WINNER OF A NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD A USA TODAY BESTSELLER “A gifted writer, astonishingly adept at nuance, narration, and the politics of passion.”—Toni Morrison Set in London of the 1660s and of the early twenty-first century, The Weight of Ink is the interwoven tale of two women of remarkable intellect: Ester Velasquez, an emigrant from Amsterdam who is permitted to scribe for a blind … who is permitted to scribe for a blind rabbi, just before the plague hits the city; and Helen Watt, an ailing historian with a love of Jewish history.
When Helen is summoned by a former student to view a cache of newly discovered seventeenth-century Jewish documents, she enlists the help of Aaron Levy, an American graduate student as impatient as he is charming, and embarks on one last project: to determine the identity of the documents’ scribe, the elusive “Aleph.”
Electrifying and ambitious, The Weight of Ink is about women separated by centuries—and the choices and sacrifices they must make in order to reconcile the life of the heart and mind.
more
This was a great book but was heavy reading. It takes place during the 17th century and 2000’s. It is the story of a Jewish priest who had been blinded but writes letters of faith with the help of a scribe. The papers are found in a space beneath a staircase in an old home and turned over to a museum to be translated from the German and Portuguese from paper of the 17th century. The characters are from each time period and are fascinating in their individuality.
Uncommon, important, and very interesting history.
At nearly 600 pages, Rachel Kadish’s The Weight of Ink is a veritable tome of (mostly) historical fiction. The dual (and occasionally treble) narrative is driven by the 21st century discovery of 17th century documents. Their importance lies in the hand that wrote them; the scribe was a woman, one of the handful of Jews in London at the time, working for one of the most notable rabbis of the age. Simultaneously, then, the reader is thrust into two stories: that of British historian Helen Watt, she of failing health, but steel will, and her American postgrad assistant, Aaron Levy, who find themselves competing to translate and interpret the treasure trove with another team of historians; and the story of Ester Velasquez, the enigmatic scribe.
Of the two narratives (the first of which branches into it’s own set of past and present stories), the second – Ester’s – is by far the strongest. Kadish writes to richly of 17th century London, and particularly the Jewish culture within that specific time, that one can’t help but be awed by the undertaking that The Weight of Ink represents. The story is richly detailed, underpinned by an explanation of competing schools of philosophical thought and, of course, the role of religion – any religion. In this, the echoes of Gutenberg’s Apprentice are unmistakable: whatever one’s position in society and whatever one’s beliefs, the organized religions of the day control all. Men can and did lose their heads to prevent them thinking thoughts contrary to those accepted as the unassailable truth.
Too, Kadish offers her readers the unmistakable truth that however constrained a man’s life might be the circumstances of the 17th century, he still retained some modicum of control over his choices. Ester might be the rabbi’s most brilliant student, but as a woman, the path of her life is dictated from her birth. It is this idea that Ester finds most abhorrent and that she fights hardest – and with which Helen Watt feels the greatest kinship, as though Ester is reaching out to her across the centuries. I couldn’t help but contrast these very real constraints to their more modern iterations. Ester’s lot makes even the harshest circumstances in All the Single Ladies seem mild by comparison.
With less focus on Helen and Aaron, this would easily be a five star read. It’s a fine work of historical fiction, with a compelling plot and engaging characters. I recognize that Kadish used the discovery of Ester’s paper as a jumping off point for telling her story, but to my mind there’s nothing wrong with historical fiction set entirely within itself. It’s the difference between People of the Book and The Midwife of Venice.
Four-and-a-half stars.
(This review was originally published at https://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2019/01/the-weight-of-ink.html)
Rachel Kadish, The Weight of Ink
With three well-developed protagonists, a cast of interesting supporting roles and two time periods, modern day London and its 17th century predecessor, The Weight of Ink, is one of the most compelling books I’ve read in years. A cache of documents is found hidden under a stairwell in a 17th century house undergoing renovation. An English historian and her graduate student assistant are called in to examine them and assess their value. The parallel story describes the life of a small Jewish community that fled the Inquisition in Portugal and made their way to London. Among their members is an unusually talented young scribe who challenges both the accepted role of women and the prevalent philosophical notions of her time at great personal risk. The story unfolds like a mystery as the historians translate and piece together Esther’s fascinating story.
It was thought-provoking and very intetesting
This was my favorite novel of the year as far as STORY goes. Very unique and original. Author is not only a great writer but she is insightful and intelligent as well. I found the subject matter fascinating and her blend of historical detail with story impeccable. The novel never goes dry with historical detail. I liked this book so much I read another she had written, Tolstoy Lied which is more chick lit yet still very enjoyable. Kadish has improved her writing since Tolstoy Lied and has proven herself to be an American Author with something to say and teach us.
A very interesting book, a tragic love story.
I loved the back and forth between the historical and current day characters. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres.
Marvelous. The writer is a wordsmith!!!
Layered intersting saga connecting multiple cultures/loves and history!
This deftly woven story of two worlds connected through the history of a single strong woman is unlike anything I’ve read in a very long time. Ester’s single guiding belief that a woman, no less than a man, must follow her own true nature, fueled a life spent searching for the meaning of life, desire, and the existence of God. It is this quest that continues to fuel the lives of those who question the world that surrounds us today.
There are few books that I’ve read that demanded another reading. “The Weight of Ink” is one.
Parallel stories of two remarkable women, many centuries apart. The book deftly portrays the difficulties faced by highly intellectual women finding their place in the world, then and now.
One of the best books I’ve read in recent years. For anyone intrigued by Jewish history during a very volatile period (17th century), a must-read. Plus a completely original plot featuring a literate thinking woman in a time when that was deemed “unnatural,” and plot twists too numerous to count. Long, and well worth it.
Fantastic book, couldn’t put it down. I was surprised at how attached I was to the characters and the plot. Great original story.
This story goes from modern times when documents are found dating to back to the 17th century by historians. The historians working on the letters and writings race to discover who the actual author was because if they are right, it is an unheard of find for the times.
It is a race against time as the lead historian is terminally ill, but another team has also been given access to the documents. That teams has several members while she has a single graduate student with whom her relationship starts out extremely rocky.
Both time periods have deep relationship issues. The story follows the writing of the letters, a miraculous, and moral issues you discover in the story, as well as the efforts in the present to learn who the author or authors were. There were also deep personal issues in both time periods going all the way to Palestine and the fight to establish Israel to the present.
It eventually grabbed me as a can’t put down as I watched that race to discover the race and to see how the lives of ALL of the characters came out.
Cannot give high enough recommendation.
Beautifully written, and a fascinating historical topic … I highly recommend it!
I’m only a third of the way through but am bowled over by the amount of information the author’s packed into this fascinating look at the “Crypto- Jews” of Amsterdam and London during the 17th century and how well shes explained why Spinoza became such a pariah to the Jews of that era. Am a little overwhelmed by he amount of narrative but look forward to finishing this impressive novel.
I don’t know how much research was required on the part of this author, but it must have been plenty. Numerous characters within interwoven lives. A mystery as well. Couldn’t wait to see how it ended.
Excellent book with well developed characters in 15th century London and modern England. Very well written and well researched.
Interesting period descriptions. Tricky plot. Liked the mood of both periods.