This gripping sequel to Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe follows Rebecca the healer's journey to Spain to escape the growing persecution of Jews in England.
Twelfth-century England has become too dangerous for Jews, especially the beautiful Jewish healer, Rebecca Manasses, who has been rescued by Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe from being burned alive as a witch. Rebecca and her father, Isaac, make the difficult decision to flee to Spain where they have relatives.
They settle in Toledo's Jewish quarter, and Rebecca is able to build a thriving practice as a healer. Her reputation reaches the ears of Rachel Esra, known as La Fermosa, the Jewish mistress of Alfonso VIII, the King of Castile and Leon. Rebecca becomes Rachel’s healer and friend, and through Rachel, Rebecca meets a handsome Jewish trader who helps her and her family during anti-Jewish riots fomented by the wars raging around them.
Rebecca of Ivanhoe brings to life a fascinating chapter in medieval Spain and introduces readers to an indomitable, yet vulnerable woman who rises above the restraints of her time to help her family survive during a tumultuous time in medieval Spain as the Moors and Christians battle for control of the country.
"For anyone who has wondered what became of the woman saved from the witch-pyre in Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, Alison Bass provides an answer in her newest release. For readers craving a slice of medieval history," — The Hill Rag
"Bass’s Rebecca of Ivanhoe breathes new life into one of literature’s most intriguing secondary characters, transforming the beautiful Jewish healer into a heroine for the ages. This sequel to Sir Walter Scott’s classic dares to continue a beloved tale and weaves a rich tapestry of intrigue, romance, and personal discovery that stands proudly on its own." — The Jerusalem Report
Bink Books
190 pp. ● 6×9
$18.95 (pb) ● $9.99 (eb)
ISBN 978-1-960373-52-6 (pb)
FICTION / literature
FICTION / Historical / Medieval
FICTION / Jewish
Publication date: November 19, 2024
Alison Bass is an award-winning journalist and the author of three nonfiction books: Side Effects: A Prosecutor, a Whistleblower and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial (2008); Getting Screwed, Sex Workers and the Law (2015); and Brassy Broad: How one journalist helped pave the way to #MeToo (2021). Side Effects received the prestigious National Association of Science Writers’ Science in Society Award and its film rights have been optioned.
Bass recently retired as Associate Professor of Journalism at West Virginia University. She was a long-time staff writer for The Boston Globe and a series she wrote for The Globe was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in the Public Service category. Her articles and essays have also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The Intercept, Buzzfeed, Psychology Today, and numerous other media. For more on her credentials, please visit her website at www.alison-bass.com.