Overview

It's 1492 and Spain issues an edict forcing all non Christians to convert to Catholicism or face expulsion. Sephardi Jew Jacob ben David, his wife and young sons leave Toledo for Lisbon. Five years later the Inquisition spreads to Portugal so Jacob and family must emigrate . They cross the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas to Naples then take another boat to Messina Sicily. Changing their name to Campofiori and religion to Catholic they purchase land and for over one hundred and seventy years settle as olive growers and wine producers. In 1669 Mount Etna erupts destroying everything so descendant Ravaelo Campofiori, wife Bianca and family are forced to flee.They are persuaded to travel north to Bavaria where there might be employment.. This journey is treacherous and they struggle against cold and hunger, often begging or stealing food to survive. After almost three years they arrive in Protestant Bavaria and encounter discrimination as Catholics. Meanwhile Ravaelo is attracted to Judaism the faith of his ancestors but since his wife is a staunch Catholic must keep this a secret. After retiring from everyday work he embarks on a final journey where his discoveries have dramatic repercussions for the whole family. Though rooted in history where different identities language and customs must be adopted to survive, this 200 year family saga of love loyalty and faith strongly resonates with refugee issues in today's modern world.

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9780992811686

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Marian was born in 1934 and evacuated as a child during the second world war. In 1954 she married Conrad Gold with whom she had three children. Wishing to return to education Marian took a BA in Contemporary Studies in 1979 majoring in English Literature. Following this Marian wrote her MA thesis Literature in Crisis which formed the genesis of her first book, Wartime is Your Time - an academic title looking at the role of women in WWI. Marian then went on to publish The Tangled Undergrowth of Love an eBook of short stories based on the true lives of four women. Following the death of her husband in 2014, Marian returned to writing her first full length novel, Flight of the Faithful which combines real events in history and family documents to create a two hundred year, historical fiction and family saga. Marian lives in London and leads an active life dividing her time between volunteering as a Reader at a local primary school, attending art and creative writing classes, playing bridge and of course seeing her children, grandchildren and great grandchild.

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