By Alison Bass
REBECCA of IVANHOE
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 to settle in Toledo’s Jewish quarter. There Rebecca builds 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 Church officials in Toledo.
This gripping sequel to Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe brings to life a fascinating chapter in medieval Spain through Rebecca’s journey to escape the growing persecution of Jews in England, and her efforts to save her family during a tumultuous time in Spain when the Moors and the Christians battled for control of the country.
Journalist, Professor, Author
Alison Bass
Alison Bass was a long-time medical and science writer for The Boston Globe. A series Bass wrote for the Globe on psychiatry was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in the Public Service category. Bass has received a number of other journalism awards for her work.
Bass is the author of two critically acclaimed nonfiction books, Getting Screwed, Sex Workers and the Law and Side Effects: A Prosecutor, a Whistleblower, and A Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial, which received the prestigious National Association of Science Writers’ Science in Society Award. The film rights for Side Effects were optioned in 2016.
Alison Bass
Latest Updates
Good timing: the Forward publishes my essay on Rebecca of Ivanhoe the day my novel is released
Today is the day my novel, Rebecca of Ivanhoe, is being published, and it is also the day that the Forward, the nation's largest Jewish newspaper, published my essay on whether real-life philanthropist and educator Rebecca Gratz was the inspiration for Rebecca in Sir...
Another nice review of Rebecca of Ivanhoe in the Hill Rag
Michelle LaFrance, who writes the Literary Hill column, for the Hill Rag, a Capitol Hill, DC magazine, gave Rebecca of Ivanhoe, a nice write-up in the November issue of the Hill Rag. The review is on page nine. Here are some snippets: "For anyone who has wondered what...
Great review of Rebecca of Ivanhoe in The Jerusalem Report
Please forgive me for tooting my own horn, but the first review of my novel, Rebecca of Ivanhoe, is about to hit the newstands, and it couldn't be more complimentary! Here are some snippets from the review in The Jerusalem Report. “Fans of Sir Walter Scott’s novel...
Other Books
Brassy Broad
Getting Screwed
