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People of the Book

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 54,099 ratings · 6,921 reviews

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 Chronicle," this a...more

ebook, 400 pages

Published January 1st 2008 by Penguin Books

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Feb 06, 2008 Leanna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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-recommend-i...more

54 likes · like · see review

Jan 25, 2009 Catherine rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, bosnia, spain, mainstream-us, australia, judaism

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 Jewish communities across E...more 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 Jewish communities across Europe.

Yet the novel does not live up to the premise. The focus is not upon the haggadah or the people who have handled it between 1480 and 1996, but rather upon the Australian conservator called in to restore it in Sarajevo. The details of where the haggadah has been are important because Hanna, the conservator, is writing an essay about its journey, and she'll gain academic and professional prestige from doing so. Hello, cultural appropriation! For example: "why had an illuminator working in Spain, for a Jewish client, in the manner of a European Christian, have used an Iranian paintbrush? Clarissa's identification of this anomaly had been great for my essay. It had given me an excuse to riff on the way knowledge had traveled amazing distances during the Conveivencia, over well-established routes linking the artists and intellectuals of Spain with their counterparts in Baghdad, Cairo, and Isphahan." (321) (We are actually supposed to clap our hands with glee on Hanna's behalf at that point, I think.) Once Hanna's expertise about the haggadah is questioned, she gives up her work as a conservator of old, European and Middle Eastern texts, and instead starts saving Australian Aboriginal art from being destroyed by mining companies. She has an assistant - he's Aboriginal, but it's Hanna who we're supposed to identify and sympathize with, feeling pleased that she's a white superwoman, saving people from themselves.

There are other truly problematic issues of race in the text. The first character of color we encounter is a Rasta cab driver who smokes ganja and who won't drop her at Scotland Yard in case he gets caught for using drugs. We meet a man - Raz - who is part African-American and part Hawaiian, and whom the protagonist observes "was one of those vanguard beings of indeterminate ethnicity, the magnificent mutts I hope we are all destined to become given another millennium of intermixing." (141). Yep, that's right, she just called him a mongrel. The depictions of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faith are so broad-brushed i don't know what to think - it's like a child's paint-by-numbers for major world religions.

And of course, in the tradition of Dan Brown, it's a love story. Within a few pages of beginning the book Hanna's sleeping with the Muslim curator of Sarajevo's major museum, and by the end she's overcome her aversion to the idea of a long-term relationship and is ready to be with him. Whoop-dee-doo.

In conclusion: UGH.

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54 likes · like · see review

Feb 06, 2011 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, literary-fiction, read-in-2011, bosnia

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 era, to 19th...more

13 likes · like · see review

Nov 17, 2011 Denae rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-hear-you-like-books-in-your-books, libraries-are-awesome, list-best-books-read-in-2011, read-in-2011, challenge-1010-by-2020

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

11 likes · like · see review

Apr 21, 2012 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club-made-me-do-it

A Review of People of the Book
(or, Why I Hate the Kindle)

Brooks' novel is a fictionalized account of the real Sarajevo Haggadah, a Jewish religious text noteworthy for its inclusion of an illuminated manuscript and for its survival through turmoil and the hostility towards Jews that has erupted time and again over the centuries in Europe and Eastern Europe. The novel is told from the perspective of Hanna Heath, an expert in book restoration, who is called in to restore the text for display. Whi...more A Review of People of the Book
(or, Why I Hate the Kindle)

Brooks' novel is a fictionalized account of the real Sarajevo Haggadah, a Jewish religious text noteworthy for its inclusion of an illuminated manuscript and for its survival through turmoil and the hostility towards Jews that has erupted time and again over the centuries in Europe and Eastern Europe. The novel is told from the perspective of Hanna Heath, an expert in book restoration, who is called in to restore the text for display. While working on the book, Hanna finds a few curiosities that she keeps and carefully labels: a butterfly wing, a small sample of some wine stained pages, salt crystals, a white hair, and notation of some missing decorative clasps. As Hanna investigates each of these items and their origins to gain insight into the Haggadah's past, the reader is presented the story of each noteworthy item in its own stand alone chapter (stories that Hanna herself can never learn as the evidence she finds only provides her with a basis for conjecture and hypothesis). Each story is unique and not necessarily connected to the others. While the novel has been compared to The Da Vinci Code, it's a far cry from Robert Langdon's action-adventure chase through Europe in pursuit of an explosive secret that might change religion as we know it. Instead, the pacing is slower, the pacing of a scholar motivated by the desire to simply know, even if definitive answers aren't available. And, though the novel explores the nature of Jewish/Muslim/Christian relationships throughout the ages, it doesn't seek to lecture about morality or about what one should (or should not) believe.

