Book: People of the Book
Author: Geraldine Brooks
Pages: 372
This is my 123rd read for the year
What Amazon Says:
Inspired by a true story, this is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity by an acclaimed and beloved author. Called "a tour de force", this ambitious, electrifying work traces the harrowing journey of the fames Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in 15th century Spain. When it falls to Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, to conserve this priceless work, the series of tiny artifacts she discovers in its ancient binding - an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair - only begin to unlock its deep mysteries and unexpectedly plunges Hanna into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultranationalist fanatics.
This was an interesting book. It jumps around in time -from the 1990s where our main character is working on the story of the book, to back in time to the 1400s-1600s. I did enjoy the 1990s sections a lot more than the flashbacks - they felt a little unfinished. Even though those were the longest chapters in the book, we never learned more about the people - (except one) - so it felt like we were missing an ending to a story. It does jump into the future of the early 2000s with the main character to resolve the mystery of the book, and I liked that. Overall it is very well written - I just wish I felt like the past and present fit together a bit more.
Stars: 4