Anything But Yes: A Novel of Anna Del Monte, Jewish Citizen of Rome, 1749

by Joie Davidow Narrated by Shaina Summerville

Overview

Anything But Yes is the true story of a young woman's struggle to defend her identity in the face of relentless attempts to destroy it. In 1749, eighteen-year-old Anna del Monte was seized at gunpoint from her home in the Jewish ghetto of Rome and thrown into a convent cell at the Casa dei Catecumeni, the house of converts. With no access to the outside world, she withstood endless lectures, threats, promises, isolation and sleep deprivation. If she were she to utter the simple word "yes," she risked forced baptism, which would mean never returning to her home, and total loss of contact with any Jew-mother, father, brother, sister-for the rest of her life.



Even in Rome, very few people know the story of the Ghetto or the abduction of Jews, the story of popes ever more intent on converting every non-Catholic living in the long shadow of the Vatican. Young girls and small children were the primary targets. They were vulnerable, easily confused, gullible. Anna del Monte was different. She was strong, brilliant, educated, and wrote a diary of her experiences. The document was lost for more than 200 hundred years, then rediscovered in 1989. Anything But Yes is also based on Davidow's extensive research on life in the eighteenth-century Roman ghetto, its traditions, food, personalities, and dialect.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

In this beautifully written and meticulously researched novel, Joie Davidow lifts the curtain on Ghetto life in Papal Italy and the centuries-long effort of the Catholic Church to convert Jews to the ‘one true religion.’ The plight of Anna Del Monte illustrates the determination of the Church to baptize Jews, willingly or not, and the courage and resilience of the Jews, who were equally determined to maintain their culture and religion.” — Carolyn Valone, Professor Emerita, Trinity College

“A compelling account of the intersection of sincere faith and abusive political power.”—Mary Doria Russell, Author of The Sparrow and A Thread of Grace

“Anna is an engaging protagonist, authentic to her time and circumstances but also comprehensible to the modern reader...The authorial voice recalls 18th-century literary style and Davidow's incorporation of significant historical detail further brings Anna’s world to life.” —Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Joie Davidow's An Unofficial Marriage: A Novel about Pauline Viardot and Ivan Turgenev:

“Readers will be swept along . . . Davidow writes beautifully about the artistic vision and technical demands involved in singing opera. The varied settings feel exquisitely vibrant, from chic, restful Baden-Baden, in Germany’s Black Forest, to politically fraught Paris during France’s Second Republic."—Booklist

“Lyrical and dramatic, like the best operas, Joie Davidow’s AN UNOFFICIAL MARRIAGE guides us on an emotional journey against the backdrop of stormy historical events. Brava!” —Esmeralda Santiago, bestselling author of Conquistadora and When I Was Puerto Rican

“In prose as tender as Turgenev's feelings for the legendary diva, Davidow weaves a nineteenth century tale of helpless obsession and undaunted love.” — Elizabeth Cobbs, bestselling author of The Hamilton Affair

“A tale of culture and passion, a trove of delights for lovers of literature and opera, and an eye-opener for everyone who’d like to learn more about both.” —Judith Dupré, NYT best seller author of Churches, Skyscrapers, and One World Trade Center

“Reading this expansive, intimate book during a time of crisis is like emerging from a sensory deprivation tank. The sights, sounds, scents, and, oh, the touches, in Joie Davidow's novel about Ivan Turgenev's furtive love affair with international opera diva Pauline Viardot create a world so vivid and seductive, you'll never want to leave.” —Cathleen Medwick, author of Teresa of Avila: The Progress of a Soul 

“How fascinating to get a glimpse into the private life of Turgenev and the even more intriguing Pauline Viardot, proclaimed by many of her contemporaries to be a musical genius. Joie Davidow is herself an opera singer and the portrayal of Viardot’s passion for her vocal instrument, her preparations for performance, and her sadness when, with age, her singing voice begins to lose its power and precision, all feel extremely authentic.”—Jane Harris, award-winning author of Sugar Money

Kirkus Reviews

2023-06-05
A Jewish woman fights forced conversion in 18th-century Rome in Davidow’s historical novel.

The author takes inspiration from a diary written by Anna del Monte shortly after her 1749 kidnapping and imagines the interior lives of everyone involved in the community-shaping event. The 18-year-old Anna, a member of one of the prominent families in Rome’s Jewish ghetto, is taken into custody by the Catholic church under a law that allows the church to attempt to convert her by force. As she remains imprisoned for nearly two weeks, subjected to sermons, assaults, and other forms of persuasion, Anna remains secure in both her Judaism and her confidence in her own arguments, but suffers from her treatment and from the agony of never knowing what will happen next or when she might be freed. The story moves between Anna’s cell and the outside world as her relatives mobilize to fight for her freedom, clerics experience mixed feelings about the righteousness of their work, and other Roman Jews try to survive in a system designed to harass them out of their religious beliefs. The author creates rich backstories for the individuals Anna encounters, including a nun who converted from Judaism, a noblewoman who relies on contraceptives obtained from the ghetto, the archbishop in charge of her captivity, and a peasant woman selling buttons on the street. Anna is an engaging protagonist, authentic to her time and circumstances but also comprehensible to the modern reader. While the narrative can feel repetitive at times, with the incessant conversion attempts and repeated references to the del Monte family’s social status, it also brings together the plot’s many threads into a satisfying resolution. The authorial voice tends toward the portentous and melodramatic, but in a way that recalls 18th-century literary style (“For nearly two centuries, the Jews of Rome have been crowded into a pestilential enclosure in the lowest part of the city, their rights gradually but continually diminished, and yet the Church has not converted a tenth of them”), and Davidow’s incorporation of significant historical detail further brings Anna’s world to life.

An intricately detailed novel of resistance and community.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160320366
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	02/13/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos