This book takes you on a journey as you discover the history of an ancient Jewish prayer book. The author skillfully weaves the tales of everyone who has touched the book and impacted it's history while relating the story of religious conflict, persecution and times of cooperation between Muslims, Jews and Christians throughout the Centuries. This is all done while telling the story of the young woman who is sent to restore the book.
Well written; a book that I truly enjoyed!

Geraldine Brooks did it again! This book should capture the reader from the very first line. My book group reviewed People of the Book recently and gave it high ratings; everyone took something different away from the story. Not only will the reader discover what a book conservationist is, but the importance of maintaining & preserving books throughout history. The main character is like a detective who can take a grain of salt found in the binding of an ancient prayer book, research it, then discover the exact location where it came from. From that tiny grain of salt, she weaves a whole story that connects to the next discovered particle - until she pieces together the entire background of the prayer book. The final piece of the puzzle links together why and how the book came to be found in a Sarajevo library. The book highlights the common thread among all religions that many lose sight of in today's world.

I first heard about the book on a radio program. I found the book at the library, recognized the title and decided to give it a shot. What good fortune it was! The best book I read this summer...well written, interesting, enlighten and couldn't put it down. The fiction is believable, facts accurate and story plausible. what more can you ask for in historical fiction!

I saw this book at BN when it came out in December and would not have read it had I not read an article written by Geraldine Brooks published in "The New Yorker" on December 3, 2007, later that same week. The article tells the almost unbelievable but TRUE story of the Sarajevo Haggadah - how Dervis Efendi Korkut, a devout Muslim, saved the Haggadah from confiscation by the Nazis, how he and his wife Servet also saved Mira Papo, a Jewish girl, how he was later tried as a Nazi Sympathizer, how Mira later encountered Servet and leared of the pending trial but failed to testify on his behalf at that trial and then later redeemed herself by writing an account of his deeds that resulted in Dervis and Servet being declared Righteous Amonig Nations by the Commission for the Designation of the Righteous at Yad Vashem (yeah, this is a bad sentence). I keep a photocopy of the article with my copy of the book.

Having read the article, I bought the book. Given the known facts about the book and the amazing story about the people involved in its rescue from the Nazis, it was enjoyable to read a FICTIONAL account about how a Spanish Haggadah written in Hebrew but illuminated with Islamic ornamentation (Brooks points out that Jews, Christians and Muslims peacefully co-existed in Spain during a time known as the Convivencia) could travel from Morocco to Spain to Venice to Vienna, and ultimately resurface in the twice war-torn Sarajevo of our time. In a time where "Christians" and "Muslims" "hate" each other while equally "hating" the "Jews" it is refreshing to see just a glimmer of what we could all be and accomplish if we could see past the labels we put on each other.

If any of the negative reviews have you worried - read the article first if you can, then read the book.

I saw this book at BN when it came out in December and would not have read it had I not read an article written by Geraldine Brooks published in "The New Yorker" on December 3, 2007, later that same week. The article tells the almost unbelievable but TRUE story of the Sarajevo Haggadah - how Dervis Efendi Korkut, a devout Muslim, saved the Haggadah from confiscation by the Nazis, how he and his wife Servet also saved Mira Papo, a Jewish girl, how he was later tried as a Nazi Sympathizer, how Mira later encountered Servet and leared of the pending trial but failed to testify on his behalf at that trial and then later redeemed herself by writing an account of his deeds that resulted in Dervis and Servet being declared Righteous Amonig Nations by the Commission for the Designation of the Righteous at Yad Vashem (yeah, this is a bad sentence). I keep a photocopy of the article with my copy of the book.

Having read the article, I bought the book. Given the known facts about the book and the amazing story about the people involved in its rescue from the Nazis, it was enjoyable to read a FICTIONAL account about how a Spanish Haggadah written in Hebrew but illuminated with Islamic ornamentation (Brooks points out that Jews, Christians and Muslims peacefully co-existed in Spain during a time known as the Convivencia) could travel from Morocco to Spain to Venice to Vienna, and ultimately resurface in the twice war-torn Sarajevo of our time. In a time where "Christians" and "Muslims" "hate" each other while equally "hating" the "Jews" it is refreshing to see just a glimmer of what we could all be and accomplish if we could see past the labels we put on each other.

