The Last Song
Eva Wiseman

Tundra Books
April 10, 2012 / ISBN 978-0887769795
Hardcover
Ages 11 and up
Historical Fiction, 1490 Spain, Jewish Expulsion
Amazon

Reviewed by Beth E. McKenzie

They say that you can't judge a book by its cover, but sometimes you can get a reasonable first impression. A golden skylark peers curiously from between the bars of a cage on the cover of The Last Song.. The bars may or may not be spaced wide enough for escape but should she try? What lies outside the carefully constructed cage? Will there be food and shelter or dangers that can't be imagined by a carefully protected and loved little bird? Will her beautiful song be appreciated outside the well-established boundaries of her current life? The cage is surmounted by a Star of David and in the sepia backdrop is a small Christian Cross on a building set above the cityscape. The title is embellished with droplets and streaks reminiscent of blood spatter.

Doña Catarina and Don Enrique de Cardosa have secrets. They hide the truth from their 14-year old daughter and betroth her to a creep of unquestionable heritage that will protect her when the coming panic happens. Deeply shocked by this betrayal, confused by the reversal in her fortunes, Isabella's comfortable and worry-free girlhood crumbles from under her feet. Once her parents start sharing the secrets, Isabella picks up a few of her own that add to the general anxiety.

For me this story was chilling. It starts in Spain several months before the Alhambra Decree and continues through a few months that follow. Each chapter has a date that acted like a countdown to the terrors that are to come. The key phrase is "are to come", plural and positive, not "could" or "if". With the appearance of Torquemada there can be no question about the path the story will follow. The height of apprehension came to me at Isabella's birthday celebration. Her father gave her a gift of a lark in a cage. I just knew the evil fiancé was going to kill it out of spite. I was nothing short of relieved when I heard the little bird's last song.