Noah Gordon Books

Noah Gordon has done a superb job of drawing the reader into this 11th century story. Historical facts and practices of the time are carefully interwoven into the main story. The book spans quite a long period of time, but at no point does the reader get bored with the pace of events. I read the book in Spanish and was delighted with the colourfulness of the language used and how the story developed throughout. I would highly recommend this book to anybody interested in novels of the time, as well as all those simply interested in a good story.

The Physican is probably the best historical novel I've read. Noah Gordon is a superb writer. In fact, I've reread it and even enjoyed it more the second time. I've read everything that Noah Gordon has written. The same accolades go for all his novels! Read and enjoy!

I couldn't put the book down. Noah Gordon is one of my favorite authors.

My good friend Mario strongly recommended me this book, even if he knew a physician's life wasn't my cup of tea.
I'm grateful he convinced me to read this book; it is a very good one to be sure!
The curious story about this novel is that it was first a success in Germany and Spain before booming at the USA.

First I'll point out the less successful aspect of the opus: the historical period reconstruction doesn't sound fully accurate. I'm not sure why this happens, may be due to very modern view point of the main character, to some characters name and/or some doubtful historical issues.

That said, nevertheless, "The Physician" is a valuable and gripping read and once you start with it you can't stop!
The story, situated around year 1050, follows Robert J. Cole's life from boyhood until he is around 40 years old.
Rob & his brothers are orphaned while they were very young. Carpenter's Guild helps them finding new homes. Rob is left in charge of Barber, a barber-surgeon, as his apprentice and joins his new master in his wandering life.
In a way that makes me remember Gelsomina in Fellini's movie "La Strada", Rob learn how to perform as entertainer, medicine seller & surgeon.
He also discovers he possess a strange Gift, he is capable to sense when a person, apparently ill or not, is nearing death.
Some experiences in this nomadic life, awake Rob's desire to become a physician in order to help suffering people better.
He learns that in Ispahan (Persia) exists a great teaching place with Avicenna as its most conspicuous doctor.
There is only on big obstacle: Persians are Muslims and confronting Byzantine Christians, son no Christian will be admitted. What to do? Rob decides to go there and pass as a Jew, as Jews are tolerated.
After Barber's death he starts a two year journey traversing all Europe and learning how to pass as a Jew. He will soon discover that is not so easy to be a Jew.

Here starts the most fascinating part of the story with a gripping cavalcade thru an exotic world!

A recommended read for those interested in historical subject and more specifically in medieval life and medicine.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Muy interesante, ya que yo soy medico en Inglaterra y conozco los lugares hablados, describe a la perfeccion la figura de cirujano-barbero (Mister), caso unico ingles, diferente del medico (Doctor), de aqui la diferencia actualmente entre los "misteres" y los "doctors" ingleses. Y como ambos reconocen que uno no esta completo sin el otro, por ello "Mr" Cole decide hacerse tambien un "Doctor" a un precio tremendo, mas o menos lo que he vivido yo 1,000 anhos despues. Cole tenia la oportunidad de estudiar medicina en Espanha (Salamanca, Alcala y otras), Salerno (Italia) o Bagdad, ya que las universidades de medicina eran Arabes, prefirio irse a Bagdad y estudiar con Avicena. Yo personalmente tambien cruze el mundo para estudiar medicina en Alcala de Henares. A leer este libro que es de lo mejor que he leido.

This book has a little bit of everything: a moving story, an interesting setting, many little misteries, a lot of historically correct information about the times of the Spanish inquisition. It is written in a friendly, easy-to-follow language, and it leaves us with many thoughts about discrimination, courage, love, and the human spirit.

A manera de novela, Noah Gordon nos invita a vivir el horror que padecieron los judíos durante la inquisición. Allí uno se entera de lo que la Iglesia Católica calla. España es el escenario para conocer esa parte de la historia (que aunque en este libro fabulada y recreada con personajes que no existieron como tales) de la que los católico se averguenzan. Es una novela maravillosa, finamente escrita, atrapa la atención del lector al leer las primeras líneas y desde allí se hace dicífil cerrar el libro, hasta llegar al sorprendente final que es la esperanza misma.

Este es un libro excelente, aunque es historia novelada, describe una epoca en forma perfecta. Ademas el lector esta siempre en suspenso a traves de todo el libro.Apenas tome el libro para leerlo no pude parar.Este ejemplar lo compre justo despues de un viaje a España y pude recrear todos los sitios donde habia estado.

