44 pages • 1 hour read
Alice HoffmanA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
In Incantation, Estrella deMadrigal, a young woman in 16th-century Spain, discovers her family's secret Jewish heritage amidst the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition. As the persecution intensifies, she grapples with identity, betrayal, and the struggle for survival, ultimately vowing to preserve her family's history and traditions despite the oppression they face. This book includes themes of death, torture, antisemitism, and cruelty to animals.
Alice Hoffman’s Incantation is widely praised for its lyrical prose and vivid historical setting, immersing readers in the turbulence of the Spanish Inquisition. Reviewers commend Hoffman's ability to create compelling, multidimensional characters, though some critique the narrative's pacing and predictability. Overall, it’s considered a poignant and thought-provoking read.
A reader who would enjoy Incantation by Alice Hoffman is likely someone captivated by historical fiction with a mystical twist. Fans of Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief or Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits will appreciate Hoffman’s lyrical prose and poignant themes of love, betrayal, and identity during the Spanish Inquisition.
Lexile Level
730LHistorical Fiction
Fantasy
Jewish Literature
Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
History: World
Religion / Spirituality