struggle to remember who and what she is in a time when who and what she is, was simply not allowed.Though Estrella is a fictional character her story is one that is based on the facts of the Spanish Inquisition. During this dark period of human history, it was essentially illegal for Jews to be Jews in Spain. Under the direction of Tomas de Torquemada, Jews were forced to convert to the Christian faith, flee their homes, or risk being tortured and killed if caught practicing their faith. While Estrella is certainly disturbed by what she is seeing and hearing in her village she knows, without doubt, that this horror cannot touch her family. It simply cannot, she and her family are Christians. As dark rumors, gossip, and speculation begin to turn neighbor against neighbor, suddenly Estrella is forced to consider that everything she thought she knew about herself and her family is wrong. Is it possible that her family is actually Jewish? As Estrella begins to look back over the years of her short life the pieces of a newly-discovered and very dangerous puzzle begin to fall into place. There is the fact that her family eats no pork, they light the candles every Friday evening, they cross themselves differently than do their neighbors and there are times when family members (including Estralla) are called by different, secret names. For Estrella these discoveries are as fascinating as they are dangerous. As the accusations and arrests increase dramatically, Estrella understands that she has precious little time to understand the history of her family and her people and decide if she will stand with them and their shared history. Estrella must decide if she is willing to give up everything she has ever known and loved for the sake of her family and her faith.Had I started this book any earlier in the night I would have completed it in a single sitting. The plot is as powerful as it is heartbreaking and every character brings something to the table. There are no weaknesses in the cast of characters; you love some and hate others but you undoubtedly see how each plays his/her role perfectly. Each scene and every chapter are crafted rather than simply written and all pull the reader in instantaneously. It is ridiculously easy to become emotionally invested in these characters and their story. This story made me angry, anxious, sad (yes, I cried), and it gave me cold chills up my spine. With that being said, it is important to note there are bright moments of beauty in this book as well. At the end of the day the message is clear: though times are often dangerous and frightening hope and love are equally powerful forces. Bottom line: Make no mistake, because of the subject matter alone this is not an easy book to read but it is beyond being well worth the time and the emotional investment. The plot and the characters are flawless. As for the writing style? When I consider Hoffman’s writing style I see in my head a mature and beautiful woman, finely dressed, and carrying herself with a grace that is a part of her rather than being something she has learned. In short, Hoffman’s writing style is elegant and suits the subject matter of Incantation perfectly. A phenomenal read!
    • 5/5
      This is a short novel about a sixteen-year-old Jewish girl, Estrella, and her family, living in a small town in Spain around the year 1500 (16th century), during the time of the Spanish Inquisition.Estrella is living with her widowed mother, Abra. She lives in a house where she feels there are secrets. Her family secretly practices the ancient wisdom called Kabbalah, does not eat pork, and lights candles on Fridays. She feels there are secrets, as she watches her neighbor being taken away to be judged guilty without a fair trial or when she sees the burning of books of a Jewish man who refuses to renounce his belief.As the heroine discovers she is Jewish, she finds herself falling in love with Andres, cousin of her best friend and neighbor, Catalina. When Andres returns Estrella’s love, her relationship to her best friend deteriorated. Catalina then betrays her by reporting that she is Jewish to the authorities. When Estrella’s family secret became public, she confronts a world she has never imagined. The shocking persecution of the Jews and the realization of falling in love that also ends her friendship with her best friend, evokes her sorrow and determination to survive and confront the reality that she is a Maranno, a Jewish.With themes of faith, friendship, and persecutions, issues teens of every century could relate to, the author’s talent of imagery shines. Hoffman’s first historical novel is beautifully written, showing the magical realism of the everyday lives of women in that particular time of history.
    • 5/5
      This young adult novel is small but the subject matter really packs a punch. It took me only two hours to read, but I suspect it will stay with me a good while. Estrella, is 16 years old in the year 1500. This is the year that the Spanish Inquisition comes to the town she lives in. Estrella knows little about the Jews in her town, other than that they live in their own area and wear red circles sewn on their clothing. She and her family attend one of the Catholic churches in the town, the one further from their house. They light candles on Friday nights, and make the sign of the cross a little differently from most of the people in town, but Estrella never gives this a thought. She and her best friend, Catalina from next door, have planned to stay close for their whole lives, living close together and raising their children together. But that isn’t to be. Catalina has an understanding with her cousin Andres; they will marry when the time comes, although she treats him somewhat disdainfully. Although they fight it, Andres and Estrella fall in love- and Catalina sets out to destroy Estrella and her family. It’s an easy thing for Catalina to do, because- although Estrella doesn’t know it- they are Jews just pretending to be Catholic, which makes them even worse in the eyes of the Inquisition. Worse, Estrella’s mother is a healer, her father a scholar and a surgeon, all things that mark them as witches. Told in the first person, we get the full force of Estrella’s horror as she watches her family destroyed. She learns that not only is Catalina not who Estrella thought she was, but Estrella herself is not who she thought she was. It’s a jolting enlightenment and a brutal coming of age that she goes through. The story is told beautifully; there is not one wasted word in the book. It reads like it could be set to music. Love, fear, prejudice, stupidity, jealousy, ignorance; it has all the ingredients for an opera. I think this is a valuable book for teens; the Inquisition isn’t something that’s mentioned much in school and it needs to be remembered.