Esta novela más que la historia de Yonah Toledano y su familia, es la historia de miles de familias judias y musulmanas que tras la conquista de Granada por los Reyes Católicos se vieron forzados a abandonar sus casas y propiedades por su fe o abjurar de ellas y convertirse al catolicismo. Muy de manifiesto se ve la mano de la Santa Inquisición que tomó parte activa en esa historica expulsión tan nefasta para la España de aquel entonces y la reacción de los ciudadanos que igual delataban a los conversos y herejes como que los protegían y escondían a sabiendas de las consecuencias que el delito acarreaba. Muy buena las descripciones que el autor hace de esa España del siglo XVI, sus costumbres, formas de vida y pensamientos.

El autor logra capturar la atencion del lector y es dificil dejar de leer esta novela. El autor revela la aventura de este joven judio durante la España del 1500. Tiene suspenso, amor, y atencion al detalle en una narrativa facil de leer. El que ha viajado a, o vive en España, apreciara esta obra de marco historico. (Si les gusto The Name of the Rose, les gustara esta).

This is a wonderful work of fiction in short prose sections. It's all about a fella who works at a radio station.

Part narrative, part lyric, Noah Eli Gordon's book-length poem The Frequencies unfolds as an exploration of the intersection between the self and the paradox of radio hiding the larger, outside world. Spanning the FM dial, these ephemeral broadcasts cut across unrequited love, pop-iconography, and the requisite music of any station worth a listen.

My good friend Mario strongly recommended me "The Physician", even if he knew a physician's life wasn't my cup of tea.
I'm grateful he convinced me to read it. I was so trapped by Mr. Noah Gordon story that I went immediately to the bookstore and bought "Shaman" and "Choices".

IMHO "Shaman" is the best of the trilogy.

Since 2004 Ediciones B has launched a pocket book collection "Byblos" with no specific genre defined. Fortunately for us, historical novels buffs, some volumes pertain to this genre, allowing us to access a very inexpensive and high quality product.

This is the story of two members of the Cole family: Rob Sr. & Rob Jr.

The story, situated in the period around 1830-1870, starts following Rob Sr.'s life since his forced emigration from Scotland to America and is reconstructed thru his personal diary as discovered and read, after his death, by his son Rob Jr.
Rob Sr. initiates his medical practice at Boston's Irish ghetto and meets Oliver Wendell Holmes, precursor of medical prophylaxis.
Later he continues his migration going into Illinois and stopping at Holden's Crossing where he starts a new life as rural physician.
There he builds his home, start his relationship with the Sauk Native Americans people, fall in love, heal & marry Sarah, have a child who will contract scarlatina and lose his hearing.
At this point Rob's Jr. life is the second main thread of the narration, following his education and fervent desire to be a physician as his father.
Both threads will conflux at the Civil War period.

Historical reconstruction is paramount, showing domestic every day details, political issues, educational issues, medical issues and cultural issues with deepness and commitment. This aspect of the novel is by far better than the period reconstruction done by Mr. Gordon in "The Physician".

A much recommended read for those interested in historical subjects, daily life period reconstruction and medical practice. Enjoy this great novel!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Buen libro. A pesar de los obvios agujeros históricos, el autor ha escrito un libro entretenido y de fácil digestión. En las 900 páginas del libro se encuentran descripciones detalladas del medio oriente y rasgos del mítico Avicena. Ampliamente recomendable para personas amantes de la lectura.

The Physician is an entertaining though very long tome. It is 720 pages of very small print. Those who easily get eye strain should be forewarned. Buy a magnifiying book mark. This is a good vacation read about an orphan, Rob Cole, who decides to beome a physician upon reaching adulthood. He chooses to study in Persia at an advanced medical school of the 11th century. He travels for two years and disguises himself as a Jew in order to attend the institution. There the physicians knew how to perform cataract operations in order to restore sight and how to properly set bones. At the time Christians were forbidden to attend non- Christian schools upon pain of death so he disguised himself as a Jew learning the prayers, dress and rituals from Jewish tradesmen traveling in his caravan. He meets with superstition and backward thinking even in his adopted homeland of Ispahan. Medical schools study anatomy from old Greek texts, because is was against the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions to desecrate a body by doing an autopsy or dissection. Rob secretely performs dissections to learn that the human body is not exactly like a pig's. Thus, he discovers the cause of the "side sickness" which was appendicitis. He never gives up his Christian faith and is a Jew in appearance only. I have read the critisizms of some reviewers who claim that the book is not historically accurate. It probably isn't. However, the clashes between religions and religion and science probably are. The book provided a view of the horrible superstitions and hatreds of the era. Some of those hatreds and fears persist. Non- Jews still fear and have suspicions about Jews which are not true. Middle Eastern cultures are particularly guilty of this today. Now as then a great deal of misinformation is spread. Those who love to read anything about the Jewish experience will probably love this book. I found enough suspense to make me want to continue to read, and it was easy entertainment. It is not a book that requires a great deal of thinking or analysis. However, it is not great literature, and there are better uses of literary time.

