Hidden Ones: A Veil Of Memories

by Marcia Fine

A grandmother is in an Inquisition prison suspected of secretly practicing Judaism. Officials search and burn every soul not devoted to the Church suspect the whole Crespin family is involved in this heresy.

Hidden Ones is a story about a granddaughter on the verge of womanhood living in a city on the North American continent that has turned against them. The family embarks on a perilous adventure from another era not unlike the immigrant journeys of today.

Can they run without their precious abuela? This tale shines a bright light on the hidden Crespin family in their attempt to survive in 17th century Mexico when most of the Americas were ruled by Spain.

Genres: Historical Fiction

422 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2017

About the author

Award winning author Marcia Fine grew up in South Florida in the 1960s, the daughter of Bohemian parents. A former English teacher, entrepreneur and speaker she has the only satirical series about Scottsdale. A ONEBOOKAZ 2015 winner for her novel, THE BLIND EYE--Sephardic Journey, she has traveled Arizona speaking at libraries. Her book about personal family history, PAPER CHILDREN--An Immigrant"s Legacy, has been a finalist for three national awards. Her newest novel, PARIS LAMB, won First Prize from the Arizona Author's Asso. A treatise on biblical archaeology, suspense and romance, the novel explores a family secret revealed that changes lives.

Reviews

[Sharon Hart-Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hidden Ones by Marcia Fine is an illuminating novel of human resilience during the Inquisition in Mexico in the 17th century. Most people think of the Inquisition as a phenomenon confined to Catholic Spain several centuries earlier. This novel sheds light on a little known aspect of history: how the Inquisition lasted for centuries after its apparent demise, and continued into the Americas. Hidden Ones focuses on a family of conversos, Jews who had been forcibly converted to Catholicism, yet who continued to be persecuted because of the “heresy” of preserving vestiges of Jewish practice. This is a well-researched novel whose author displays a keen eye for detail, while also doing an admirable job of bringing this period to life for the reader.

[Mirta Trupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcia Fine has written a resplendent novel, an heirloom for those of Sephardic ancestry, as well as a thought-provoking read for all who are eager to benefit from the author’s extensive research. While there are innumerable accounts that speak of the mass exodus of Eastern European Jews escaping to the ‘goldene medina’—The United States of America—this book provides much insight into another, equally fascinating experience, that is to say: the migration of Sephardic Jews to the New World. Fine admits, “When I began my Sephardic journey, I was not aware there was an Inquisition in Mexico. Apparently others weren’t either.” Unfortunately, I am not surprised by this statement. As a second (and third) generation Argentine Jew, I have spent my entire life explaining why I have freckles and blue eyes, speak Spanish and celebrate Jewish holidays.

When the Spanish throne divided its colonies into viceroyalties, Mexico was part of New Spain. Later, Buenos Aires would be named the capital of the viceroyalty known as Rio de la Plata. This novel points to the impetus of how and why crypto-Jews (Conversos) came to live in North and South America. Their forced conversion to Catholicism and audacious escape from the Iberian Peninsula didn’t prove to be an impediment to the long, greedy—vicious—arm of the Spanish inquisitors. These brave families did not only reach the shores of Mexico, in fact; they traveled even further south to Argentina. This was no coincidence—the seat of the South American Inquisition was in Lima, Peru. Trying to escape the fury and zeal of the Catholic Church, it is a known fact that many crypto-Jews settled as far away as physically possible. The Inquisition continued its reign of terror through 1813, when it was finally, “officially” abolished. I know from my own research that it took another twelve years before Argentina granted freedom of religion to followers of all faiths, but it wasn’t until decades later that my native country put this decree into action.

Marcia Fine’s novel weaves a delicate ribbon of longing and trepidation that represents the fervent plea of our wandering forbearers: “We must survive!” How could they (we) do otherwise? Parashat Nitzavim contains the famous commandment to choose life: “I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse—therefore choose life!” The novel is written in a new and unique format; the author does not use quotation marks, as she believes it interrupts the flow. Celendaria, a young girl, coming-of-age, narrates the tale in the First-Person, as does her intrepid grandmother, Clara, in alternating chapters. The author paints a vivid picture of the passionate emotions connected with cultural traditions, faith and family, and the endeavor to create a better tomorrow for our children.

Our ancestors are more than just grainy, black and white photographs that we store away in a drawer or hang upon our walls. They were flesh and blood, with tremendous stories of passion, accomplishments, tragedies and loss. I congratulate Ms. Fine, for honoring these brave souls with Hidden Ones: A Veil of Memories. The novel is a must read—this story must be known. As the author states, Judaism is a faith of remembrance. We are commanded to teach our children and to encourage respect for those who passed before us. In every generation…L’dor v’dor.

