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treylathe's review
4.0
This was a good read and does what I want historical fiction to do: keep me engaged and pique my curiosity about historical events. The book is written alternating between 1492-early 1600's and 1992. I found the parts about the 16th century Spain and Mexico fascinating and plausible, and spurred me on to learn more about the Inquisition and the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. Though well written, I did take off a star for the fact that the early part seemed to jump from generation to generation that made it a bit hard to follow at times and the story about 1992 was, in some way, not satisfying in it's conclusion, though I can't put my finger on it.
All in all, a book definitely worth reading.
All in all, a book definitely worth reading.
sjgrodsky's review against another edition
2.0
My unenthusiastic reaction to this book marks me as an outlier.
To give some context: this book was selected by my reading group. And I agreed to facilitate the discussion. (Everyone has to be the facilitator at least once during the year’s reading.) I usually like to be the facilitator, but I found this novel completely uninspiring. Still, I pushed on with it, wondering how I would manage to facilitate a discussion with a dozen or so sharp-witted women who, I was afraid, would perceive my lack of enthusiasm.
Fortunately, when the book club leader sent out her final list of the year’s assignments, she somehow had not included me as the facilitator. Cosmic justice! I negotiated a different book with her, and I’m now relieved of the onerous duty towards this book I thought I had.
So, why did I find the book so uninspiring? Well, the concept is fascinating: people in New Mexico who call themselves Catholics but follow customs that are typically Jewish. It’s just that the evidence for these people being the descendants of conversos is sketchy. In fact, there is counter evidence that these supposed conversos are actually descendents of an obscure Christian sect that follows some customs (such as observing Saturday sabbath) that are similar to Jewish customs (see https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/378454/).
So, I am not too happy with Mary Morris for perpetuating a romantic belief that has only a sketchy factual basis.
But more to the point, I just don’t enjoy Mary Morris’s story. She is a wonderful prose stylist. But she can’t plot her way out of a barn door. We are introduced to Miguel, we are introduced to Rachel and her dysfunctional family, and then, what? The story goes back in time to Columbus‘s voyage and then back to Miguel who is nearly killed in a rain storm, and then back to the 16th century again with a new set of characters…
Her handling of the Miguel in the storm subplot was manipulative. We learned that Miguel, who is only 14, drives his car into an arroyo just before a major rainstorm turns the arroyo into a turbulent river that could drown him. Then it’s several chapters of early Spanish history before we get back to Miguel. And then we don’t really learn what happened to him. He continues in his role as a major character, so we conclude, without knowing any of the details, that he somehow survived the arroyo.
Mary Morris also get some details just plain wrong. For example she has a Taino Indian offer a mango to one of the European explorers on Columbus’s ship. But the mango is an Asian fruit, introduced to the new world by Europeans. A Taino would not have had one.
Well, I have vented my spleen in this review. During the discussion, I am going to be as quiet as I can manage. I’ll tell about the counter narrative that offers a different explanation of the supposed converso descendants. Other than that, I’ll try not to disturb the enjoyment other book group members may have derived.
To give some context: this book was selected by my reading group. And I agreed to facilitate the discussion. (Everyone has to be the facilitator at least once during the year’s reading.) I usually like to be the facilitator, but I found this novel completely uninspiring. Still, I pushed on with it, wondering how I would manage to facilitate a discussion with a dozen or so sharp-witted women who, I was afraid, would perceive my lack of enthusiasm.
Fortunately, when the book club leader sent out her final list of the year’s assignments, she somehow had not included me as the facilitator. Cosmic justice! I negotiated a different book with her, and I’m now relieved of the onerous duty towards this book I thought I had.
So, why did I find the book so uninspiring? Well, the concept is fascinating: people in New Mexico who call themselves Catholics but follow customs that are typically Jewish. It’s just that the evidence for these people being the descendants of conversos is sketchy. In fact, there is counter evidence that these supposed conversos are actually descendents of an obscure Christian sect that follows some customs (such as observing Saturday sabbath) that are similar to Jewish customs (see https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/378454/).