Despite how much I enjoyed it, I will admit that People of the Book had some flaws. The story of Hanna Heath and her strained relationship with her ultra-feminist, professional mother is cliched and not given enough room to become a realistic exploration of a such a complicated relationship. In addition, a few plot points are contrived, but I can forgive that simply because the book appealed to the book lover in me. Which is a nice segue way into . . . WHY I HATE THE KINDLE (and all other eReader devices).

First off, don't lecture me about how this is the future and I need to embrace it. If you own a Kindle, fine. Enjoy. I'm not suggesting that the privilege be taken away from you. However, I'll not be tempted by the siren song of fashionable technology. I love books. I love the way they feel. I like physically seeing the progress I've made as I turn page after page. I love the cover art. I love how books look on a shelf (in home decorating magazines, I delight in trying to identify the books on the shelves of well-appointed dens and studies). I like to select which books are going on vacation with me, agonizing over which ones might suit my mood. And, when I see someone reading a book, I will often become a creepy Peeping Tom of sorts as I try to catch a glimpse of the book cover so I can see what they're reading. I judge you by what book you're reading--if you're reading Neil Gaiman, I want to know you; conversely, if you're reading Twilight, I may be silently hoping that you get to join the undead (but in a more permanent dead sort of way). So much of that is lost with an eReader. And, after reading People of the Book, I'm aware of how much history can be lost. Not just the tiny fragments that get wedged into the bindings and between the pages, but the history of the people who owned and cherished the book. A world where physical books become obsolete and everyone has an entire library on one portable reading device is also a frightening possibility. How easy then for the next dictator to destroy our beloved texts. Smash one eReader and hundreds, thousands of books efficiently and permanently lost--far more efficient than book burnings. It's the impermanence of it all that scares me. Not only that, I think that obsession with books, recognizing and identifying with others because you notice the Christopher Moore font on the book cover or the tell-tell cover art of a Tim O'Brien paperback, helps create a reading community that we're connected to and a part of. How many chance encounters, spontaneous conversations, or just the simple nod of respect to complete strangers with whom we briefly feel connected when we realize we're reading the same author on the same bus--how many of those moments are lost when we're all carrying around the same reading device that indicates no individuality or reading preference to those around us? Will we feel as open to asking a complete stranger, "What are you reading?" Obviously, not all books are as important as the Haggadah, but I like to think that we all cherish our own quaint libraries and someday perhaps they will tell the world about who we were.(less)

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Sep 15, 2012 Glee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 effort to...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 07, 2008 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 start....more

20 likes · like · see review

Mar 16, 2008 Marissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 survived hundreds of years...more

8 likes · like · see review

Mar 24, 2012 Sylvia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: challenge-2012, library-book, read-2012

A 4 star book. I like it. I like the story and I like the way the story is told. Back and forth from the present to the past. Step by step back in history although the story itself is fiction. The hagada must be a wonderful piece of medieval art.

Maybe the end of the book is a little bit over the top, but art theft happens and it's good to realize that even renowed scholars can fall in this trap. It's won't be the first time that an obsessed collector of rare manuscripts tries to steal valuable...more

5 likes · like · see review

May 07, 2008 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 Inquisition...more

20 likes · like · see review

Aug 27, 2008 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-books

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

17 likes · like · see review

Feb 04, 2009 Kathleen Hulser rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 25, 2009 jo rated it 4 of 5 stars · 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

8 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2012 Velvetink rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, eastern-europe, jewish, wishlist, books-and-libraries, historical-fiction, war

Some quotes & notes;

P.40 “I told him if I wanted to hear psychobabble, I could visit a shrink cheap on Medibank. I’m not casual about sex, far from it.. I’m actually very picky. I prefer the fit few to the mediocre masses. But I’m not big on wringing out other people’s soggy hankies, and If I wanted a partner, I’d Join a law firm. If I do choose to be with someone, I want it to stay light and fun. It gives me no pleasure, none at all, to hurt people’s feelings, especially not tragic cases li...more

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Feb 12, 2009 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: smart-pulp, european-literature

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 takes us on a...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 takes us on a series of flashbacks that move us further and further into the past, to the book's origins. As we move through time backwards, we see more people who hold an interest in this particular Haggadah. The book itself serves as a focal point for peeling away at layers of culture, politics, theology and matters of the heart.

