People of the Book: A Novel
 

People of the Book: A Novel

by Geraldine Brooks

Amazon Best of the Month, January 2008: One of the earliest Jewish religious volumes to be illuminated with images, the Sarajevo Haggadah survived centuries of purges and wars thanks to people of all faiths who risked their lives to safeguard it. Geraldine Brooks, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March, has turned the intriguing but sparely detailed history of this precious volume into an... (read more)

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Ladyslott
  • Rated 4 stars

In 1996 a rare and beautifully illuminated Haggadah from 15th century Spain has been found and Hanna Heath, a rare book expert, has been called into examine it. During her inspection of the book Hanna finds an insect wing, a wine stain mixed with blood, salt crystals, probably from tears, and a white hair. Hanna collects these items in order to determine the books history; author Brooks uses them as a jumping off point to tell the story of the Haggadah and how it has survived for 600 years. ...

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  • Rated 4.064 stars
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Newest Comments

  • Sheila M

    sheila m said:

    I like reading history in fiction form - imminently more interesting than chronological dates and events - and I really like the concept of Islams, Jews and Christians living harmoniously together. The jumping back and forth in time was hard to reconcile with, but altogether, a very good read.

    posted 2 weeks ago
  • indioink

    indioink said:

    Enjoyed it immensely. Loved the way the narrative was constructed, how a detail of the book opened up a window to a new place and a forgotten story. Like those miniatures in the illuminated book of the story. Filigreed with intelligence and empathy

    posted 3 weeks ago
  • Lauran L

    lauran l said:

    There is a sentence at the end of this book that summarizes its theme perfectly "...there were people who could see that what united us was more than what divided us. That to be a human being matters more than to be a Jew or a Muslim, Catholic or Orthodox." This theme is repeated throughout the book as the main character, Hannah, a rare book expert, tries to piece together the story behind the Sarajevo Haggadah, a book she is asked to analyze and restore after it is found safe and sound in wartorn Bosnia. This central theme and how it is woven throughout the various stories of the people that created and protected the Haggadah is what I enjoyed most about "People of the Book". I wanted to know more about all of these characters. I also really enjoyed the history. My only criticism is that one of the stories - "Feather and the Rose" - did not seem to fit the central theme and was therefore distracting to me. And up until the very end I struggled a bit with the chronology in particular trying to figure out how the book got to Bosnia in the first place.

    posted Monday, May 26 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • Lauran L

    lauran l said:

    There is a sentence at the end of this book that summarizes its theme perfectly "...there were people who could see that what united us was more than what divided us. That to be a human being matters more than to be a Jew or a Muslim, Catholic or Orthodox." This theme is repeated throughout the book as the main character, Hannah, a rare book expert, tries to piece together the story behind the Sarajevo Haggadah, a book she is asked to analyze and restore after it is found safe and sound in wartorn Bosnia. This central theme and how it is woven throughout the various stories of the people that created and protected the Haggadah is what I enjoyed most about "People of the Book". I wanted to know more about all of these characters. I also really enjoyed the history. My only criticism is that one of the stories - "Feather and the Rose" - did not seem to fit the central theme and was therefore distracting to me. And up until the very end I struggled a bit with the chronology in particular trying to figure out how the book got to Bosnia in the first place.

    posted Monday, May 26 2008
  • Angela H

    angela h said:

    I think the relationship between Hannah and her mother is a very important addition to the book. The fact that Hannah knows absolutely nothing about her own family history and doesn't even know who her own father is could lead to her desire to uncover the truth about the historic manuscripts she frequently handles. Also, her mother's lack of confidence in her daughter's profession makes the ending much more beleivable - when she stops her life's work because she begins to have self doubts.

    posted Monday, May 5 2008
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