So, I am not too happy with Mary Morris for perpetuating a romantic belief that has only a sketchy factual basis.
But more to the point, I just don’t enjoy Mary Morris’s story. She is a wonderful prose stylist. But she can’t plot her way out of a barn door. We are introduced to Miguel, we are introduced to Rachel and her dysfunctional family, and then, what? The story goes back in time to Columbus‘s voyage and then back to Miguel who is nearly killed in a rain storm, and then back to the 16th century again with a new set of characters…
Her handling of the Miguel in the storm subplot was manipulative. We learned that Miguel, who is only 14, drives his car into an arroyo just before a major rainstorm turns the arroyo into a turbulent river that could drown him. Then it’s several chapters of early Spanish history before we get back to Miguel. And then we don’t really learn what happened to him. He continues in his role as a major character, so we conclude, without knowing any of the details, that he somehow survived the arroyo.
Mary Morris also get some details just plain wrong. For example she has a Taino Indian offer a mango to one of the European explorers on Columbus’s ship. But the mango is an Asian fruit, introduced to the new world by Europeans. A Taino would not have had one.
Well, I have vented my spleen in this review. During the discussion, I am going to be as quiet as I can manage. I’ll tell about the counter narrative that offers a different explanation of the supposed converso descendants. Other than that, I’ll try not to disturb the enjoyment other book group members may have derived.
mmz's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
amlagunas's review
4.0
Really liked this one! Unique settings and stories, built up well to the very satisfying ending, but would have liked to have spent a little more time on some characters.
doucey's review
2.0
I could not completely get absorbed in this book. The premise intrigued me (love historical dramas that span time!) but i found it difficult to really connect with any of the characters. It had little dialogue, which for some reason bothered me! I can’t say I would recommend it. Sorry.
dybbuk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Genocide, Antisemitism, and Torture
booksnbrains's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
thain's review against another edition
5.0
A modern-day Hispanic community in New Mexico who unknowingly practice Jewish traditions trace their roots to a family of conversos who fled the Inquisition and settled in the New World. The parallel storylines are woven seamlessly together down to the last detail of a family recipe. Both stories are equally compelling with a varied cast of characters, including a teenage amateur astronomer at the heart of it all.
ranchel's review against another edition
2.0
The premise behind Gateway to the Moon really intrigued me. The idea that there are people who follow Jewish tradition without openly considering themselves Jewish was totally new to me and I really wanted to love this book. Unfortunately, I feel that the writing and narrative in general were choppy, which made the story very difficult to follow. There were a lot of characters mentioned, particularly in the flashbacks, so I struggled to keep track of everyone. I finally figured out towards the end of the book that the majority of the characters were related. The weird tangents about sex did not fit with the tone of story; parts of the book actually read like historical erotic fiction.
Overall, I don't think this book delivered. I read an ARC, so hopefully the final version has been edited and will be less disjointed. Gateway to the Moon is definitely not the worst book I've ever read, but it certainly wasn't very good and I would not recommend this book to anyone I know.
Overall, I don't think this book delivered. I read an ARC, so hopefully the final version has been edited and will be less disjointed. Gateway to the Moon is definitely not the worst book I've ever read, but it certainly wasn't very good and I would not recommend this book to anyone I know.
anjreading's review against another edition
4.0
This novel combines a present-day narrative of a small New Mexico community that has a hidden religious and political history with historical vignettes that tell the story of the community’s ancestors. Miguel is a teenager in Entrada de la Luna who dreams of studying the stars and takes a job babysitting for a wealthy Jewish family who are new to the area. He is a wonderfully written character and I was quickly invested in his story. The historical sections are engrossing, starting in 15th-century Spain with a Jewish man escaping the Inquisition by joining Columbus’s expedition, and then following various ancestors of his throughout their lives as “crypto-Jews,” forced to practice their faith in secret by the ruthless force of the Inquisition.