Over time, it's apparent that the title People of the Book is not reserved for those of Jewish heritage. It refers to Christians and Muslims as well. Over and over again, people from these three traditions connect and tussle with each other. We see a complex set of relationships to how they interact with each other--sometimes with mutual respect and cooperation, sometimes with strained relationships, sometimes in full-out conflict. The Balkans, which serves as the frame tale's setting, is a great symbol for the tense diversity experienced in the world among those who cherish shared religious. These tales materialize in much the much-recognized texts of the Tanach, the Koran, and the Old Testament.

I loved how Brooks used the Haggadah to weave together the history, the traditions, the cultures, and the religons over time. Even more interesting is the fact that there really was such a text with a complex history. She complicates things further with her imagination, but there is an amazing thread of truth within the tapestry Brooks weaves.

Is it a perfect book? No. There are a few roughs spots, but it amazed me on many other levels, and I loved it so well, I may just reread it right away, which is something I rarely do. (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 13, 2009 Stacy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 ver...more

15 likes · like · see review

Mar 28, 2008 April rated it 3 of 5 stars · 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 further back in time with each chapter.

S...more

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Aug 09, 2009 Lisa Vegan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, novel, bookclub, historical-fiction, books-about-books, orphaned-and-quasi-orphaned-kids, reviewed, altta

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 the Sarajevo Haggadah. (A...more

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Nov 16, 2008 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 religions –...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jan 16, 2009 Sally rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 beli...more

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Mar 10, 2009 Katy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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!!

6 likes · like · see review

Aug 31, 2009 Osho rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

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 pleasure of kn...more

4 likes · like · see review

May 28, 2008 Lbsantini rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 really does that?" It made m...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Ala rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 of story from that historical period.

While th...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Janice Boychuk rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-historical-fiction, read-fiction, read-audiobooks

I absolutely loved this book! The story line moves seamlessly back and forth from present to past with vivid detail and fascinating historical data. The author creates wonderful and rich imagery and narrative throughout the book while exploring the extensive provenence of the Haggadah.

Each piece of the puzzle was like a "mini mystery novellette". The author crafted a simple but thorough storyline for the whole book at the beginning, then a present day "introduction" for each item found in the b...more

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Jul 24, 2010 Daisy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Daisy by: Magdalena

Shelves: australia, former-yugoslavia, israel, italy, spain, vienna, middle-east, audio-library-books, book-infinity

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 characters...more 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 characters' voices clear).

As it was though, it was a great adventure. Parts were tedious and some lines were corny but I learned a lot and it means well. I mean, the moral of the story is the same as the moral of the Haggadah's existence, which celebrates the unification of all peoples and cultures and religions. Sure some of the episodes, especially the recent ones from our lifetime, tied up a little too pat, but it was all really very satisfying. You like being more in the know about the clues Hanna finds than she is. You've gotten drawn into the lives of the people-of-the-book throughout the centuries, you're practically the expert; you've got one up on Hanna but you know she's on course and you encourage her. Here's what shoshanapnw on goodreads says much better than I can: I especially appreciated the voyeuristic pleasure of knowing more about the Haggadah's story than the protagonist ever can.

I like that Hanna's relationship with her mother is stormy and unresolved. I like meeting Lola twice. I like that Hanna leaves her own trace in the Haggadah. I like how it comes full circle and Hanna figures out who created the whole thing. And all the historical pieces are entertaining and educational, from Spain in the 1400s to Italy in the 1600s, and WW2 in central Europe to the war in the Balkans. I hope I remember some of the historical details my mind usually lets loose. I hope listening to this book makes it easier to remember because I usually forget so much of what I read.