[Katrina Shawver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcia Fine is a seasoned author who has thoroughly researched her topic - that of Sephardic Jews in Mexico suffering persecution in the 1600s. I've read several of her earlier books - this is the best one yet. Hidden Ones includes a lot of historical context, cultural references, and Jewish symbolism. The story follows one family, with two female protagonists - grandmother and granddaughter. Anything more would be a spoiler. She's used an interesting writing technique - there is no punctuation separating dialogue so you have to get used to the voice and distinguish the speaker - and perhaps that's her intent to hold your attention and curiosity. This story opened my eyes to a piece of history I knew nothing about - the Inquisition (of Jews) in Mexico. It's a great historical read that is definitely worth reading. I will be thinking about the topic for quite a while.

[Ann Boland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hidden Ones: A Veil of Memories by Marcia Fine (L’Image Press, 2017)

I love historical novels that makes me dig deeper into the history told in the books. And such is Hidden Ones, a novel about the Conversos, or Crypto-Jews of the new world.

Set primarily in the 1650’s in Mexico City, the book traces the lives of Celendaria Crespin and her grandmother, Doña Clara Henriquez de Crespin. They are victims of the Tribunals of the Holy Office of the Inquisition of the Spanish Catholic Church (and therefore Spanish government, there being no separation of church and state) against heretics, Jews, Muslims, Protestants, rationalists and unorthodox believers. The Inquisition was not limited to Spain, but included Italy, Portugal, the Papal States, and Spanish and Portuguese colonies. It began in 1231 and officially ended in 1834.

The Crespin family are Sephardic Jews, originally expelled from Spain in 1492 (yes, the same year Columbus discovered the New World) and the from Portugal in 1497. The resulting diaspora spread Sephardic Jews throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa, Europe and into the New World. At first, the choice given the Jews was convert to Catholicism or be arrested as heretics. Later, even Conversos (Jews who converted to Catholicism) were arrested for their Jewish background and the belief they still practiced in private. It was a no-win situation, driving Jews into complete denial and occlusion of their heritage. Today, their descendants, most living as Catholics are amazed to find Jewish ancestors on the family tree. The Crespins followed other Jews they knew to Mexico, hoping for a better life. The Inquisition followed the diaspora.

In Hidden Ones, the Crespins leave Mexico City in the 17th century for parts further north, eventually ending in Santa Fe, New Mexico by the 19th century. Celendaria marries into a Converso family and they continue to carry on Jewish traditions without rabbis, books, synagogues, or minyans. They learn to identify fellow Jews and bond with them.

I was raised in the Catholic Church. They don’t dismiss the role of the Inquisition in church history, but we learned more about bringing heretics and radicals to trial (think Galileo) than about Jews and Muslims. It was uncomfortable and enlightening to put sympathetic, though fictional, characters through the gauntlet of accusation, arrest, bribery, torture and imprisonment.

Until recently, the Crypto-Jews have remained an unknown part of the settlement of the Southwestern U.S. When I moved to Tucson, part of the fascinating history was the role played by famous Jewish families who settled here to provide supplies for the mines: Levis, Goldwaters, Drachmans, Appels. But they came in the 1850’s from St. Louis and points east or west. Little did I realize that Crypto-Jews had been living in Arizona for centuries, immigrants from Mexico and other Spanish and Portuguese colonies. The University of Arizona website has a page on Crypto-Jews with links to historical research. http://swja.arizona.edu/content/crypt...

Marcia Fine wrote this book in short chapters (a plus) titled to identify the point of view, Clara or Celendaria, and the date. This enables a different type of dialogue using no quotation marks or attributions, as you know who is speaking. It makes for smoother reading and eliminates unnecessary words. Initially, I had to make little associative leaps to get the rhythm, but after two chapters, I was into the flow.

The story of the Crespin family is a solid foundation on which Hidden Ones is written. The plot is straight forward and linked believably to the historical context. It’s an easy read and one that may lead you to look more closely at local history and your family tree.

