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    Enchantress: A Novel of Rav Hisda's Daughter
    Enchantress: A Novel of Rav Hisda's Daughter
    Enchantress: A Novel of Rav Hisda's Daughter
    Audiobook15 hours

    Enchantress: A Novel of Rav Hisda's Daughter

    Written by Maggie Anton

    Narrated by Mozhan Marno

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Fantastic tales of demons and the Evil Eye, magical incantations, and powerful attractions abound in Enchantress, a novel that weaves together Talmudic lore, ancient Jewish magic, and a timeless love story set in fourth-century Babylonia. One of the most powerful practitioner of these mysterious arts is Rav Hisda's daughter, whose innate awareness allows her to possess the skills men lack. With her husband, Rava--whose arcane knowledge of the secret Torah enables him to create a "man" out of earth and to resurrect another rabbi from death--the two brave an evil sorceress, Ashmedai the Demon King, and even the Angel of Death in their quest to safeguard their people, even while putting their romance at risk. The author of the acclaimed Rashi's Daughters series and the award-winning Rav Hisda's Daughter: Apprentice has conjured literary magic in the land where "abracadabra" originated. Based on five years of research and populated with characters from the Talmud, Enchantress brings a pivotal era of Jewish and Christian history to life from the perspective of a courageous and passionate woman.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateOct 17, 2014
    ISBN9781490650173
    Enchantress: A Novel of Rav Hisda's Daughter

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    Reviews for Enchantress

    4/5

    27 ratings10 reviews

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    • 5/5
      An amazingly intriguing book. Full of information on Torah. Talmud and even kaballah. Beautifully Writtenn. Such a great read.
    • 5/5
      Hisdadukh, daughter of respected rabbi Rav Hisda in late third century Babylonia, is learned, beautiful, passionate, and an aspiring sorceress of great talent. A young widow who has had to give her son over to his father's family to raise, she leaves her home in Sura to apprentice with Em the Healer in Pumbedita. In Em's house, she is living under the same roof with another rabbi, Rava, a firend and rival of her late husband, and a man with whom she shares both deep attraction, and shared conflicts and misunderstandings.

      This is the starting point from which Hisdadukh and Rava spend the next six decades learning, loving, and growing together, as she becomes mistress of a now-lost tradition of Jewish women's magic, and he studies the Torah, priestly magic, and the secret Torah, and becomes a leading light in the growing tradition of the Talmud and rabbinic law. Set in Babylonia, a.k.a. Persia, or the country we now call Iran, it's a different look at the third and fourth centuries than most of us have learned, east and south of the Roman Empire, in a culture where the dominant religion is neither the Roman or Greek gods, nor Christianity, but Zorastrianism.

      Anton does a marvelous job developing this alien culture and forgotten history, as well as the personalities and lives of her characters. Though we inevitably know some better than others, and like some better than others, they all feel real, complex individuals with their own strengths, weaknesses, and inconsistencies. No caricatures or cardboard stock figures here. The important characters and many episodes and uses of magic are drawn from the Talmud, woven together in a beautiful tapestry.

      Aramaic words and terminology are used as needed. In most cases, the meaning is reasonably clear from context, but there's a glossary at the back of the book for anything the reader stumbles over.

      I found this wholly compelling and fascinating. Highly recommended.