This is what reading is ALL ABOUT. This was absolutely INCREDIBLE and so is The SHAMAN.

Noah Gordon is my new favorite author. I read The Physician after I read The Last Jew. Both were phenomenal.

The Physician is long, but I read through it quickly. I could hardly put it down! The novel is set in the middle of the eleventh century. Gordon transports readers to another time, setting an ambience that feels authentic to the time period. The novel covers a wide span of geography, beginning in London, taking the reader throughout England and ultimately across Europe through Constantinople to Persia, then India, and back to London and ultimately to Scotland. The main character, Rob J. Cole, is orphaned in London and taken in by "Barber", a Barber surgeon, which is a doctor of sorts for the lowest classes. Rob J. also has a special gift, which he discovers just before his parents die - he can sense when people die. He struggles in his new role as a Barber surgeon (he has a hard time mastering juggling, which is vital to draw crowds) but eventually he becomes obsessed with the idea of healing people after he meets a Jewish Physician who can perform cataract surgery. After Barber dies, Rob J. decides to study in Ispahan, where the Jewish Physician studied, and learn from Abicenna, the premier physician of the time. The complication is that the Catholic Church prohibits Christians from studying in "heathen" institutions, so Rob J. must disguise himself as a Jew. Rob J. learned some Jewish ways during his travels and studies Persian and ends up passing as a Jew ignorant of the Jewish traditions. Eventually Rob J. becomes a physician only to discover that his skills are not wanted/respected in London, where he is suspected of possible witchcraft and he flees to Scotland where he can practice medicine in peace.

This novel is not only entertaining, but also makes the reader think. It raises many issues of religion and science and the relationship between the two. The reader also develops a strong sense of the fragility of life in this time period, of the difficulty of travel, of how much our world has progressed in 1000 years. Also, unlike most novels of this period, it gives a sense of the role of Jews in the Middle Ages. The Jewish system of travel is fascinating.

My good friend Mario strongly recommended me this book, even if he knew a physician's life wasn't my cup of tea.
I'm grateful he convinced me to read this book; it is a very good one to be sure!

First I'll point out the less successful aspect of the opus: the historical period reconstruction doesn't sound fully accurate. I'm not sure why this happens, may be due to very modern view point of the main character, to some characters name and/or some doubtful historical issues.

That said, nevertheless, "The Physician" is a valuable and gripping read and once you start with it you can't stop!
The story, situated around year 1050, follows Robert J. Cole's life from boyhood until he is around 40 years old.
Rob & his brothers are orphaned while they were very young. Carpenter's Guild helps them finding new homes. Rob is left in charge of Barber, a barber-surgeon, as his apprentice and joins his new master in his wandering life.
In a way that makes me remember Gelsomina in Fellini's movie "La Strada", Rob learn how to perform as entertainer, medicine seller & surgeon.
He also discovers he possess a strange Gift, he is capable to sense when a person, apparently ill or not, is nearing death.
Some experiences in this nomadic life, awake Rob's desire to become a physician in order to help suffering people better.
He learns that in Ispahan (Persia) exists a great teaching place with Avicenna as its most conspicuous doctor.
There is only on big obstacle: Persians are Muslims and confronting Byzantine Christians, son no Christian will be admitted. What to do? Rob decides to go there and pass as a Jew, as Jews are tolerated.
After Barber's death he starts a two year journey traversing all Europe and learning how to pass as a Jew. He will soon discover that is not so easy to be a Jew.

Here starts the most fascinating part of the story with a gripping cavalcade thru an exotic world!

A recommended read for those interested in historical subject and more specifically in medieval life and medicine.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

This was one of those novels that sucked me in from the very first page. Rob J. Cole ends up an orphan and after all his younger brothers and sisters are torn away from him and sent to seperate families, Rob is adopted by a travelling barber surgeon. The surgeon takes him under his wing and teaches him his craft.

