Isabela's Way - by Barbara Stark-Nemon (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

For fans of Ruta Sepetys's Salt to the Sea, this coming-of-age tale of one fourteen-year-old girl's escape from early-seventeenth-century Portugal's Inquisition, achieved with the help of a clandestine band of allies, will thrill and inspire.

In early-seventeenth-century Portugal, Spain, France, and Germany, dangers are plentiful--especially for those of Jewish heritage. Non-Catholics have been expelled from Spain, and the Inquisition has come to Portugal to impose its prohibitions. Fourteen-year-old Isabela, an obedient "New Christian" with a talent for needlework, believes she has nothing to fear from the Inquisition. But when a mysterious woman arrives with a message from Isabela's traveling father, the girl must leave her home and embroider her way along the clandestine network of sanctuaries created to conduct Conversos, or secret Jews, to safety.

A host of supporters and spirit guides, as well as one special young man, assist Isabela as she escapes the Inquisitors and makes her way across countries and cultures. As she travels, she learns of the danger and importance of her work, with its coded symbols, and is shocked to discover her family's true origins.

In this enthralling coming-of-age tale of resistance, love, and danger, Isabela employs her talent and fierce determination to find her way despite the powerful forces that buffet her at every turn.

Review Quotes

"The several journeys Barbara Stark-Nemon describes in Isabela's Way are more than just treks through suspenseful time and exquisitely described spaces--they are journeys of fortitude, of courage while facing danger, of confusion and self-discovery. Mixing adventure and romance, Isabela's Way is a novel of discovery for both characters and readers."--Michelle Cameron, author of Babylon, Beyond the Ghetto Gates and Napoleon's Mirage

"Beautifully written and deeply researched, this is an inspiring tale of young love, bravery and family loyalty."--Elayne Klasson, author of Love is a Rebellious Bird and The Earthquake Child

"Stark-Nemon . . . handles things expertly, offering strong characters. . . . A well-told story with all of the requisite narrow escapes and memorable characters."--Kirkus Reviews

"Isabela's Way powerfully evokes the era of the Inquisition in Portugal and the courage of the conversos who lived between faiths as they risked their lives to make their way to freedom. Both informative and deeply moving, this is a book that makes a lasting contribution to Sephardic literature."--Ruth Behar, author of Across So Many Seas

"In this richly imagined novel set in the early 17th Century, Barbara Stark-Nemon takes us along as her main characters, teenagers Isabela and her dearest friend David, flee Portugal in a desperate attempt to evade capture by the Inquisitors who suspect they are 'secret' Jews . . . Beautifully written, this unforgettable blend of carefully-researched history and fictional intrigue will keep readers spellbound as Isabela and David's destiny unfolds."--Jenni Ogden, author of Dancing with Dragons, The Moon is Missing, and A Drop in the Ocean

"Barbara Stark-Nemon weaves a beautiful tapestry of stories, as elegantly embroidered as the linens that Isabela weaves. Reminiscent of Rachel Kadish's best seller The Weight of Ink, Isabela's Way is a meticulously researched and elegantly written novel of secret histories, fierce determination, and ultimately love."--Mary Morris, author of Gateway to the Moon and The Red House

"Barbara Stark-Nemon takes us on a riveting physical and emotional journey as Isabela flees from the Inquisition, even as she must come to terms with newly revealed truths about her family. This moving, deeply researched tale has the pace of a thriller, all while examining questions of loyalty, love, and truth."--Rebecca D'Harlingue, author of The Lines Between Us and The Map Colorist

"Poignant, riveting, historically accurate--a gem!"--Genie Milgrom, author of My Fifteen Grandmothers, writer and producer of Between the Stone and the Flower- the Duality of the Conversos

"I love this book! Stark-Nemon's best work yet! I was with these people every step of the way--through the countryside, over the mountains, threading the secret passageways, etc. . . . I must say, it was a pleasure and a privilege to have a sneak preview of a book I will be proud to sell in my shop next year." --Pamela Grath, bookseller

About the Author

Barbara Stark-Nemon is the award-winning author of short stories, essays, the historical novel Even in Darkness, and the contemporary novel Hard Cider. Her historical novel Isabela's Way will be published in September 2025. Barbara lives, writes, swims, cycles, and does fiber art in Ann Arbor and Northport, MI.