Also I learned the term "linguistic accommodation." That's when someone spends time in a foreign country and picks up the accent from there in their own language. I never knew there was a term for that.
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Nov 08, 2012 Lydia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club

Although "People of the Book" doesn't have a "Questions for Book Clubs" insert in the back of the book (most irritating), this reads like a formula intended for bookclub audiences: -Interesting history about a haggadah lost and protected through six centuries (check). - Main character, modern day Hanna hates her over-achieving mother, but will sleep with librarians living in sexy garrets (check). - Settings in historic Sarajevo, Vienna, Seville, Venice and other choice travel destinations is wel...more

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Mar 28, 2009 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 religi...more

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May 11, 2013 Sparrow rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Elizabeth

Shelves: classic-or-cannonical, girls-rule, eastern-europe, audio, history-of-women, motherless-daughters, romantic, slaves, wise, reviewed

I think an alternative title for this book could have been something like Women and Love or What Women Mean When They Talk About Love. Something like that. It was so beautiful in this delicate, fine-art way, and I was so surprised at this book’s beauty, that I feel totally inadequate in trying to describe my reaction to it. It is that type of beauty I feel when I think about the improbability of our bodies being alive or of Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Sistine Chapel or of microscopic images of...more I think an alternative title for this book could have been something like Women and Love or What Women Mean When They Talk About Love. Something like that. It was so beautiful in this delicate, fine-art way, and I was so surprised at this book’s beauty, that I feel totally inadequate in trying to describe my reaction to it. It is that type of beauty I feel when I think about the improbability of our bodies being alive or of Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Sistine Chapel or of microscopic images of snowflakes. There is no way the universe could conspire so delicately for those things to work in such a way that their beauty is not so improbable as to be obscenely contrived, but somehow it does work. It is beautiful.

And now that I’ve compared this book to the Sistine Chapel, there is no way anyone could go into it liking it. It’s like that time this douchey guy told me that Bright Eyes is the new Bob Dylan. I mean, Bright Eyes is not great anyway – talk about being in love with your own mysterious allure – but, compared to Bob Dylan, Mr. Eyes is just embarrassing. So, here I am ruining this book for you like that.

At the same time, after reading this, I understood a lot more why someone would write a book like Olive Kitteridge, using multiple, somewhat unrelated, perspectives strung together by a common theme. While that one just seemed ridiculous, this one soared for me, and I can see how, as an author, you could want to aim for this kind of delicacy in weaving together stories.

I listened to this on audio, and it was like hearing someone describe every way a woman’s love can be beautiful and painful, harsh and delicate. Some books will make me cry, but this book brought me to tears, which is the same thing but more elegant because of this story’s elegance. The reader’s voice was lovely, and the only fault with listening to this on audio was that there was so much I wanted to hear and follow that I know I missed a lot. I usually choose audio books based on the idea that it won’t matter if I space out during the book (because I space out a lot while I’m walking to work and listening to them), so I normally choose a book that I’ve read before or something I don’t think I’ll love that much. I was surprised at how much I loved this one and how much I felt I missed by listening to the audio. It is not a difficult book, but it definitely contains subtlety and passages that I would probably have read over again if I were reading it on the page.

This is not a very exciting review, I think, because it doesn’t contain an exciting story. I have the most wonderful job in the world right now, at which the most amazing things happen, but I can’t talk about it on the internet. And, no, my job is not Fight Club. If I could, I would tell you about how this has probably been the best year of my life so far, and about all of its beauty and fullness, and about how pain is as much a part of the beauty as comfort or wonder are. And I would tell you about the women I have seen and the ways they are with the love in their lives. But, instead, I will just be vague, and say that this book resonated with me both in the year I have had and in the life I have had. It talked about the right things and in the right way.

And, of course, it was about a book, which I imagine is the universal symbol of love.(less)

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May 03, 2013 Genevieve rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved Brooks' book Year of Wonders, so I was eager to read something else by her. This book, as @Anne Marie noted, is a good blend of historical fiction and something like a short story format. The underlying story throughout, of a book conservator in 1996 studying clues in an ancient manuscript to determine its history, weaves nicely with flashbacks giving the real story behind the evidence. I loved the feeling of getting to know what was unknowable to the modern day character Hanna.

I really...more

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About Geraldine Brooks

Australian-born Geraldine Brooks is an author and journalist who grew up in the Western suburbs of Sydney, and attended Bethlehem College Ashfield and the University of Sydney. She worked as a reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald for three years as a feature writer with a special interest in environmental issues.

In 1982 she won the Greg Shackleton Australian News Correspondents scholarship to th...more

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“A book is more than the sum of its materials. It is an artifact of the human mind and hand.” — 85 people liked it

“Book burnings. Always the forerunners. Heralds of the stake, the ovens, the mass graves.” — 29 people liked it

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