View our feature on Geraldine Books’s People of the Book.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. … 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.more
this was one of the best books I have read I think each individual reader get from a book what is in them to see This is a deep book. it is filled with history and meaning this 500 year old book and it owners were in a world that had depicting sacrifices for a cause soo deep , that we only read about.
The heroine’s career as a restorer of antique publications provides insight into the amazing work and intuition involved in handling these precious finds. The real and imagined events pertaining to the book on which she has been consulted are entwined with glimpses into the complicated relationship she shares with her mother. She never felt her mother’s love or approval and had been denied her a chance to know her extended family.
An amazing story going backwards through time to authenticate a stolen manuscript.
I loved this book. Brooks is an amazing author, full of artistry and imagination. This is not a ‘ I finished it in one day ‘ kind of book, but well worth the time. There are multiple layers to the story, and I love the way she filled in the unknown historical aspects.
Great read!
Part history, part fiction, this novel is a tale of the Sarajevo Haggadah (a priceless Hebrew codex) and its harrowing escapes from destruction in various war-torn parts of the world over the centuries. Our heroine is an art conservationist who is recruited to inspect the book and piece together its history from the physical clues she finds about the people whose lives it touched: who created it, who wanted it burned, who risked their lives to save it. Touching on the Spanish Inquisition, Nazi Germany and the Bosnian war, Brooks takes us around the world through centuries of religious conflict with a fascinating cast of heroes and villains and the human foibles that motivated them. Great reading!
Fantastic story about the Sarajevo Hagaddah and it travels through history and the fictional characters that might have been involved in creating and protecting it.
Fascinating journey about an ancient book through time. I learned a great deal and was completly absorbed by the story lines. Lovely book!
Geraldine Brooks is one of my favorite history novelists.
I enjoy novels by Geraldine Brooks. She is a writer who shows great intelligence and writes wonderfully researched novels.
Loved every minute! Great characters and well researched Don’t miss this book!
I loved the historic detail about the book and the way the main character researched the “clues” that were found when cleaning the book. The personal story lines were very good and the pace of the book kept me interested throughout.
I was fascinated by the journey of a Jewish book through history, starting with present day then traveling to different eras. Hannah is a great character with enough faults to make her appealing.
Very well-written tale about a true event.
Learned about bookbinding and history together.
Loved it. So interesting, such a good writer.
This book weaves a long story that traces the story of a previously widely unknown illuminated manuscript that is known as the Haggadah. It is an archeological and anthropological study that is well set in the context of history over several centuries and written with the pace and excitement of a well crafted mystery. The reader benefits from the authors ability to maintain one’s interest steadily as the story takes us on journey through many eras and many lives. In doing so we are rewarded at each discovery and educated along the many stops in this progressive timeframe about life and circumstances connected to the elusive Haggadah. It’s truly a wonderful, true story with the main character being the manuscript itself but with numerous supporting players.
I strongly recommend this book for readers from teens through adult.
Insights
Great book. I learned a lot
So many characters, times and places so richly drawn—I feel as if I took a trip through history on a wonderful quest for knowledge. Excellent prose.