If any of the negative reviews have you worried - read the article first if you can, then read the book.

This book is pure shlock. After having read and enjoyed her previous book, March, I expected much better. The "clues" provided in the manuscript lead to obvious but absurdly far-fetched conclusions by the extremely annoying and self-satisfied Aussie narrator. She manages to be both extremely sorry for herself and convinced of her own righteousness and brilliance at the same time. The other characters are stereotypical and predictable, and they all succumb to cliched but lurid Jewish fates. Don't waste your money on this potboiler.

This book is pure shlock. After having read and enjoyed her previous book, March, I expected much better. The "clues" provided in the manuscript lead to obvious but absurdly far-fetched conclusions by the extremely annoying and self-satisfied Aussie narrator. She manages to be both extremely sorry for herself and convinced of her own righteousness and brilliance at the same time. The other characters are stereotypical and predictable, and they all succumb to cliched but lurid Jewish fates. Don't waste your money on this potboiler.

The modern characters are weak and the story doesn't stick together very well. But the historic dramas were quite intriguing. Fells like this book was written by two different authors.

The modern characters are weak and the story doesn't stick together very well. But the historic dramas were quite intriguing. Fells like this book was written by two different authors. Overall, if you are looking for a book to kill time, you can give it a try. Nothing more than that.

This is a great work of historical fiction. Weaving well-researched fact with fictional story, the story of the famous Sarajevo Hagaddah is told here.

If you like historical fiction with a bit of mystery intertwined, you will like this. I won't repeat the plot, but I found it totally fascinating and found myself going back to reread parts -- the chapter headings were so helpful, I'm thinking the author anticipated readers rereading parts. The idea of taking art "backwards" isn't new, but it is still fascinating.

And, if you enjoy this title, check out the movie The Red Violin and another great book by Susan Vreeland Girl in Hyacinth Blue

This isn't highbrow literature, but it is one of the more entertaining books I've read recently, particularly since I love reading about books and book history. This is the story of an old haggadah (a Jewish sacred test used at the Passover table). The narration alternates from the modern viewpoint of a book restorer to the various people over centuries who have helped the haggadah to survive. The love story contained within the modern narrative moves quicker than I expected and is trite and somewhat tacky. Fortunately, the parts of the story about book restoring are interesting, and the haggadah's history is interesting as well. I'm a bit ashamed to admit I couldn't put this down.

This is a beautiful book, and I must admit that I burst into tears upon finishing it. It wasn't until I was an adult that I found out from my uncle that our family had been forced out of Spain in 1492. They went to Holland and then eventually made their way across Europe to what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. While the memory of leaving Spain had stayed with the family, the Spanish family name had not. This book gave me a feel of what their life in Spain might have been like.

I disagree with other reviewers about the main character. I liked Hanna and thought the development of her character to be quite realistic.

The book came sooner than I expected, and I loved every page of it. Thank you

I loved Brooks's Year of Wonders, but this book is only sometimes riveting, more often slow. Most unfortunately, this is the first anti-Catholic novel I've read since I tried PD James about 20 years ago. So it was amusing when the main character in People of the Book says on page 264, "Having read rather too many P. D. James novels, I'd decided . . . " Alas! You surely have, Ms Brooks! I'm not Catholic myself, but without balance this book teeters towards untruth.

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The author uses the real Sarajevo Haggadah as starting point for a fascinating fictional account of how it was so beautifully illustrated, how it came to be written, and how it was taken from place to place all over Europe over many centuries, and weaves that all together with the personal life of the book conservator who becomes involved with the Haggadah. The totally unexpected ending is amazing!
I liked the book so much that I bought the quite expensive taped version for a visually handicapped friend.

I couldn't stop reading this book. It was like a jig-saw puzzle with each piece just fitting perfectly. The history combined with the fiction made a powerful story. Highly recommended!

I am still in the middle of the book but so far am not particularly inspired. It is ok but not as wonderful as it was touted to be in all its reviews. Moves slow and has pretty stock characters. Would have liked a bit more depth in each vignette.