Rob has bigger aspirations and finds himself wanting to know and learn more about the art of healing. He wants to be a true physician rather than a second rate barber surgeon. He learns of a medical school in the Middle East that is the best in the known world. The problem is Rob is a Christian and the school, run by Muslims, does not allow Christian's. Further complicating matters, the Pope has also forbidden Christian's from attending. So Rob does what he must and disguises himself as a Jew.

This novel was so action packed and filled with adventure. Gordon showed himself to me to be a master story teller. This is a long book but I devoured every page of it! So why did I give it four stars instead of five? First, there is a bear baiting scene where a pit bull is described as having locking jaw's, even after being killed by the bear the dog's jaws are still locked around it's neck! If only the author would've done some research. It is a myth that pit bull's jaw's lock. They are not even any stronger than any other dog with a similar head size! This is my favorite breed of dog and they are currently so maligned that I cannot allow such a mistruth to go unchallenged.

Second, the sex scenes were appalling. Maybe it's because they were written by a man but they left me saying, "Eeew"! Please, just a little more finese, Mr. Gordon! Third, I'm no historian but I had some doubts as to the authenticity of some of the story. For example, "Rob J." seems like an odd choice of name for a man living in England in the 900's.

Those flaws aside, it really is a great story and I highly recommend it. It's exciting and takes you on a grand adventure from England all the way to the Middle East. I can't wait to read the sequal, Shaman!

I enjoyed this more than The Physician as it is set in the US during the 19th century. It starts slowly, but once you get past the opening (Shaman returning home) the book is a real page turner.

This book is the Sequel to The Physician. As I'm sure you know by now, The Physician was set in 11th Century England and Shaman is set in 1840s through 1860s frontier America, so this is not a sequel in the traditional sense. Indeed, aside from a few anecdontes about a Cole dynasty of physicians in Scotland and the inheritence of the "gift" of sensing when patients are about to die, The Shaman is a free standing novel.

The Shaman is about Dr. Rob J. Cole, who is forced to immigrate to America after becoming involved in political protests in his native Scotland that resulted in the hanging death of a friend. He first arrives in Boston and is taken under the wing of Oliver Wendell Holmes, a famous Boston doctor who is the father of the even more famous Supreme Court Justice. While in Boston, Rob J. lives in a boarding house and lives a hand to mouth existence as a doctor to the poor. Ultimately, he decides that Boston is not for him and decides to move west. He travels and works his way to Illinois, where he settles in the small town of Holden's Crossing, in the Quad Cities area. While there, the reader meets members of the local Indian tribe - particularly a shaman named Makwa-Ikwa, whom Rob J. befriends and with whom he develops a close working relationship. We also see the developments of the xenophobic Know Nothing Party and the underground railroad in Illinois, and the civil war through Rob J.'s eyes, as the bulk of the novel is narrated through Rob J.'s journal.

The second central character in the novel is Rob J.'s only natural son, also named Rob J., but who is called "Shaman." Shaman became deaf due to a boyhood illness and adeptly learns to navigate his world as a deaf child and later as a deaf physician.

This novel is a fascinating look at the development of America. The reality of the civil war and the racial tensions that infected American politics in the era leading up to the war are told in detail, without white-washing. Indeed, the sections on the civil war are at times long and dull, but at other times are shocking in their detail. Gordon is a gifted writer with a talent for creating a complex understanding of a period in history. While Shaman was less interesting at times than The Physician, the characters were no less developed and the ability to create a 'historical mood' no less compelling. I rate this novel 4.5 stars.

Good reading - happy to recommend. I have lived in this area, played with horse apples as a child and never knew they were called Osage Apples or that they had any use whatsoever. Now I am trying to grow them. The tales are wonderful, some of the characters are historical figures, some of facts are unique and true(Osage Apples or monkey balls) and educational. The story, itself, is a good read. Thank you, Noah Gordon!

My good friend Mario strongly recommended me "The Physician", even if he knew a physician's life wasn't my cup of tea.
I'm grateful he convinced me to read it. I was so trapped by Mr. Noah Gordon story that I went immediately to the bookstore and bought "Shaman" and "Choices".
IMHO "Shaman" is the best of the trilogy.

This is the story of two members of the Cole family: Rob Sr. & Rob Jr.