      I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher via Penguin's First to Read program.
    • 4/5
      This book is dense with ancient Jewish law, but like the first in the series, Apprentice, the characters and plot draw the reader in. It is a fascinating tale of a little known historical period with a touch of magic added. Highly recommended; I'm looking forward to the next book.
    • 3/5
      I won this book from LibraryThings Early Reviewers contest.I finished the novel almost a month ago but could not find the words to describe how I felt about the novel.It is a fascinating look into a historical period that is not widely known about.This novel is the second in the story of a Jewish 'enchantress' in ancient 4th century Babylonia. The historical detail is rich and vivid showing the care and research Maggie Anton undertook to get everything right. The reader, in great detail, learns of the accepted practice of sorcery, enchantments, magic (both good and bad)as well as everyday life for a respected Rabbi's daughter. We are also exposed to the ancient Jewish laws behind the Talmud, Mishnas and the Torah. It is around these sections that a reader can become confused but I found they enhanced the story line, vividly recreating for the reader the atmosphere of the time.The overall plot and story line was well written and conveyed. I was not truly a fan of Hisdadukh or her husband Rava. I found them both tiresome at times, with Hisdadukh coming off as manipulative and needy. This novel was a great 'learning' experience for me as I wound up Googling information on this period and the historical lives of Jews at the time.
    • 4/5
      My first real exposure to Jews and ancient magic was in Maggie Anton's first book in the "Rashi's Daughters" trilogy. After reading it I discussed the topic with my rabbi who said superstitions were a big part of the Jews at one time. Then on one of my trips to Israel I saw that the Biblelands Museum was having an exhibit on Angels & Demons. Much of what I saw there had been mentioned in "Rashi's Daughters". I enjoyed the book tremendously but am a bit torn. It seemed that the second book of "Rav Hisda's Daughter" series has sorcery all through it. I preferred the scattering of it as in the "Rashi's Daughters" books. This book was more like a pure fantasy book. I feel like the historical aspects were forgotten. So if I consider the book as fantasy (with romance mixed in) I would give it five stars, but as historical fiction it is four stars. Either way, it is an interesting read. I prefer the philosophical debate portion of the story. This is such a huge part of Judaism even today. I feel like this book could have been two books by slowing it down. Sometimes an entire decade has passed from one chapter to the next. I did care about all the characters (and there's quite a few of them). There are some very strong personalities in the mix.It is obvious that the author put a LOT of research into this book. Well done!
    • 4/5
      The story of a Jewish lady during the times of the Roman Empire. She is widowed at the start of the novel and the book is epic in scope following her through marriage, family and old age. Along the way she becomes know as an Enchantress with great skill helping people with her mystical powers in their daily lives but also against demons that plague people of those times. As a non Jewish reader it would really have been helpful is she had furnished more detail about some of the Jewish terminology and practices that she incorporates. Still, it was a very interesting book.
    • 5/5
      This is the second novel in a series about Rav Hisda's Daughter. This book begins where the second left off. Hisdadukh has left Ersatz Israel and is studying with a sorcerer skilled in the knowledge of healing. Rava, her second love, is studying under the same roof. The two come together and after much turmoil are married. The book continues to follow their life as they have several children, gain secret and esoteric knowledge and become preeminent scholars and practitioners.I can't praise this book enough. It was well written, engaging and featured fascinating characters. I do wish that towards the end of the book it didn't skip so much time. I just wanted to read more, and wished the gaps had been filled in. Overall, highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      I received The Enchantress from Early Reviewers. I hadn't read the earlier book, or Anton's other books on Rashi's daughters, but I was able to get into the story fairly easily without. I think my knowledge of the viewpoint character, Rav Hisda's daughter Hisdadukh, would have been deeper if I had read the earlier book, but it wasn't absolutely necessary.Hisdadukh is a charasheta, or enchantress, who is learned in the ways of healing and protective magic. SHe is the daughter of a historical Talmudic scholar, Rav Hisda, who is himself learned in priestly magic. In Anton's world, the wives and daughters of Talmudic scholars have an equivalent brand of magic that they use to protect their families and communities. It's an interesting portrait of feminine power in a highly misogynistic era. The book is heavily steeped in the apocrypha of Judaism and Talmud. I recognize some of it, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to judge the historical accuracy of it. In any case, the presentation of demons and angels as real entities is grounded in Biblical and folkloric representations, though in this day and age, it comes off as fantastical. The interactions with these creatures and the numerous discussions of Baraitot, rabbinic teachings, were the most captivating sections of the book to me.Overall, this is a novel that attempts to very closely present one woman's life. There's a underlying plot throughout the novel, but it's almost an excuse for this fictional biography. Unfortunately, because there's so much material to get through, Anton ends up skipping and glossing over years and events. I would have appreciated more showing, less telling. After reading this, I would take a look at the Rashi's daughters novels, but I would recommend this primarily if you have a strong interest in the period or in Judaism.
    • 5/5
      I found Enchantress to be a difficult but worthwhile read. I was drawn into this book time-and-time again. I enjoyed This book thoroughly. It was indeed a 'Literary Jewel'. I liked the use of Torah, Talmud and Historical knowledge interwoven throughout Ms. Anton's book. I found her character development, especially of Hisdadukh, her main character and Charasheta, was beautifully illustrated despite this woman's struggles. Hisdadukh's relationship with her second husband, Rava, development as a woman, an Enchantress, was cleverly interwoven within this story. This book is yet another illustration of Maggie Anton's talent's as a writer.
    • 4/5
      Well researched, detailed, beautiful and even magical, Enchantress is truly unlike any other book out there when it comes to Jewish literature. While it is not a fast paced read, it is entertaining and thought-provoking. The book includes a helpful time line of events (which I appreciate) and a map of Roman Palestina and Persian Babylonia, and again, a helpful glossary for those of us who don’t know the meaning of Hebrew words thrown around in the story.