Disappointing even for a fluff novel. The Wikipedia article on the Sarajevo Haggadah is a more interesting read. Historical fiction needs either a quality retelling of history or a quality story to get by, and this book offers neither. There's precious little known of the Sarajevo Haggadah's existence, so Brooks imagines a series of events throughout its existence interwoven with a bit of modern-day drama. But she apparently went for the Dan Brown approach by inventing physical details of the book itself, throwing off the balance between history and fiction. The pattern of revealing a detail and immediately following it with a chapter set in the past is too contrived and trite even for mindless beach reading. It's certainly interesting to wonder about this book's journey through the years, but Brooks' imagined history offers little to recommend it.

This story is so well written. The diverse people involved in the books history and the mysteries of what eventually became of them spark the imagination. I wanted to know more, but really there was no need, it was obvious in most cases. The author was perfect at changing writing styles and placing me in the mini-worlds of these tragic figures. On finishing the book I immediately went on line and looked at pictures of the actual illuminations. It was both intellectually stimulating and a very good read. I look forward to enjoying more from this author.

simply wonderful. Beautifully written, brilliantly researched and compelling.

Geraldine Brooks gets better with every novel. I highly recommend this.

When do we consider loss in our own lives? What cost and what effect does loss have on our everyday existence? Is it traumatic only when a loved one passes or is there more of a sense of collective loss when looking at centuries of war, loss of life or needless destruction of towns and cities? How do we measure that loss compared to a loss of love or even when a beloved object goes missing? In reading Geraldine Brooks' novel, one comes away with a personal reflection of what loss means.

PEOPLE OF THE BOOK integrates all of the various and very dissimilar kinds of loss by telling the story of a journey of a beautiful rare meticulously engraved Haggadah.

Pulitzer prize winner Geraldine Brooks does a terrific job with this story. She was able to weave the true story of this missing prayer book into a well written historical fiction novel.

Hanna Heath is our protagonist who is an Australian book conservator summoned to investigate the authenticity of this newly surfaced gem of a prayer book which had been saved from a Bosnian museum by a librarian.

Hanna makes a series of discoveries while examining the find as any ancient book conservator would. She uncovers an insect wing, a thin strand of white hair, a stain that appears to be blood or wine, and some evidence that the prayer book had been near or around salt water. The investigation takes us back in time through centuries to the 1480's in Seville.

Brooks so competantly weaves a tale with intimate details and she introduces us to all of the PEOPLE who touched or were changed by this BOOK. The true story of the Haggadah is a beautiful and intimate study of the basic goodness of mankind through difficult and ominous events and Brooks is successful in capturing that quality in her literary art.

PROS:

Hanna's investigation leads us and her into the depths of intrigue, deception, and suspense. The journey of the book itself helps Hanna find out more about herself as well as truths she never knew existed. Fantastic weaving together of truth and fiction.

CONS:

Only one for me: the last chapter. It was just a little too pat and a bit incredulous. The main reason for this wonderful book not being a perfect five.

Recommended: B

People of the Book: A Novel


Bentley/2008

No spoiler here...I loved the book!

I think it is a book to be read twice. It is like a "nested doll"; each segment is built on the one that follows. But, it goes backwards.

The story begins with Hanna who is hired to preserve the Sarajevo Haggaadah. She discovers a few clues as to its provenance...a hair, a bit of salt, a stain, missing clips and an insect wing.

Each "clue" takes us further back into the history of the Haggadah. And, when it does, takes us back into another time where you understand how that little bit of something is part of the history of this Haggadah.

In real life, there is a Sarajevo Haggadah; this is what it's provenance might have been.

"People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks, relates in well researched, historical detail, the significance of books in society. There is mystery, intrigue and great character development with Hanna as the journey of the Sarajevo Haggadah unfolds. Brooks is a pretty good writer. I read "The March" at the suggestion of my local independent; Latitude 33-and I could not put that one down.

This book is not for everyone but I liked it and found it "illuminating".

"People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks, relates in well researched, historical detail, the significance of books in society. There is mystery, intrigue and great character development with Hanna as the journey of the Sarajevo Haggadah unfolds.