    • 4/5
      The opposing forces of love and hate, loyalty and betrayal underscore this brief but rich tale set during the Spanish Inquisition. Told by 16-year-old Estrella deMadrigal, the novel shows how gruesome beliefs nourished by ignorance and prejudice destroyed the lives of countless people. Hoffman weaves a tale of a close friendship between two teens, Estrella and Catalina. Both envision that their lives will be intertwined forever. However, there is a secret about Estrella and her family that unfolds in spurts. The deMadrigals are Jews who follow their religion in secret, appearing to the world as good Catholics in order to escape persecution. Hoffman, a master storyteller, has captured this harsh time and the fragile lives of the hidden Jews. On one level this is the story of a friendship and the deadly interference of jealousy. It is also a story of the power of love and the resilience of the human spirit. Estrella develops incredible strength as she tries to save herself and her grandmother. Ultimately, it is the love of a Christian, Catalina's cousin Andres, that saves her. Hoffman's lyrical prose and astute characterization blend to create a riveting, horrific tale that unites despair with elements of hope.
    • 4/5
      This book deals with some dark aspects and in ways can be emotionally draining. I found it very well written a type of prose that made the emotion easier to deal with. The books telling message can be that in spite of all the horror, the evil, the darkness that humans can level on each other and the world, that love endures, nay, even survives all of this...love makes you want to survive, have a reason to survive, if only to remember those that have passed, memories preserved with love. The ending is what made the book tolerable to me, and let a release of all that emotion.
    • 4/5
      Incantation is a good historical novel about Spanish Jews (Marranos) during the Inquisition. Some tag the book as YA, but, even though the central character is a 16 year old girl, it is far to violent for children. Perhaps older children can take it, I barely could. The grandfather in the story says that Jews aren't safe anywhere because the people of a country make the rules and the rules are always changing against them. Thus the necessity for Israel. Recommended to anyone who wonders why the Jews can't just get along with people.
    • 5/5
      This story was magical and mesmerizing, as well as painful and beautiful. It really showed how people treat others they don't understand. It makes you think about life and the world, as well as the paths you should take. The story in itself was beautifully written. I highly recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      The book 'Incantation' by Alice Hoffman is a historical fiction novel which is very sad. It has a lot of conflict to it, including friendship betrayal and jealousy. This book is about a young girl name Estrealla, she had a cover name which was Esther. Esther had a best friend name Catalina, and they both were very close. They lived in Spain, where Jews were not allowed. The Jews were either forced to leave the country or forced to change and become Christian. Esther was in love with Andres who was Catalina's fiancée. Catalina was very jealous of Esther because of her beauty and the pearl necklace Esther got on her 16th birthday. This has caused many problems. Catalina starts to noticed that Esthers family was a Jew, so she went to report it. This has caused many people in Esthers family to die. I think that it is a very good book and I recommend it for those who love historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      What an interesting look at genecide. In a fictional world, somewhere in Spain, there is a little town where the church has run out people of the Jewish faith and confines Muslims in one quarter. The church and government appear to be one and seek to rid themselves of people of the jewish faith that are hidden within the community. Estrella lives there with her family with little to no problems until a little dispute sets her world upside down. Jenna Lamia does a great job with narration, and brings to life this unique voice and world. A short, but powerful story.
    • 4/5
      An interesting story of a family persecuted for their belief during the Spanish Inquisition. A teenager learns that all she thought she knew of her family was incorrect and she strives with the world that she is living in and the adult she fast becomes.
    • 3/5
      Terror and grief are intermingled with love and fidelity. This tale transcends time. Though historically based, the fictional characters are timeless. Their struggles about humanity and loyalty and love reveal to the reader truths about humanity: time unfortunately does not change how differing beliefs and cultures react to one another. The friendship between Catalina and Estrella seems typical and almost too predictable, as does the humans named Estrella and Andres falling in love seems timeless; yet, far-fetching is the thought that a Catholic and Jew would marry during this time period. Hoffman inspires introspection as to where our society ranks in regard to similar tales. A definite companion book for any teen interested in Jewish history.