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People of the Book
The "complex and moving"(The New Yorker) novel by Pulitzer Prize-winner Geraldine Brooks follows a rare manuscript through centuries of exile and war
Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity by an acclaimed and beloved author. Called "a tour de force"by the San Francisco Chr...more
Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity by an acclaimed and beloved author. Called "a tour de force"by the San Francisco Chr...more
Paperback, 372 pages
Published
December 30th 2008
by Penguin (Non-Classics)
(first published January 1st 2008)
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I try to avoid all things popular (e.g., I’ve never seen Star Wars or Titanic) because I know, after all the hype, I can only be disappointed. When it comes to books, though, I feel obligated to read what’s popular so I can participate somewhat intelligently in the conversation.
That being said, although I hoped Geraldine Brook’s People of the Book would live up to the buzz, I wasn’t too surprised when it did not. The book is good, but it is not call-up-all-my-friends-(or readers)-and-r...more
That being said, although I hoped Geraldine Brook’s People of the Book would live up to the buzz, I wasn’t too surprised when it did not. The book is good, but it is not call-up-all-my-friends-(or readers)-and-r...more
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This is an awful book.
I expected great things from Brooks - March is a book I treasure - but this novel is a third-rate Da Vinci code, written with about the same amount of skill.
The premise is captivating - a 500-year-old haggadah is found in Sarajevo in 1996, and the novel sets out to explore the book's journey across Europe in those intervening years. Along the way, the haggadah acts as an entry point into the tumult, crisis, and unspeakable violence experienced by Je...more
I expected great things from Brooks - March is a book I treasure - but this novel is a third-rate Da Vinci code, written with about the same amount of skill.
The premise is captivating - a 500-year-old haggadah is found in Sarajevo in 1996, and the novel sets out to explore the book's journey across Europe in those intervening years. Along the way, the haggadah acts as an entry point into the tumult, crisis, and unspeakable violence experienced by Je...more
This is a wonderful story of a magical book, an illuminated manuscript begun in the 15th century and found in Sarajevo after the Bosnian War, a Jewish manuscript rescued by a Muslim librarian who could not bear to see such a treasure be destroyed.
Based on some fact and the author's talented recreation, we see the history of this religious piece over the years as some seek to destroy it and others work to save or embellish it. We move backward in time from the modern time to the Nazi ...more
Based on some fact and the author's talented recreation, we see the history of this religious piece over the years as some seek to destroy it and others work to save or embellish it. We move backward in time from the modern time to the Nazi ...more
People of the Book is a stunningly beautiful book about another stunningly beautiful book. It fictionalizes the true story of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a unique, 500-year old version of a book read at Jewish Passover Seders. It illustrates the story of how and why Passover came to be. People of the Book looks at the fascinating story of the Haggadah's travels through the years and creates a story from them. All of the characters are fictional and some of the chapters are admittedly entirely fiction...more
I buy a lot of books. It's sort of sad, given that I am supposed to be budgeting and have completely (okay, almost completely) stopped buying clothes, but books call to me. I figure you can buy a paperback for $10, or you can go to a movie for $10 - one gets you a couple of hours of entertainment in a confined space, one gets you hours of entertainment wherever you want them. So, anyway, I went into this book planning to love it. I even caved and bought the hardbound, so anxious was I to sta...more
There was a book written a few years ago (I can't remember its name) where it followed a painting through its owners. I didn't really like the book and didn't finish it but as I started this one, I thought, "Oh, Brooks is following the same pattern."