This book is not for everyone but I liked it and found it "illuminating".

This book is not easy to put down it was very insightful, enjoyed learning about this process of restoring books and the historical aspect of the making of books.

This book has all my favorite elements in it: mystery and historical tidbits, historical fiction and modern-day fiction. So why am I not rating it a five-star? It is not one of the best reads this year nor ever. I am pretty disappointed because I have heard good things about this author. I haven't read any of her other books and while I own a copy of "March," I am pushing that book further down my TBR list as I am not all that impressed with this book.

Don't get me wrong. It is not a bad book, it is just not all that wonderful. A reviewer or two mentioned in here that Hanna's story was more prevelant than the others' and I have to disagree. Her story was not well-fleshed out nor were the others' stories. To be honest, this book felt like a collection of short stories rather a seamless story tying the loose ends of history together over the years. The stories were good but not poignant enough to draw the imagination to the heart as one imagines the history behind the rare Hebrew manuscript that traveled over the course of time.

It is disappointing for me personally because I love books and have often wondered about the previous owners of antique books that I see on occasion. The stories are fine in this book, just doesn't flow together like I imagined it would. And the last few chapters were rather rushed as well as confusing. Why throw in a curveball so late in the book where there weren't any suspense built up to it? And the rejection Hanna must have felt at her lover's hands and her teacher's rejection ... it all fell flat. I walked away from this book feeling nothing.

If you like historical fiction, this one would fit the bill. Just don't expect an in-depth view of history.

6/2/08

The first four fifths of this book are a historical fiction built around the creation and travels of the Sarajevo Haggadah. The author uses the highly-charged drama of ethnic relations in Europe from the fifteenth century on and the religious wars in Spain to tell the story of the book and to spin a message of religious tolerance. The effect is charming, almost sentimental and if you are a fan of historical fiction you may be moved. There's also a wonderful excursion into the world of manuscript conservators that provides a vicarious chance to handle fabulous old books.
The rest of the plot concerns a very unlikely swap of the Haggadah and some unbelievable shenanigans around a romance.
Brooks is a good writer, her prose is occasionally luscious and this is a pleasant summer read if you don't look too deeply.

"People of the Book" drew me in with its title, and had me enthralled from the first page. This is an ambitious work, which could have been a disaster in the hands of a less skilled writer. But Geraldine Brooks does not disappoint; on the contrary, she exceeds my highest expectations. "People of the Book" is an intricate tapestry of one focal point through history, showing the mingled impact of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity from the 15th century through today. Simultaneously earthy, sincere, and thought-provoking, this is the most brilliantly written book I have encountered in a long time.

The author, Geraldine Brooks, has written several previous novels, including The Year of Wonders, a book based on historical fact and set in a village in England during the Plague.
I looked forward to this one, having loved her previous ones. Unfortunately, it lacks the same depth, character charm and believability of its predecessors. The only chapters which capture the reader are in the beginning and at the very end; these parts are very alive, perhaps because she bases them on a picture found in the original haggadah and on the story of how it was saved by someone in the museum.
The other chapters are more reminiscent of a romance novel (think Danielle Steel, only slightly better).

Prompt delivery of a perfect-condition book. Thank you for the accurate description and for the reliable service

Ms. Brooks certainly know how to tell a story and to keep the reader in polite but nagging tension.
This biography of a book is a wonderful narrative, a story of passion and wonder. A rare case of history told as a novel (there is too much of this kind floating around, but rare exception do happen)where the moral is less than obvious, the narrative riveting and extremely well constructed, so that the Italian principle of "if not true is it well made up" not only applies, but is surpassed..

This book was fascinating to read and it expanded my horizons which is one of the things I treasure in a book. It did take some work to keep track of what was going on and when as it jumped back and forth. Brooks's story of the Sarajevo Haggadah's journey, both true and imagined, illustrates the power culture, art and literature have on people of the world. Some will give their lives to protect it while others are intent on destroying the culture of the "other", knowing what power it has.