[Jan Cleere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcia Fine has skillfully used the voices of two Sephardic Jewish women to tell, in detail, the horrific brutality inflicted by the Catholic Church on those faithful to their own religion during the Mexican Inquisition. Clara, while fearing she will be tortured and die in the dungeons of Ciudad de México, details the questioning she endures and adroitly describes her stinking, withered body. Her doubts and fears leap off the pages and one can almost feel the dirt and grime of her vermin-ridden cell. Celendaria, Clara’s granddaughter, sits with her grandfather secretly reading the sacred tomes of Judaism hidden in the depths of the family attic, and learns from her mother how to cautiously prepare traditional dishes that would mark the family as traitors to the Church. I could actually smell the cinnamon and spices as they were adeptly added to savory dishes. And my mouth watered as Celendaria sipped her morning cup of dark, rich chocolate. The family’s anguish at having to leave their home and dangerously wander the desert seeking sanctuary left a taste of dust on my lips. Fine has intertwined the lives of these two women to bring forth a segment of history that is often left languishing in ancient history books. She has an innate talent for description. The lack of quotation marks throughout the manuscript did not deter from her descriptive dialogue as it was obvious who was speaking and to whom and, I feel, made the narrative flow without interruption. Marcia Fine is a talented, dedicated, and meticulous writer of history.

[Patricia Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Jews You May Not Know

Herman Melville observed ‘to write a mighty book you must choose a mighty theme’ and that is what we have with Marcia Fine’s Hidden Ones (L ’Image Press, 2017).
In the world of historical fiction, Marcia Fine is a multi-award-winning author of inspiring first-rate commentary on Jewish history. She has seven novels to her name, but her latest book Hidden Ones shows the reader she is at the top of her game.
She has combined history, fiction, romance and intrigue with the contagious enthusiasm of a researcher who has discovered gold, and in my opinion, she has done just that with Hidden Ones. Her richly researched and sympathetic portrait of controversial Jewish figures disguised as Catholics in Mexico, along with the dramatic stories of the Inquisition in Mexico in the mid 1600’s comes along at a beleaguered period in Mexican history. Where brutality against those Judaizing reaches a dangerous and volatile significance, Fine begins to write.
The Jews living in Mexico during this period refused to not be Jewish. Although working daily to not enrage the church or show their identity, they maintained their pride and dignity. Their courageous resistance in and out of prison was defiant but hard for the church to prove. They believed they did not have to be what the Church wanted them to be, they just had to exist within it and around it, never revealing their identity. They were too fast in their actions to be caught by those who came by to check on them. They were always prepared for a search.
The story rocks back and forth between the strong grandmother imprisoned during most of the book and the impressionable granddaughter, imprisoned for a short time. Heroically, these two women carry the story as life moves from marriage to childbirth, and from death to heartache. Life for them is usually in chaos with the Church’s eye always on the suspected Jews.
While front and center, this Jewish family stands for peace and unity, love, equality, and justice at the very least. Often risking everything for what they believe, they know who they are.
This work is likely to be controversial with the author’s portrayal of the Inquisition in Mexico and the Catholic Church at that time, but be assured, her research is solid, and easily documented, despite showing the dark side of Catholicism. She teaches us much about orthodox Jews and their faith with the rituals and celebrations they adhere to in this dire situation. There are surprises and plenty of suspense when the Jews are confronted, but the story remains true to their destiny.
The book is an epic tale of Jewish and Mexican history most people are unaware of but will find intriguing. Much in the pages will be familiar if you have some knowledge of the Jewish culture, but even the familiar may be glimpsed from a different perspective when you factor in the Mexican culture, the Catholic Church and the Inquisition in Mexico in the 1600’s.
Fine’s fluent prose makes this a page turner, it’s narrative reads like a double-novel with two strong women as protagonists. It’s a suspenseful tale with a cast of vivid characters in three generations, plus other family members needed to fulfill the story. These characters prevail throughout the years and help define a brilliantly innovative young woman with the goal for her life of seeking the fairy tale of meeting her prince charming despite incredible odds.
On a triumphant note, Fine believes her main characters, transcend their culture. She never white-washes their life, but shows us how they overcome prejudices and face down their accusers. These courageous Jews generously gave us this important history, so it could be found, written about, and read about centuries later.
Fine presents a series of interlinking stories in a structural decision that allows her characters to inhabit their own narrative and give accent to the lives they intersect with, including and the others they run parallel with too. These connections to Jews and Mexicans are close and clear as the story progresses. Fine allows us to see whose actions directly lead to more action before pivoting us to another scene.
This novel is divided into four parts. Taking us though many years of a family history; younger days; entanglements, schemes, happy times, mystery, prison, death and rejoicing. Her narrative technique takes us though the relationships of family and friends, commencing with stories that pull us further and further from where we started and where we expected to go.
After passing through all these stories of family history and appreciating Fine’s fight to preserve their legacy, I came to appreciate a novel of excellence in storytelling extensive research. It was a huge pleasure to finish this book. This work enlightened me to Fine’s sincere and engaging journey into historical fiction. She wrote with a rare insight into Jewish heroines I would never find in history books. It’s been quite a revelation to read her story of Jews hiding in Mexico during the Inquisition.

