Freedom Beyond the Sea

by Waldtraut Lewin, Elizabeth D. Crawford (Translator)

Fleeing the Spanish Inquisition, a Jewish girl disguises herself and signs on as a ship’s boy, little knowing that she is headed for unknown waters with Christopher Columbus.

In Spain at the end of the 15th century, Jews are persecuted, robbed, expelled from their homes, and murdered. Esther, the daughter of the rabbi of Cordoba, flees from home dressed as a boy. She is the only one in her family who escapes the bloodhounds of the Inquisition.

Esther is Through craft and bribery, she manages to sign on as a ship’s boy to get out of the country. At last she thinks she is safe. But she soon finds out that her ship is on a dangerous journey, sailing west across the ocean into unknown waters, searching for a new route to India. Her captain’s name? Christopher Columbus — a man who proves to have a keen eye for deception. It seems only a question of time before he discovers Esther’s secret.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult

264 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Waldtraut Lewin, born in 1937, studied German, Latin, and dramatics in Berlin. She then worked for several years as the artistic director of the theater in Halle, East Germany. In 1973 she became the scenario editor of the theater in Rostock and started writing. Since 1978, she has published a great number of books for children and juveniles that have won national acclaim. Today, Waldtraut Lewin lives in Berlin.

Reviews

[Zahra · Rating 1 out of 5]

A truly terrible book. Read it for a book report and it took me the entire Summer to read it since I kept putting it off. Don't waste your time. Unless you are a total history lover, Freedom Beyond the Sea is not worth your attention. A sixteen year old falls in love with Christopher Columbus who is 40 YEARS OLD. Waldtraut Lewin, what was wrong with you? Very awkward and slow-moving. I don't think I'll be reading anymore of her books.

[Leonie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ein Buch, das mit großem Potential startet, ein Setting bietet, das man nicht hundertfach schon las und dann völlig enttäuscht es mit Tiefe zu füllen. Am Ende bleibt es ein Buch, das eine Chance liegen lässt, eine neue Perspektive zu schaffen und sich stattdessen lediglich an einer jugendlichen Schwärmerei zu einer bekannten historischen Persönlichkeit abarbeitet. Es liest sich nicht schlecht, aber durch die Oberflächlichkeit ist es am Ende leider keine Empfehlung wert und lässt einen nach dem Ende mit dem "Oh, das war es schon?"-Gefühl zurück, das leider nicht daher rührt, dass man das Buch derart verschlungen habe, sondern eher daran liegt, dass es unvollständig wirkt. Im Großen und Ganzen ein Buch, das zu Recht sehr lange ungelesen in meinem Regal schmorte.

[Stella Slad]

One of my favourite books in teenage years. The book portrays a strong female character that lived in Spain during the time of the Spanish Inquisition. She is able to flee by disguising as a boy snd hiding that she is jewish.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sixteen-year-old Esther watched in horror as her father was led away to be burned at the stake. For the year was 1492, the place Spain, the Inquisition was determined to cleanse the country of all non-Christians, and Esther and her father were Jewish. Through a bribe, Esther obtains a place on the Santa Maria, under the alliance of Pedro, a Christian boy. Esther doesn't know where the ship is going and she doesn't care. All she wants is to get as far away from Spain as possible. At every moment, she fears that someone will discover that she is a Jew, a girl, or both.

I had high expectations for this book, since I thought the story sounded really good, and so I was rather disappointed. The plot wasn't very good at times, the characters seemed underdeveloped, and the romance just made me queasy. It's not the very worst book I've ever read, but it isn't really any good, either. It's possible that some of these problems are a result of a poor translation, as I believe the book was originally published in German.

[Chelsi Lutz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, i think its such a strange book and i didnt like it really. it was hard to stay focused while reading because anything else that was going on around me was more interesting... it was a terrible last minute decision i made. i needed to do a historical fiction book for a book report. i wouldn't recommend it to any of my peers... but hey if you like stories when a teenager falls in love with a 40 year-old man, then go ahead! i think it was super awkward...

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd novel about a Jewish girl who hires aboard Columbus' ship as his ships' boy. Presents the theory that Columbus was really Jewish and that his real reason for sailing westward was to find a new homeland for the Jews. See Simon Wiesenthal's book on this.

[Priyanshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a must read!

[oliviasbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A girl in boy's clothes fleeing the Spanish Inquisition on Christopher Columbus's ship. Intriguing and detailed.

[Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre triste mais aussi un livre d'aventure...
La vie d'une jeune juive obligée de partir de chez elle, elle embarque sur la Santa Maria sous l'apparence d'un garçon...

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little surprised at some of the content due to the fact that this was a teen fiction book. But it was interesting.

[Marie-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

R* 1492 Esther daughter of Rabbi Judah escapes the Inquisition on Christopher Columbus' boat, becomes his page.