"It would be something, to be back there, when the haggadah was still just some family's book, a thing to be used, before it became an exhibit locked up in a vitrine....."
"Oh, I don't know.....It's still doing what it was meant to do or it will be, as soon as it goes into the museum. It was made to teach, and it will continue to teach. And it might teach a lot more than just the Exodus story."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, from what you've told me, the book has survived the same human disaster over and over again. Think about it. You've got a society where people tolerate difference, like Spain in the Convivencia, and everything's humming along:creative, prosperous. Then somehow this fear, this hate, this need to demonize 'the other' - it just sort of rears up and smashes the whole society. Inquisition, Nazis, extremist Serb nationalists....same old, same old. It seems to me the book, at this point, bears witness to all that."

We can add the cultural treasures of Baghdad to that list.

I was anxious to read this book after hearing the author interviewed on NPR. After reading the book, I assumed the NPR interviewer had not read the book. It was very disappointing to me because it missed the opportunity to be a great book; instead, it was just another story (albeit with a fascinating theme) that was not as well-written as it could have been, and the flaws in the writing (or perhaps it was the editor's fault) were too severe to ignore. I hate it when a book sets you up and then lets you down with a thud, and that was exactly my experience when I approached the end of the book, which describes a preposterous 'solution' to a thorny problem that seemed more fabricated than likely.

I am impressed by Geraldine Brooks' most recent work; People of the Book. Brooks is also the author of Year of Wonders which is one of my favorites.

I thought Brooks did a wonderful job of creating very realistic characters throughout history and a sense of time and place for each character. She creates a story that revolves around the path of travel of a fifteenth century Hebrew manuscript.

I particularly enjoyed the contemporary character Hanna Heath who is responsible for the conservation of the priceless Haggadah in 1996. During the course of her work she discovers several interesting artifacts within the book itself. Through separate chapters the reader is taken back in time to where each item was incorporated into the book.

A very clever and thought provoking book. The characters Brooks creates experience a multitude of horrors. She illustrates many different ways that Anti-Semitism manifested itself throughout history. But she also shows us people who are willing to risk their lives to save another human being as well as preserve important historical artifacts.

This was a book club selection and it offers endless topics for discussion. It touches on love, hate, war, vice, anti-Semitism through the ages and describes many horrors throughout history as well as kindness and heroism.

I thought this was a very well done story, well written and cleverly executed. But I would have liked to learn a little bit more about any one of the character's stories. I'm not a big fan of the short story and I think this book is like several short stories that are connected. I love details and gut wrenching sorrow and I think this story could have had just a little bit more of both.

I also love when I read a work of fiction and I'm able to learn a little bit about something really interesting like antiquarian book conservation. Did you know that parchment was made of flesh? (I was an art student in college and I think I might have remembered that.) I also enjoyed reading how modern science is applied to unravel the mysteries of art restoration and conservation.

One of the things that I thought was so amazing is that this story was inspired by the true story of the Hebrew codex known as the Sarajevo Haggadah. Many times as I was reading I was wishing there were pictures of the silver clasps and the various illustrations.

*Spoiler* sort of*
And I was happy to learn that Geraldine Brooks was able to see the real Sarajevo Haggadah.

I was first captured by the main character, Hannah Heath, but I found myself being even more captivated by some of the minor characters as the history of the Haggadah goes back in time to Venice, Seville, etc. I was enchanted by the slowly unfolding mystery and the creative way that Geraldine Brooks ties the history of the "people of the book" together over a 400-some year span.

Hanna Heath, rare book restorer, is called to Sarajevo in 1996 to help document and preserve a 15th c. Jewish haggadah (prayer book). She finds in its pages a few grains of salt, a wine stain, a white hair, and an insect's wing. As Hanna calls upon forensic friends to examine the odd extras, the book opens on separate chapters that explain the findings of those remnants and fill in a history of the `people of the book' as it changes hands through time. We are given the book's survival in World War II, its path backward through the Spanish Inquisition in 1609, the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492, and its earliest artistry, in 1480. This book impressed me much more so than the author's much lauded "March." It's inventive and clever and I really liked the evocation of time and place in the historical chapters. Brooks takes a real event, the discovery of the actual 'Sarajevo haggadah' and creates a rich and poignant fiction here.

