The Convert by Stefan Hertmans (HC)

Finalist for the 2020 National Jewish Book Awards

In this dazzling work of historical fiction, the Man Booker International–long-listed author of War and Turpentine reconstructs the tragic story of a medieval noblewoman who leaves her home and family for the love of a Jewish boy.
 
In eleventh-century France, Vigdis Adelaïs, a young woman from a prosperous Christian family, falls in love with David Todros, a rabbi’s son and yeshiva student. To be together, the couple must flee their city, and Vigdis must renounce her life of privilege and comfort. Pursued by her father’s knights and in constant danger of betrayal, the lovers embark on a dangerous journey to the south of France, only to find their brief happiness destroyed by the vicious wave of anti-Semitism sweeping through Europe with the onset of the First Crusade.

REVIEWS

“Utterly spellbinding and brilliantly translated, this prize-worthy journey through time will pull readers in and won’t let go until the very last page. A great choice for discussion groups.” -Library Journal (Starred)
 
“[A] commanding historical novel . . . [that] will satisfy readers willing to be swept away into a starkly different time.” -Publishers Weekly
 
“The book has a quiet intimacy to it . . . . Constructed with delicacy, lyricism, and care.” -Kirkus Reviews

PRODUCT DETAILS
Hardcover Edition
Publisher: Pantheon
ISBN: 978-1524747084
Pages: 304