In this book we are introduced to the Haggadah in Sarajevo. The book is a treasure, it was written sometime in the 16th century. It has illustrations that are the first of their kidn for a Jewish work. The book has somehow su...more
In this book we are introduced to the Haggadah in Sarajevo. The book is a treasure, it was written sometime in the 16th century. It has illustrations that are the first of their kidn for a Jewish work. The book has somehow su...more
What a fantastic story. Don't be put off by the first bit when you meet Hanna, the main character: she is supposed to be kind of annoying. You end up loving her with a compassion that this author can magically instill in you for all of her characters, of which there are many. The book also spans many centuries and traverses many continents, so it's a bit complex. But wow: This account of the history of a little book takes you through the darkest hours of human history, including the Inquisiti...more
Geraldine Brook's latest is a treat for us librarians (as well as dedicated to us in the front!) as she traces the path of an ancient religious text that, although Jewish in origin, was saved and added to several times over by members of different religions and cultures throughout time. As usual, Brooks' prose is both incredibly readable and laudably literary, and her theme that the love of knowledge and books crosses all historical and cultural boundaries is well illustrated through her complex...more
Bold to cast a book conservateur as heroine. While her character is a little thin and hard-boiled in pulpy style, the story line and historical time shifts are fascinating. The detective work on provenance and ownership reveals one of the great passions of museum work, and also testifies to the importance of the actual writing and books as object. Because the Sarajevo Haggadah that occupies the foreground is illuminated, the tale partakes of the painting who-dunnit. While the writing itself is n...more
jo
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
lovers of european history, books, and religious history
i am not a great fan of historical fiction, but this book is interesting and inventive and lovely and i'm so glad i read it. it follows the story of a particularly beautiful haggadah, the passover prayer book (am i saying this right?), through various centuries and incredible journeys, in alternating chapters in which you see a contemporary book curator trying to unveil the history of this amazing object, just resurfaced in sarajevo (it's 1996 and the war is raging), then jump back in history an...more
I enjoy books that are about books and the people who write them, collect them, study them, and restore them. Brooks' tale is initially set in the early 21st century where she brings in a series of experts who have some stake in a centuries' old Haggadah. It's interesting to watch these folks interact with each other and with the book. We see that their quirks, their politics, their passions and their personal relationships all have some sway in how the book is treated.
Brooks then...more
Brooks then...more
SO DISAPPOINTING!!! The protagonist is a rancid bitch about whom I didn't care a damn, and her mother was even MORE distasteful! Absolutely nothing was accomplished by Brooks' choice to make those characters so off-putting. The entire modern-day plot was absurd and totally implausible (not to mention, totally derivative of Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code). As to the historical fiction aspect, I really appreciate what Brooks was trying to do. Some of what she came up with was really very in...more
April
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
history buffs, people interested in the history of books and bookmaking
Shelves:
2008
A book conservator is trying to find the human story behind a very rare haggadah as she is restoring it physically.
There really is a Sarajevo haggadah, and it really was saved during the bombing of Sarajevo in the 90s.
As someone who loves books, any books, and who appreciates the rare artistry and history of ancient books, I found the story to be very interesting.
I like how Brooks wove the history of the haggadah into the modern plot, going further and furt...more
There really is a Sarajevo haggadah, and it really was saved during the bombing of Sarajevo in the 90s.
As someone who loves books, any books, and who appreciates the rare artistry and history of ancient books, I found the story to be very interesting.
I like how Brooks wove the history of the haggadah into the modern plot, going further and furt...more
KatieB
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Tasha
Recommended to KatieB by:
P&P
Shelves:
reading-but-shelved-for-the-moment
Okay... where do I begin? Geraldine Brooks has had a lot of hype, especially with regards to her book, March. I haven't read March yet, but if it's written like People of the Book, then I'll probably pass.
So far, this book isn't bad (I'm just under 100 pages into it)... it's just hard to stomach the way in which it has been written. Ms. Brooks constantly sounds like she's trying too hard to be descriptive and have impressive diction. Personally, I think she used a thesaurus -- a ...more
So far, this book isn't bad (I'm just under 100 pages into it)... it's just hard to stomach the way in which it has been written. Ms. Brooks constantly sounds like she's trying too hard to be descriptive and have impressive diction. Personally, I think she used a thesaurus -- a ...more
This is a marvelous book. I really enjoyed this author’s Year of Wonders and I think I liked this book at least as much. This is skillful and enthralling storytelling that’s also thought provoking.