The main character of the book is "Hanna". If you like a character who is impressed with herself and won't let the reader forget it, you'll like this book. Example: Hanna's favorite phrase is "... when I was at Harvard..." Not: "..when I was studying.." or "..when I was a grad student..." or whatever. After the tenth "Harvard" reminder, it gets a bit tedious.

If you don't like that kind of character, then just skip this book.

The most profound effect that this book had on me was to make me realize just how much is tied to inanimate objects. I dearly love going to museums and though I occasionally do wonder what life was like for the person who fashioned that ancient goblet or who wore that suit of armor, I have never found myself reflecting on it as profoundly as I did after reading this book. Brooks did a wonderful job of instilling in me, as a reader, a sense of how a seemingly innocuous object as an ancient, illuminated book can bear witness to centuries of human drama. The book masterfully recreated the sense of urgency that exists in everyday life while showing that everyday life is so fleeting and that one's time on the planet is so short as to be merely a thread in the tapestry that history has woven.

The book opens in 1996, with Hanna, a book restorer and expert on ancient manuscripts who has been asked to examine and make repairs to the Sarajevo haggadah, an ancient book that is something akin to a Jewish book of hours. While restoring the book, Hanna finds an insect wing, a dark stain, some salt crystals, and a white hair. She uses these objects in an attempt to trace the history of the book.

It is at this point that People of the Book really becomes a wonder. Brooks does a masterful job of creating a contemporary drama--that of Hanna's quest and events in her own personal life--that is interwoven with a series of historical dramas. This book is a story within a story within a story and it serves as a reminder of how history tends to loop back on itself. Tied to each of the four pieces of evidence that Hanna has found in the book is a story that tells one small part of the tale of the haggadah's creation and journey and each of these stories takes us further back in time.

This is a book so vivid and rich that I find it difficult to describe. Brooks has a mastery of words and though the locations and the eras she describes are all vastly different, what stands out is her depictions of humanity in all its greatness and flaws. Hanna's own journey could have made for a good novel in and of itself but Brooks gives it more impact by casting it against the tales of all those who have been touched by the book long before Hanna.

What is really remarkable about the novel is how it highlights the sameness of the struggles of its Jewish protagonists. As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same and this is certainly the argument that this novel makes. Brooks charts a course of history that shows how, time and again, people of the Jewish faith have been made victims because of that faith, how one day Jews live peacefully alongside Christians and Muslims and how they next they are being persecuted by those very neighbors. Though the novel suggests that the survival of the book itself is extraordinary, what is truly extraordinary is the actions of those who ensure the survival of the book. While the chance to behold such an ancient text is certainly a marvel, what is even more marvelous is to try to imagine the lives of those who saw to it that we could, one day, view that ancient text in a museum or in a library. This novel just proves how wonderful is Brooks's mind, that her experiences with an ancient text allowed her thoughts to take flight and to produce this sterling work of literature.

People of the Book is a great story and wonderfully written. Each chapter alternates between the present and the past. The chapters of "the past" go further and further back in history and discusses the trial and tribulations of the book that the protaganist has restored. During the restoration, she finds artifacts that have been inadvertantly left in the book. Each chapter reads as its own short story discussing how the item got in the book and who owned the book at the time. I worried that it would be tough to follow, but it wasn't.

I highly recomend it.

I hate to sound like an egghead, but I thought this book would be much more literary in nature. The story certainly pulled you through with interest, but I was anticipating something with more depth, especially since it had some basis in reality. The theme of the intertwined lives of people of Christian, Islamic, and Jewish faiths was certainly worth exploring, and this fabled hagaddah certainly made a worthy vehicle for that tale. But, something was missing. It all felt too superficial.

It's certainly not a bad book. But I wanted something more.

Declaration to start off with: I read and enormously loved her previous book "March" and very highly recommend it to anyone interested in the US Civil War and has a passing knowledge of "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott.

As a Jew brought up on more than 50 years of Passover celebrations and having seen many types of Hagaddah's, I was entranced when a friend of mine told me to read this book. I had a vague memory of hearing about the Sarajevo Hagaddah years ago. Geraldine Brooks has written an outstanding dramatic re-telling of the story. Although it is considered a fictional novel this is a bit misleading, insofar as the book was heavily researched and includes depictions of the real known characters involved with the book. All the more I admire how Brooks has interwoven known facts with characters made up in her imagination. While it cannot now be ascertained with too much complete history, the story of this very rare book seems in her hands to come alive with a believable story-line that grabs you from the beginning.