[Linda Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you pick up a book by Author Marcia Fine, you know going in two things – 1) the author is a master at telling a story, and 2) you will always learn something new. Such is the case with Marcia’s latest, Hidden Ones, A Veil of Memories. Set in the 1600’s in the new world area of what is now Mexico and the Southwestern United States, it brings to light something of which I had no idea. I’m a history buff and have read a lot about the Inquisition in Europe, but I never dreamed that there was an Inquisition in the new world that was every bit as cruel and heartless, and all in the name of religion. Fine weaves a compelling story of a girl and her grandmother that I could not get enough of. Sickened as I was by the practices of the Catholic church, that might have been enough to put the book down. However, I felt the need to continue reading because I just had to know what would happen next. Marcia’s ability to describe locations, her attention to details, and her well-defined characters will captivate you and you’ll turn each page eager for more. I definitely will be recommending Hidden Ones to anyone looking for a really good read.

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery, romance, and history help tell the the stories of Celendraria Crespin and her grandmother, Dona Clara Henriquez de Crespin who are in the midst of the inquisition in Mexico in the 1600s as conversos who must hide their Judaism from the Catholic authorities. The details were vivid and I too would have feared the rats most of all in prison.

I particularly liked the inclusion of real people involved in the inquisition and I know the family was headed to Nueva Espana (New Mexico) but I wished some of the story took place there.

There has been much discussion about the presence of conversos in New Mexico for some time and I wish the author had mentioned more family surnames that may have had ties to the Jewish community. I'm convinced some of my New Mexican family were hidden Jews because they came there as colonists as early as 1598.

[Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very poetic writing that evokes the characters, the time, the circumstances under which they lived. Rich and fascinating detail of the Jewish customs and way of life. Beautiful portrayal of the innocence of a young girl's first love and her transition from girl to woman. Portrays the horror of the Inquisition in Mexico (perhaps little known by most people) without resorting to excessive description of violence but, rather, through the thoughts and emotions of the characters. Covers a fairly significant period of time in the characters' lives with very smooth transition. Suspenseful, emotionally involving. I didn't want to put it down!

[Kebba Buckley Button · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is historical fiction, Marcia Fine’s masterful telling of the life of the Inquisition in the New World is so vivid that it feels like you are in the scenes. From page one, the narrative grips all of your senses, your mind and heart. An Inquisitor says aptly, “Evil lurks everywhere.” How true. Dance through the centuries with these characters, through expulsions, persecutions, and betrayal by family members. The female characters are especially strong. This is another brilliantly written, historically rich work by this astonishing author. More, please!

[Marcia Selz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcia Fine has captured life during the Inquisition period in the Americas. Hidden Ones: A Veil of Memories immerses the reader in the drama of capture and incarceration by Inquisition officers as well as how life proceeded even under the most disheartening of circumstances. I'm very familiar with this historical period and her detailed accuracy is refreshing. Her writing style is precise and easy to follow. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the period, or just wants an interesting read.

[Judith Alban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Historic Fiction

This book started out a little slow for me but I was rewarded by the end. I did enjoy it. And it taught me about a time and place I was not aware of, The Inquisition in North America. The characters and story was rich. Sometimes I felt it explained too much and was good for maybe a high school reader. But as the book progressed that feeling subsided and I truly enjoyed the book.

[Gr8Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

REALLY enjoyed this book! I've had a fascination about Crypto-Jews for many years and have read many books on the subject. Liked that this was written as a first person account (for each of the generations). The writing gave the feel that it was someone speaking from long ago and not in modern times. The research was evident in the details provided.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting Story

I was intrigued by a story about the inquisition in Mexico. The lack of quotation marks took a little getting use to but after awhile I barely noticed. Lots on interesting facts. I had trouble putting the book down.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'dor vador...From generation to generation.
This is a book about The Inquistion in Mexico. It is a beautifully written, extremely well researched story about a Jewish family hiding their true identity yet making sure the stories and traditions of their faith were passed down.
4.5

[Genie Milgrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fascination with the Stories surfacing from Inquisition memories has started to reach a fever pitch. I think that the author captured raw emotions very well and I like her well thought out style.

[Kati Polodna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the writing was lacking (plus some typos) and the story didn’t always hold my interest.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate the author's scholarship in crafting this historical fiction tracing a Jewish family's successive generations fleeing the Spanish Inquisition to the new world.