The Ghost Of Hannah Mendes (2001) - Plot & Excerpts
I want to say something nice first. I know people- okay one person- who have been really inspired by this book. And I felt a few warm spots in my heart at various points. And Ragen had a few thoughtful insights about the value of family tradition. So that's why three stars, although I will now be snarky.While reading Naomi Ragen's novels, I do always care about the story and characters. But mainly, I find myself analyzing the author. And wanting to write about all her books at once. At some point, Naomi Ragen became a newspaper editorial writer as well as an author, and particularly in her more recent novels (that I have seen) her characters' thoughts read like a series of editorials. This is overwhelmingly true for The Covenant, in which all "good" characters - Israeli or Palestinian - seemed to be of the universal opinion that the Middle East would be best off if Israel would just crack down on terrorists and declare eternal and unconditional sovereignty over both sides of the Jordan. I actually kind of liked that book, but seriously. It was also the main style of The Saturday Wife, although there the "editorials" were long whines about difficult and annoying it is to observe Judaism, with many snide references to rabbis as "stringency kings". And there, I was often not sure who was editorializing. Generally I assumed the mental rants belonged to the flighty and rarely-principled main character, but sometimes inconsistencies made me unsure. Was it the first-person-plural narrator of the first chapter of the book, Delilah's childhood classmates? Was it Ragen herself? During one rant about the unreasonable rules of head-covering, I flipped to the book jacket to squint at Ragen's photo. *Was* that a sheitel?That said (verbosely, as is my wont), The Ghost of Hannah Mendes does not do this quite as much. It is an earlier book than the other two, and therefore before Ragen got into inventing characters who think in editorials. All Naomi Ragen novels, though, are editorials in some way, and are meant to teach us the beauty of thinking and living like Naomi Ragen. The Ghost of Hannah Mendes is the story of how two young women learn of the glory of religious tradition, despite their Modern Ideologies. Francesca's Modern Ideology is capitalism, rationalism, working hard in a business suit. I believe our caricature is complete. Suzanne's Modern Ideology is liberal, eat vegetarian food, wear flowy clothes. That caricature is done now too, if you want you can color it in with crayons- the flowy clothes should have really bright colors. Suzanne and Francesca learn, as does the reader, the story of their non-fictional ancestor, Gracia (Hannah) Mendes. Mendes was a very well-respected 16th-century businesswoman who was allowed to practice Judaism only in secret but who did so with great pride and conviction. I am not sure how many of the details of Gracia Mendes' story in the book are factual, but I think most of it is. The primary message given to Suzanne and Francesca is "Grandma Gracia worked hard and sacrificed for her religion, and what, you hardly even know anything about it. Tsk!" I wouldn't think that message would normally work for intelligent and headstrong women, but in the excitement of learning the Mendes story it seems possible. The Mendes story is the best part of the book. History, romance, political and business intrigue. Suzanne and Francesca, though, I couldn't relate to. They are caricatured to be polar opposites, but had in common a wide-eyed passion that I don't relate to. Their first impressions of really old, impressive buildings is usually something like "breathtaking". When confronted with a non-Modern-Ideology thought, they almost always burst out a rude and abrupt protest. And worst of all, they and their romantic interests tend to call each other "my love". This is another big Ragen thing. She seems to like passionate characters who say "my love". And those names. Francesca?! And one last gripe, about this edition anyway. Either Ragen or her editor feel a need to hyphenate "God". Okay, I know the phenomenon, maybe I'm supposed to do that too. Sorry. But when a secular character exclaims "My G-d!", it just seems strange to look at. The character is so not imagining that hyphen! And then towards the end, Suzanne says "G-ddammit!" Ridiculous...