The story, situated in the period around 1830-1870, starts following Rob Sr.'s life since his forced emigration from Scotland to America and is reconstructed thru his personal diary as discovered and read, after his death, by his son Rob Jr.
Rob Sr. initiates his medical practice at Boston's Irish ghetto and meets Oliver Wendell Holmes, precursor of medical prophylaxis.
Later he continues his migration going into Illinois and stopping at Holden's Crossing where he starts a new life as rural physician.
There he builds his home, start his relationship with the Sauk Native Americans people, fall in love, heal & marry Sarah, have a child who will contract scarlatina and lose his hearing.
At this point Rob's Jr. life is the second main thread of the narration, following his education and fervent desire to be a physician as his father.
Both threads will conflux at the Civil War period.

Historical reconstruction is paramount, showing domestic every day details, political issues, educational issues, medical issues and cultural issues with deepness and commitment. This aspect of the novel is by far better than the period reconstruction done by Mr. Gordon in "The Physician".

A much recommended read for those interested in historical subjects, daily life period reconstruction and medical practice. Enjoy this great novel!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Before I actually read "Shaman" I was a little confused. How could a book have a sequel that was at all successful or keeping in the spirit of the book when the sequel is set eight hundred years after the first book. Reading it however I came to appreciate that I could not expect the book to be anything like "The Physician" really. On top of all the characters being different, the world had changed. New continents had been discovered in the interim and enormous life changing advances had been made in the field of medicine (which the much later generations of Cole's still practiced) and all of this changes the canvas the story was to be written on in many ways.

"Shaman" is really the story of two Rob. J. Cole's, father and son. The senior came to America fleeing political unrest and became a small town doctor in a newly settled Indiana town and formed close relationships with the Indian people who were displaced. The junior was his son, called Shaman by the Indians and who became deaf at the age of five but didn't let it stop him in his quest to be a doctor.

Because of the timeframe of the novel (the time before and just after the civil war) there is a great deal of the politics of the time which is one of the best aspects of the book. I learned more about the civil war and what were the real reasons behind it and the horror of it from this book than any history class I've ever taken.

I was especially surprised to learn that many American Jews sided with the south. I had always thought that as a group that is traditionally persecuted that Jews would find a bond with and side with other disenfranchised groups but it seems that like a kid being picked on by a playground bully, there is more relief then a sense of camaraderie when the bully finds a new target. Also the civil war was so little about slavery and so much about economics and not having a weak union.

The medical advances and theories of that time were also fascinating because they are inching closer to what we now enjoy as standard practice and are miles away from what the original Rob J. went so far and risked so much to learn, but are still primitive compared to today's standards. Cleanliness is just being considered to have an effect on health, vaccines are just cropping up and hospitals are often more dirty and contributing to disease than anything else.

Keeping with one of the themes of "The Physician" "Shaman" does have a faith aspect. Rob J. is a pacifist and swore never to hurt another human being and becomes deeply involved in the religion of the Indians and Shaman, with his love for a Jewish neighbor brings on a controversy of a mixed race marriage.

I loved this book just as much as the first and more in different ways. Noah Gordon is truly a talented author who combines history, science and faith to come out with a novel that is an astounding read. I really wish there were more in the series. (hint to the author-there were eight hundred years between these books Go back and fill some of that in!)

Five stars.

700 años después de terminar la primera parte, el autor describe las peripecias de dos nuevos médicos en la familia Cole. El primero inicia la trama de este libro y el hijo de éste termina de gran manera la obra. El libro describe detalles de la guerra civil estadounidense y otros hechos históricos como la muerte de Lincoln a manos de Wilkes Booth. Una gran obra, digna continuación de la primera parte.

My good friend Mario strongly recommended me "The Physician", even if he knew a physician's life wasn't my cup of tea.
I'm grateful he convinced me to read it. I was so trapped by Mr. Noah Gordon story that I went immediately to the bookstore and bought "Shaman" and "Choices".
IMHO "Shaman" is the best of the trilogy.
"Punto de Lectura" is a book collection from prestigious Grupo Santillana, specialized in pocket book editions.

This is the story of two members of the Cole family: Rob Sr. & Rob Jr.

