"Medieval Spain comes vividly to life"
In 1354 medieval Spain, Bishop Berengeur de Cruilles
trusts Isaac the blind Jewish physician so when he falls
ill, he summons the man to care for him. Isaac's daughter
Rachel, as his assistant also comes to help. An herbalist
arrives, desperate to see the bishop to give him a warning
but the poison in his bloodstream kills him before he can
tell his excellency about the threat. In Girona, two young men each claims that they are heir to
a large inheritance. One of them Jacob disappears during
a pirate attack. The other claimant Luca an herbalist
attempts to set up a practice. When two of his patients
are murdered by poison that he had a messenger deliver,
the townsfolk's want him tried and executed. Isaac
implores the Bishop to wait before convening the court
because he believes it was not Luca who delivered the
poison. He also believes that these events are somehow
related to the dead herbalist who tried to warn the
bishop. In his own intuitive yet practical way Isaac
tries to expose the guilty party. Medieval Spain comes vividly to life in the reader's mind
after reading A POULTICE FOR A HEAVEN. It feels as if the
author is chronicling events that she witnessed. The
characters are well developed and it is fascinating to see
the relationship between Christians and Jews during a
period of religious strife. The people of Girona
peacefully coexist with only minor troubles breaking out
between the two religions. The protagonist might be blind
but he sees more clearly than most people. Fans of
historical fiction centered on a good mystery will want to
read this novel. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted October 8, 2003
SummaryIsaac of Girona's daughter postpones her wedding after he's
summoned to aid the Bishop during his time of illness. But
he must also put his detective skills to use when a
stranger arrives at the palace with an urgent message for
the Bishop, and dies before he can deliver it...
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