This book started off brilliantly, and then dwindled and sputtered. I finished it because I wanted to know what was going to happen, but it was pretty disappointing. It's about a rich Jewish elderly woman who has just been told she's dying, which puts her *whole life* into a new perspective. She digs out an old family manuscript, and is then visited by the ghost of her ancestress Hannah Mendes, who tells her to send her granddaughters to Europe on a quest. The book is made up of sections of the modern story - the granddaughters traipsing off - and the old story - Hannah's, of course, which is that of the Sephardic Jews being chased out of Spain during the Inquisition, forcibly converted, practicing their religion in secret, etc. The old part of the story was really interesting - I know literally nothing about that period, or about Sephardic culture, and really enjoyed it. The modern part - bleh. The granddaughters were stupid and unbelievable and waaaaay too innocent and naive. (What person - especially of Jewish ancestry, even if you don't embrace your faith - doesn't know that Jews were persecuted in various ways over the centuries? Um, yeah.) Everyone falls in love at first sight with the obvious Nice Boy, who *gasp* turns out to be Jewish!!! And there was a comment from the grandmother character about the perils of intermarriage which pissed me off. (Hey, I'm a product of a mixed marriage, and I still identify as Jewish - it *can* happen!! If Judaism is so amazing and wonderful, why wouldn't you think that children produced by mixed marriages would stick with it? Anyway. *ahem*) The one cool part about this book - Hannah Mendes was a real person. So - if you wish, read it for the flashback sections, and skip the rest.
What do You think about The Ghost Of Hannah Mendes (2001)?
Catherine Da Costa has just found out she does not have long to live. She regrets not having instilled in her granddaughters a sense of their heritage. This is where it goes out on a limb. She is visited by the ghost of her ancestor Gracia Hannah Mendes, a wealthy woman who lived through the Inquisition (a real person). Gracia tells Catherine to find the rest of her journal. Catherine sends her granddaughters Francesca and Suzanne on this quest. They are opposites -- Francesca is responsible and hard working while Suzanne is flighty, liberal and a vegan. Catherine also hopes that they will find nice Jewish husbands as well. Throughout the book, the ghost of Hannah Mendes steers them along a certain path. Each time they find pages of the journal, they are italicized. Towards the end of the book the lines cross a bit and it gets a little confusing. The theme of the book is to honor your heritage so that it can be passed on to future generations.
—Beverly
My friend recommended this book--and even lent it to me to bring back East!--and I am SO glad she did! I loved it. It's a heartfelt story about family and accepting the role the past plays in your future. This was a great summer read: engaging plot line, interesting format, lots of heart. The characters fell into typical stereotypes and there were places where it felt a little choppy or I wished the author would've taken a slightly different perspective, but I loved the underlying message. It also gave me a bigger picture of the hostilities and injustices Jewish people have suffered throughout their history and the strength of their devotion to their traditions and beliefs. And on top of all that, it totally made me want to get more motivated about my own family history!Make sure this is in your pool bag this summer!
—emily
Book DescriptionWhen Catherine da Costa, a wealthy Manhattan matron, learns she has only a short time to live, she realizes that her family tree will die unless she passes on its legacy and traditions to her granddaughters.But Suzanne and Francesca, beautiful young women caught up in trendy causes and ambitious careers, have no interest in the past.Catherine almost despairs until one night she is visited by the ghost of her family's anscestor, an indomitable Renaissance businesswoman named Hannah Mandes.The ghost of Hannah Mendes encourages Catherine to use every trick in the book to coerce the granddaughters to journey across Europe and acquaint themselves with their roots.While the sisters honor their grandmother's request out of loyalty, they believe their quest is futile--until it starts to uncover ancient pages from Hannah Mendes's fascinating memoir, and brings new loves into their lives. In 2005 after I'd been in Bookcrossing about 2 years, I had a PM from someone recommending this book because I had a lot of Isabel Allende books on my 'shelf'. That's how it got on my wishlist & I thought I wouldn't get to read it until another BCer sent me a copy.It's a lovely book. The cover makes it look serious but it isn't. There are 2 styles, the writings of Hannah Mendes from the 1500s & the contemporary story of Catherine & her grand daughters which is almost chick lit, the sisters bicker on the plane & as another character points out 'behave like typical Americans'. The writings of Hannah Mendes are more poetic & rich with descriptions of feasts, clothes & the story of a family pursued by the Inquisition.The travel part of the book is great especially when they vist Venice.The main theme is the continuation of family and the importance of family ties.I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes a historical romance or travel book.
—Rita
