

Into the mix, she tosses in a borrowed character from Austen’s Persuasion. Trupp weaves the story of Argentinian independence by informing her readers about the events and historical characters.


It was nice to dip a toe into new subject matter. I had no idea about the Jewish community in Argentina and the fight for independence. However, Trupp introduced me to a whole new world. For me, that usually means the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean. Can the tension get any higher?Ĭelestial Persuasion also piqued my interest because of its Sephardic history. Abigail deals with religious issues and sexual bias, in addition to being caught in a revolution. In most cases, the women conformed and remained silent and thus, like those in the Bible, are relegated to a few lines on a page. I’m always looking for books with a female protagonist who has to fight her way through an uneven world where most would prefer she live in the background, not raise her voice, and operate only in her traditional sphere. The latter is what really caught my interest. There are other subplots: religious issues and the constraints placed on women in the 19 th century. There, the tension continues to mount as Abigail comes face to face with characters fomenting a revolution in their efforts to rid the colony of Spanish imperialists.Ĭelestial Persuasion is not a one story-line book. The reader is quickly transported from England to the Spanish colony of Argentina, known at that time, as the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata. This starts the tension when the Abigail realizes the answers may be found across the ocean in South America. If you love historical fiction that includes romance and adventure, plus one that chronicles a not-so-well-known historical event, then Celestial Persuasion should be added to your reading list.Īs you would expect, in any novel set in the Regency period, the story starts out in early nineteenth century England, when the protagonist, Jewess Abigail Isaacs, receives some unsettling information about her family. If you are a Jane Austen devotee and/or a fan of the Regency period, you will enjoy Mirta Ines Trupp’s writing.
