I was close to finishing this before the end of 2019 but didn't quite get there. This story takes place in London in the 1660s and the early 2000s. Esther Valasquez is a Jewish woman of a Portuguese family that escaped the Inquisition to settle in Amsterdam. After the death of her parents she takes a job in London working as a scribe for a rabbi who was blinded by the Inquisitors, a job that is considered unsuitable for a woman. Helen Watt is a British historian who is called on to investigate a collection of papers discovered during the renovations of a 17th century house. Helen and her American graduate assistant work on finding the identity of the scribe while each dealing with their own personal problems. The orphaned Esther is dependent on the charity of a congregation in Amsterdam. When the rabbi and others insist she marry and give up her beloved job as scribe she rebels. Esther and Helen are strong women battling the attitudes of the men in their lives. The story is well researched an written but drags in spots and I kept wondering if it was ever going to end.
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