Fermosa-Rosales

The novel Fermosa-Rosales is the saga of a family during three generations, beginning in the latter part of the 15th century. Fermosa was all of twenty-six when she left her beloved Toledo, Spain, with her two children. The year was 1492 when the edict of expulsion for Jews was published. The family traveled west on the Camino Real, the long road to Portugal, encountering hardships and dangers along the way. She finds love in Portugal with Fernando, whose support she greatly needs when her son dies. They leave after five years when the king orders all Jews converted or expelled. A ship takes them through the pirate-infested waters of the Mediterranean to Tlemcen, where they make their new home. Fermosa's daughter, Blanca, marries there. When the Spanish armada threatens to invade the town, they leave for Istanbul. Though their ship is wrecked in Crete, the family is able to journey to Venice. After being ordered to live in the city's newly built ghetto, the family leaves for Pinsk, Russia, where Fermosa dies. Her grandson, Benjamin, tells the family's one-hundred-year history that mainly comes from his grandmother's diary. He sees the family finally settled in Vilna, Poland. The amazing journey of one family seeking a home where they would not be persecuted is told in unflinching terms in Fermosa-Rosales: An Endless Road.
Dr. Alex Bloch earned his Ph.D. in history and taught in this field after a career in engineering and management. His publications cover all these disciplines. During the past eight years he has written several novels. This is his fourth.