This book is one of the most skillful renderings of a book that goes back and forth in time that I’ve ever read. Ditto for the writing of a historical fiction account, especially one that has part of its history in the very recent past.
This is a historical fiction story about th...more
This book is one of the most skillful renderings of a book that goes back and forth in time that I’ve ever read. Ditto for the writing of a historical fiction account, especially one that has part of its history in the very recent past.
This is a historical fiction story about th...more
This is one of the best novels I’ve read in years, and I recommend it whole-heartedly. It’s especially good for those fascinated by European or Jewish history. The central character is Hanna Heath, who is engaged in restoring an old and famous Haggadah. As she finds tiny clues to the book’s history, the author expands these into stories. She takes the Haggadah from the 20th century back to the 15th, from war in Sarajevo to the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. The three European r...more
I loved the view this book gave of the hardships the Jewish people have experienced over time. I realized that, sadly, God's chosen people have suffered again and again at the hands of oppressors. Also, I appreciated the sense of sharing of ideas that existed between Jews, Muslims and Christians at certain times in history. The wealth that comes from this mutual appreciation and edification is evident in the haggadah. Some bits of the book seemed a little forced or contrived. However, if we...more
Even when I really like a book I generally give it 4 stars because I know there are a few books out there that really make me say WOW. This is one of those books! For such a small book it is packed with interesting characters from a variety of time periods. I love historic fiction and this gives you a taste of several different points in history where this book traveled. Loved it!!
A very enjoyable novel about the history of the Haggadah of Sarajevo. The frame involves the expert on antiquarian book conservation; though this part of the story is less interesting in some ways, it is a pleasure to "watch" her work and thereby learn about this field. The heart of the book is constructed of short narratives that relate to the evidence found in the Haggadah (for example, a stain) and explain the book's history and travels. I especially appreciated the voyeuristic plea...more
I only got through the first 50 pages on this one. I'll try her novel The Wonder Years, but I found the narrator just too whipsmart. Also, there was a line or two that made me groan outloud. When Hannah is sitting on a plane next to someone who removes mines, she says to herself something like: "I thought about making a borderline comment like, 'business booming, eh?'" Yuck! Also, she "seduces" a guy by licking his fingers at a restaurant. All I could think was, "Who rea...more
Normally this wouldn't be something I'd read.
"No magic? No lasers? No action? No thanks" is usually my mantra. I'm a SFF kinda guy.
I'm glad that I did read this, however. Because it was beautiful.
The fictional account of the history of a real book, the Sarajevo Haggadah. It tells the tale of a present day book conservator as she pieces together the mysterious history of this piece of our past. As she uncovers and examines each clue, we uncover a bit...more
"No magic? No lasers? No action? No thanks" is usually my mantra. I'm a SFF kinda guy.
I'm glad that I did read this, however. Because it was beautiful.
The fictional account of the history of a real book, the Sarajevo Haggadah. It tells the tale of a present day book conservator as she pieces together the mysterious history of this piece of our past. As she uncovers and examines each clue, we uncover a bit...more
I think this is really a 4-star, but I went to Bosnia in 2005 so this had a lot of resonance for me. This is a nice piece of historical fiction about the Sarajevo haggadah (which is a real prayer book). Brooks uses actual known facts about the haggadah's travels and origins to weave this story of its creation and perilous journey to the present day. The protagonist is a hard-nosed antisocial archeologist who I really liked...I'm not sure what that says about me, but there it is. In her effor...more
Daisy
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Daisy by:
Magdalena
Shelves:
australia,
former-yugoslavia,
israel,
italy,
spain,
vienna,
middle-east,
audio-books-for-free
I think I liked it better as a story told to me than I would have liked reading it. It's one of the first audio books I've ever read/experienced. I took it hiking with me and walking around the city and of course in the car to and from jobs. Walking with an audio book is the best. You just want to keep on going. Experiencing a narrator is fun too. I grew attached to Edwina Wren's voice and sometimes bothered by the accents she put on (which I know were necessary, helpful even, to keep char...more
I enjoyed this book a lot. It's about a book (a Haggadah, but I am not exactly sure what that is), that has been found and needs to be restored. The restorer finds a number of little things that have been stuck in the bindings (a hair, an insect wing, salt, etc.) and the story goes back in time to tell how these items became part of the binding of the book. I read it a while ago, so unfortunately don't remember it too well, but it is very interesting and you learn a little about different rel...more
I had postponed reading this book for quite a while, and I'm just glad I finally picked it up. It's a well-written story of a Jewish book's history (based on the real-life Sarajevo Haggadah), told in reverse time order - from the time it was recovered after the Bosnian war, going back in time through six centuries. Hannah, a book conservationist discovered things in the book which could seem very trivial to an ordinary person actually packs a lot of history in them. It was enlightening to rea...more
I’m so glad I finally got around to reading this! I fell in love with Brooks’ Year of Wonders a couple of years ago and have been anxious to read something else by her. Once again, I was thrilled with the beautiful way she writes and how gifted she is at transporting the reader into the story. She gives you a really good sense of what the characters are going through and how they are feeling. I really love that about her writing.
