Synopsis: 1492 opens in fifteenth-century Spain, which was, by any standard, a terrifying place. Throughout the Inquisition, torture, betrayal, and unexpected courage were expected elements of day-to-day life. The Muslim world struggled to keep the West in an economic vise, the Christian world fought back against their control of its trade routes, and Jews were caught in the middle: tortured if they assimilated, expelled or killed if they clung to their heritage.
1492 centers on a man who had one foot in the Jewish world, the other in the Christian world, and the radical idea that he could sail West to reach the East: Cristoforo Colombo. But contrary to what history books have led us to believe, Queen Isabella did not sell her jewels to fund Cristoforo’s voyage. The truth involves the Jewish investor, Luis de Santangel; Columbus’s Christian wife, Filipa, who gave him social acceptance and valuable contacts; and the beautiful and talented Jewish woman, Beatriz, who entered his life several years after the death of his wife.
ISBN: 978-0312050412
Biography: Newton Frohlich is the award-winning author of The Shakespeare Mask: A Novel, as well as 1492: A Novel of Christopher Columbus, the Spanish Inquisition & a World at the Turning Point and Making the Best of It: A Common-Sense Guide to Negotiating a Divorce. A former lawyer in Washington, D.C., he devoted eight years to the research and writing of 1492. He has lived in Washington, D.C., the south of France, and Israel and now makes his home on Cape Cod with his wife, Martha, a musicologist.
Connect with Newton Frohlich on Goodreads and at http://newtonfrohlich.com/.
1492: A Novel of Christopher Columbus, the Spanish Inquisition & a World at the Turning Point is currently available for pre-order on Amazon, and will be available in paperback and e-book formats wherever books are sold on Columbus Day (October 10) 2016.
Reviews:
“Captivating, extraordinarily vivid first novel. . . . This is a convincing, detailed re-creation of the Old World on the brink of discovery.” — Publishers Weekly
“Frohlich shows a fine gift for storytelling… The sheer power of the historical events is likely to keep the reader engaged.” — Booklist
“A rollicking, readable and fascinating story… For a grand, sweeping tale of the history of Spain at the end of the 15th century, 1492 is hard to beat.” — St. Louis Post Dispatch
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