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abigailbat's review
4.0
Ramon is the son of a scribe in fifteenth century Spain. His family are conversos - Jews that converted to Christianity generations ago but are still suspect under Queen Isabella's Inquisition. Amir is a Muslim slave, given to Ramon's father as a gift. As the story unfolds, Amir's and Ramon's stories will intertwine in ways they would never have predicted.
Rich with historical detail, this novel in verse shows the Spanish Inquisition through the eyes of two very different boys. A prologue and epilogue contain background information on the Inquisition. Recommended for fans of historical fiction.
Read more on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/11/book-review-apprentices-masterpiece.html
Rich with historical detail, this novel in verse shows the Spanish Inquisition through the eyes of two very different boys. A prologue and epilogue contain background information on the Inquisition. Recommended for fans of historical fiction.
Read more on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/11/book-review-apprentices-masterpiece.html
melkemaryam's review
4.0
I first read it when I was about 13 years old. Back then I didn't know much about Spain in the 15th century. But wow, this book opened my eyes. I could not believe what was happening. Ramon and Amir became friends over time and it was amazing to read about such a deep friendship that oversteps any boundaries, especially when it comes to religion. After finishing this book, I was so angry at humankind. How could we possibly do this to each other? It left me curios, though. This book practically brought me into historical fiction and I am really grateful for that. And it was so informative, it was way more interesting than my history lessons back then. It felt good to gain so much new knowledge that was just inspired by an innocent story.
And the verses just made the story more interesting and beautiful.
And the verses just made the story more interesting and beautiful.
olanthea's review
4.0
I woke up this morning, wide awake, but not wanting to rise yet. So I decided that it was time to pull "The Apprentice's Masterpiece" off of the shelf. I thought I'd read a few pages, wanting to read this book but after discovering that the story was written not only in verse but actually broken up into small poems, I thought the flow would be forced, unnatural to me, and that it would be several days taking it one poem at a time before I'd mark this book as "read". Little did I know that I would absorb each page and and finish before lunch.
This morning I followed the lives of two young men living in an unforgiving world. The Spanish Inquisition turned neighbour against neighbour, preaching fear, and schooling children in images of blood and torture. Ramon's family followed the rules. Convert now and end your Jewish heresy. So they obeyed willingly. But a New Christian is not as pure as an Old Christian, and the Spanish monarchy dreams of a pure Spain. A family that should be proud of their heritage, of their family legacy of scribing beautiful manuscripts, are reduced to nearly nothing. The only one in worse condition is Amir, the Muslim boy forced into slavery. And yet, despite how lowly Amir is, or should be, Ramon cannot help but feel jealousy. "He knows who he is."
Maybe I just loved the book because I expected that I wouldn't; maybe because it's different, both in content and structure. Regardless of why, I was caught off-guard, pleasantly. I will need to buy myself a second copy and put it in the classroom. It's a light read, it's an easy read, and yet it will sicken you when you remember that it is not just a story. So many chapters of human history are written in hatred and blood. This is but a brief glance at one such chapter.
This morning I followed the lives of two young men living in an unforgiving world. The Spanish Inquisition turned neighbour against neighbour, preaching fear, and schooling children in images of blood and torture. Ramon's family followed the rules. Convert now and end your Jewish heresy. So they obeyed willingly. But a New Christian is not as pure as an Old Christian, and the Spanish monarchy dreams of a pure Spain. A family that should be proud of their heritage, of their family legacy of scribing beautiful manuscripts, are reduced to nearly nothing. The only one in worse condition is Amir, the Muslim boy forced into slavery. And yet, despite how lowly Amir is, or should be, Ramon cannot help but feel jealousy. "He knows who he is."
Maybe I just loved the book because I expected that I wouldn't; maybe because it's different, both in content and structure. Regardless of why, I was caught off-guard, pleasantly. I will need to buy myself a second copy and put it in the classroom. It's a light read, it's an easy read, and yet it will sicken you when you remember that it is not just a story. So many chapters of human history are written in hatred and blood. This is but a brief glance at one such chapter.
albatrossonhalfpointe's review
4.0
Fifteenth-century Spain is one of the most enlightened cultures on record - one in which Jews, Muslims, and Christians coexist within an atmosphere of respect. Then the zealous Queen Isabella enacts policies that put an abrupt end to the peace. Violence, mistrust, and intolerance shadow everyone as the Spanish Inquisition takes shape. In this fear-filled atmosphere, fifteen-year-old scribe Ramon Benveniste must hide the family's secret. They are conversos: Jews converted to Christianity.
One day a young man is delivered to the door. Amir wears the robe and red patch of a Muslim. Soon, both Ramon and Amir are caught up in dramatic events they cannot escape.
This book is very intriguing in premise, as it's all in blank verse. As you know, I'm not a big fan of poetry, but this was OK. What's interesting about it is that it proves that when you tell an author that they can cut more, they can. Seriously, this story was cut to down to the bare minimum, without much description, localization, etc. that normally fills out most books. Each section, most no longer than a page, is just a quick snippet of what the narrator's thoughts are at a given moment. And it's a testament to Little's skills that she's able to do this without ever leaving the reader lost or confused by what's going on. It was very well done.
As for the story itself, it really was a barbaric period in history, made all the more so in contrast to what came just before it. Little did a really good job of telling this story through the eyes of two very small characters, and getting across the overwhelmingness of the situation, and the helplessness of the people before it. I truly felt for these people, even Ramon when he was being an arrogant ass.
I also actually kind of like the fact that it didn't end entirely neatly. There was a satisfying endpoint, but it didn't resolve everything, they didn't get a nice, pat "and then they lived happily ever after" ending, but it wasn't left hopeless, either. It just had the same feeling as the rest of the book: that this was a snippet of these people's lives. There's more to them, obviously, but this is the piece you get, and I liked that.
I think this book makes a great young person's introduction to medieval Spanish history, and the Inquisition, and is an excellent lesson in tolerance and acceptance of other people. Which makes it sound like a dull shlock-fest, but it definitely isn't. Great book. Read it.
One day a young man is delivered to the door. Amir wears the robe and red patch of a Muslim. Soon, both Ramon and Amir are caught up in dramatic events they cannot escape.
This book is very intriguing in premise, as it's all in blank verse. As you know, I'm not a big fan of poetry, but this was OK. What's interesting about it is that it proves that when you tell an author that they can cut more, they can. Seriously, this story was cut to down to the bare minimum, without much description, localization, etc. that normally fills out most books. Each section, most no longer than a page, is just a quick snippet of what the narrator's thoughts are at a given moment. And it's a testament to Little's skills that she's able to do this without ever leaving the reader lost or confused by what's going on. It was very well done.
As for the story itself, it really was a barbaric period in history, made all the more so in contrast to what came just before it. Little did a really good job of telling this story through the eyes of two very small characters, and getting across the overwhelmingness of the situation, and the helplessness of the people before it. I truly felt for these people, even Ramon when he was being an arrogant ass.
I also actually kind of like the fact that it didn't end entirely neatly. There was a satisfying endpoint, but it didn't resolve everything, they didn't get a nice, pat "and then they lived happily ever after" ending, but it wasn't left hopeless, either. It just had the same feeling as the rest of the book: that this was a snippet of these people's lives. There's more to them, obviously, but this is the piece you get, and I liked that.
I think this book makes a great young person's introduction to medieval Spanish history, and the Inquisition, and is an excellent lesson in tolerance and acceptance of other people. Which makes it sound like a dull shlock-fest, but it definitely isn't. Great book. Read it.
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