While I enjoyed the story and was immediately sucked i...more
While I enjoyed the story and was immediately sucked i...more
Rare-book restorer Hannah is asked to use her expertise on the Sarajevo Haggadah, a 15th Century book that has been unearthed in the worn-torn Bosnian city. People of the Book is the story of the miraculous survival of this illustrated Jewish prayer book from medieval times up until the present day. During the course of her research, Hannah finds traces of the adventures that have befallen the beleaguered manuscript and, through these, Geraldine Brooks takes us back in time into the lives of tho...more
ACCORDING the Koran, the “People of the Book” are the non-Muslims who received the word of God before the time of the prophet Muhammad – namely Jews and Christians.
Despite, or perhaps because of, their common roots, relationships between the three religious groups through history and up to the present day have been marked by strife.
But in her new novel People Of The Book, American journalist-turned-novelist Geraldine Brooks has weaved an epic tale of individuals who, driven by circu...more
Despite, or perhaps because of, their common roots, relationships between the three religious groups through history and up to the present day have been marked by strife.
But in her new novel People Of The Book, American journalist-turned-novelist Geraldine Brooks has weaved an epic tale of individuals who, driven by circu...more
This is an interesting concept for a book and certainly well-written. The basic premise is this: the Sarajevo Haggadah is a 500-year old work that is unique among Hebrew texts for its beautiful illustrations. The Haggadah is being restored in 1996 as a symbol of unity in Sarajevo, and Hanna Heath, our Australian protagonist, has been called in to do the restoration and also to write an article on the work. In the course of her study of the haggadah, Hanna uncovers certain evidence--wine stai...more
This novel traces the history of a Jewish prayer book (Haggadah) back to its makings. We learn of the lives of a Jewish Rabbi living in a Venetian Geto in the 16th century, a group of Muslims and Jews in Bosnia during WWII, and of the bookmaker himself who was persecuted and killed by Papal Inquisitors. The stories of these people and how the book came into their hands are very interesting. Until reading this book, I never realized how culturally / ethnically diverse Bosnia is. I recently he...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order of the Phoe...: February 2012 Book of the Month | 3 | 3 | Feb 07, 2012 08:53am | |
| Does the book hold together? | 12 | 227 | Jan 23, 2012 08:46am | |
| HPL Late Night Bo...: Thoughts on the novel | 1 | 2 | Jan 10, 2012 08:33am | |
| Nook Lending (Nest): People of the Book | 1 | 6 | Dec 26, 2011 11:58am | |
| discussion q's wanted | 4 | 37 | Jun 20, 2011 04:14pm | |
| Just starting reading | 7 | 122 | Dec 25, 2008 07:21am |
Geraldine Brooks (born 1955) is an Pulitzer Prize-winning, Australian-American journalist and author.
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“A book is more than the sum of its materials. It is an artifact of the human mind and hand.”
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“Book burnings. Always the forerunners. Heralds of the stake, the ovens, the mass graves.”
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