The story, situated in the period around 1830-1870, starts following Rob Sr.'s life since his forced emigration from Scotland to America and is reconstructed thru his personal diary as discovered and read, after his death, by his son Rob Jr.
Rob Sr. initiates his medical practice at Boston's Irish ghetto and meets Oliver Wendell Holmes, precursor of medical prophylaxis.
Later he continues his migration going into Illinois and stopping at Holden's Crossing where he starts a new life as rural physician.
There he builds his home, start his relationship with the Sauk Native Americans people, fall in love, heal & marry Sarah, have a child who will contract scarlatina and lose his hearing.
At this point Rob's Jr. life is the second main thread of the narration, following his education and fervent desire to be a physician as his father, overcoming his handicapped status.
Both threads will conflux at the Civil War period.

Historical reconstruction is paramount, showing domestic every day details, political issues, educational issues, medical issues and cultural issues with deepness and commitment. This aspect of the novel is by far better than the period reconstruction done by Mr. Gordon in "The Physician".

A much recommended read for those interested in historical subjects, daily life period reconstruction and medical practice. Enjoy this great novel!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

This is the second book of a series of 3 books that tell the awesome story of the Cole family, every first kid of wich is a doctor with a strange gift... The story itself is REALLY interesting and well-told, but i definitively liked the 1st book more than this one, since it contains more historical facts and interesting comments about how life was in the Middle Ages, and how religion controlled everything... Oh, and dont you dare to read this book without having read the 1st one, guys... that would be catastrophic!!! Also, i think these 3 books are especially valuable for those studying or somewhat interested in the career of medicine... It really gives you a great idea about what a good doctor is like.

Este es el segundo libro de una serie de tres que relatan la increíble historia de la familia Cole, cuyos primoogénitos son siempre doctores con un don extraño... La historia en sí misma es muy interesante y bien contada, pero a mi definitivamente me gustó mas el primer libro que este, ya que contiene mas hechos historicos y comentarios interesantes acerca de como era la vida en la Edad Media y como todo era controlado por la religion... Ah, y no se atrevan a leer este libro sin heber antes leído el primero, gente... eso sería catastrófico!!! Además, yo pienso que esta serie de libros sería especialmente útil o de interés para aquellos estudiantes o simplemente interesados en la carrera de medicina humana... Realmente te da una buena idea acerca de cómo debe ser un buen doctor.

I have never read any of Noah Gordon's other works, so I can only rate this as a stand-alone piece. Most of what I enjoyed was how medicine has changed since the book was published in 1969 - anybody with so much as a mild fascination in medicine (or a love of ER or other similar television dramas) would probably find it enjoyable, if not entirely up to date. The whole book has a warm, fuzzy feeling, and I was left quite content and pleased with the world by its end. I give it four stars not for the great prose or character development, but because it kept me reading for hours on end, curious to find out what happened to the characters. A made-for-TV novel, if you will.

Mr. Noah Gordon is my prefered author... I have readed all of his books...and this is another masterpiece that came out of his mind... It talks about the history os three doctors and their lifes inside a Hospital... A sensible book, once you start you can't stop... A MUST READ !!!

An early work of Gordon, it reflects on his fascination with the world of Medicine. Unlike his best work in The Physician and Shaman, Death Committee searches out modern cutting edge medicine. At times he seems in awe of the mortals who struggle to solve the puzzle of transplantation. He does an accurate job for 1969 when the book was published.

I expected more incite to the characters. Having read his wonderful later works first, my expectations were high. Trying to put this in perspective as a second novel, it showcases Gordon's development as a character writer.

It is a clever quick read and highly recommended for those who like Gordon's later works, but I would read the later works first.

La Bodega is really a good read. Spain has had for a long time a bad name for mass producing cheap wines, but this trend changed some 20 years ago, and now it markets some really great wines. Making good wine is a long process, which started in Spain around the end of the 19th century. The novel is located in the region of Catalumya around the time of the filoxera epidemy, and also briefly refers to the carlists wars. However this is not a history book, the references are there to develop the plot not as focal point.

Es un libro muy agradable,para mi fue una sorpresa, es el segundo libro que leo de Noah Gordon y en verdad es tan bueno como El ultimo judio, por supuesto con una tematica totalmente diferente.
Esta ubicado en una etapa interesante de la historia de Espana. Una Espana convulsionada politicamente; finales del siglo XIX.
La descripcion del pueblo, los personajes son maravillosos, estan muy bien logrados. La historia esta muy bien lograda, es entretenido y ademas tiene algo de novela historica sin ser una novela historica,aunque ademas del tema politico el tema central el inicio de la producion vinicola en el norte de Espana
No deje de leerlo, pasara un buen rato, yo lo lei en una noche