Not As Good As I Had Hoped

books:


	• People of the Book: A Novel Geraldine Brooks Viking Adult, 2008 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 100 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

an ambitious success

"People of the Book" drew me in with its title, and had me enthralled from the first page. This is an ambitious work, which could have been a disaster in the hands of a less skilled writer. But Geraldine Brooks does not disappoint; on the contrary, she exceeds my highest expectations. "People of the Book" is an intricate tapestry of one focal point through history, showing the mingled impact of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity from the 15th century through today. Simultaneously earthy, sincere, and thought-provoking, this is the most brilliantly written book I have encountered in a long time.

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good history, less mystery

The first four fifths of this book are a historical fiction built around the creation and travels of the Sarajevo Haggadah. The author uses the highly-charged drama of ethnic relations in Europe from the fifteenth century on and the religious wars in Spain to tell the story of the book and to spin a message of religious tolerance. The effect is charming, almost sentimental and if you are a fan of historical fiction you may be moved. There's also a wonderful excursion into the world of manuscript conservators that provides a vicarious chance to handle fabulous old books.
The rest of the plot concerns a very unlikely swap of the Haggadah and some unbelievable shenanigans around a romance.
Brooks is a good writer, her prose is occasionally luscious and this is a pleasant summer read if you don't look too deeply.

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Full and expressive

This book is not easy to put down it was very insightful, enjoyed learning about this process of restoring books and the historical aspect of the making of books.

Not As Good As I Had Hoped

This book has all my favorite elements in it: mystery and historical tidbits, historical fiction and modern-day fiction. So why am I not rating it a five-star? It is not one of the best reads this year nor ever. I am pretty disappointed because I have heard good things about this author. I haven't read any of her other books and while I own a copy of "March," I am pushing that book further down my TBR list as I am not all that impressed with this book.

Don't get me wrong. It is not a bad book, it is just not all that wonderful. A reviewer or two mentioned in here that Hanna's story was more prevelant than the others' and I have to disagree. Her story was not well-fleshed out nor were the others' stories. To be honest, this book felt like a collection of short stories rather a seamless story tying the loose ends of history together over the years. The stories were good but not poignant enough to draw the imagination to the heart as one imagines the history behind the rare Hebrew manuscript that traveled over the course of time.

It is disappointing for me personally because I love books and have often wondered about the previous owners of antique books that I see on occasion. The stories are fine in this book, just doesn't flow together like I imagined it would. And the last few chapters were rather rushed as well as confusing. Why throw in a curveball so late in the book where there weren't any suspense built up to it? And the rejection Hanna must have felt at her lover's hands and her teacher's rejection ... it all fell flat. I walked away from this book feeling nothing.

If you like historical fiction, this one would fit the bill. Just don't expect an in-depth view of history.

6/2/08

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

From the Pulitzer Prize?winning author of March, the journey of a rare illuminated manuscript through centuries of exile and war

In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which has been rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna, a caustic loner with a passion for her work, discovers a series of tiny artifacts in its ancient binding?an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair?she begins to unlock the book?s mysteries. The reader is ushered into an exquisitely detailed and atmospheric past, tracing the book?s journey from its salvation back to its creation.

In Bosnia during World War II, a Muslim risks his life to protect it from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of fin-de-siècle Vienna, the book becomes a pawn in the struggle against the city?s rising anti-Semitism. In inquisition-era Venice, a Catholic priest saves it from burning. In Barcelona in 1492, the scribe who wrote the text sees his family destroyed by the agonies of enforced exile. And in Seville in 1480, the reason for the Haggadah?s extraordinary illuminations is finally disclosed. Hanna?s investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics. Her experiences will test her belief in herself and the man she has come to love.

Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is at once a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity, an ambitious, electrifying work by an acclaimed and beloved author.

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