Some have noted that the narrative line appears disjointed, going back and forth in the centuries. Frankly, I found this no trouble at all and enjoyed the freshness of leaving one chapter behind and travelling into a new century where the books history is seen in totally different circumstances. Which of course is a bit of a ruse. Why? The circumstances, while on the surface appear to be different, are in fact always the same. The book, its safety and everyone directly connected to it are always in peril and this anxiety and danger does not abate until the final word of the book. That literary conceit works for me and is partly borne out of what is known.

I found the descriptions of the sufferings of the Jews in the ghettos very hard reading, the realities cutting a little too close for my comfort. Why? My grandmother, still alive at 97, lost all her family to the same hatreds as they rolled into her Estonian town of Tallin, during WW2. She was living in the USA at the time and so was saved. The depictions of brutality towards Jews was not exaggerated in the least bit. That Brooks has included it as a backdrop only underscores the miracle of how this book survived. Some of the characters touched by this book also survived similar harrowing nightmares and catching a glimpse of their parallel lives gives added dimension to the story.

Of course this book is not simply about anti-Semitism and of the Jews alone. It recounts the suffering of Muslim and Christian alike, as each is found to inhabit a world that from time to time descends into a dark and horrid place. Those who fell into slavery or had warfare brought to their happy homes, were equally harmed and destroyed as Jews were. That the book survived, that other people and cultures survived, despite the years of danger and war, draws everyone together.

I found that by the middle of the book it felt like it was starting to sag a bit, as the back and forth seemed to beg the question of where are we finally going with this story? By the last 75 pages I could hardly turn the pages fast enough, ending it in a blaze of non-stop reading that filled my eyes with tears at the conclusion. An excellent read, instructive I'm sure to non-Jews who know little of this book, that Jews around the world have used (allbeit in a plain form) for almost 2000 years. We have Passover coming up in about a weeks time. How timely it was for me to have read this now. I will be sure to mention it to my family as we go through the two nights of Passover celebrations, listening to words "next year in Jerusalem" with a completely refreshed point of view. Highly recommended.

The Sarajevo Haggadah, a real Hebrew codex, has miraculously survived five centuries of violence, warfare and mankind's tendency to destroy whatever is seen as a threat to those who for the moment have that kind of power. The fact that this haggadah is an illuminated text, a surprising style for a Jewish text of that period, makes the book exceptionally rare and of great historical value. The book might have been destroyed during the Bosnian conflict that devastated Sarajevo but for the intervention of a Muslim scholar who moved it to the safety of a bank vault, at least the second time in its history that this Jewish book was saved with direct Muslim help.

This is the point at which Geraldine Brooks chooses to begin her latest novel, People of the Book. Dr. Hannah Heath, an Australian expert in the field, has come to Sarajevo to ensure that the book is being properly cared for and to prepare it for exhibition in a Sarajevo museum as a symbol of the city's, and a people's, survival. During her examination of the book, Heath is thrilled to find inside it a few clues that might allow her to partially reconstruct the history of the book and its travels through the centuries. She finds: part of an insect wing, a white hair, a few salt crystals and what appears to be a wine stain.

Through a series of flashbacks drawing ever nearer to the book's origins, Brooks details for readers what the few clues can only hint at to Dr. Heath concerning the book's travels across Europe and the people who possessed and protected it over the centuries. Throughout its history this haggadah has been important to the people who owned it. It survived through a combination of luck and the extraordinarily brave efforts of people who were determined to see it survive. One flashback tells how it barely escaped falling into the hands of despicable Nazi looters, another of what happened to the book in 1894 Vienna, and others recount its creation and subsequent survival of the Spanish Inquisition years. As the book passes from hand-to-hand, backward in time, the reader comes to appreciate the miracle of its survival and the people who made that happen.

As Hanna Heath seeks to learn as much about the Sarajevo Haggadah as she can, she finds herself on a parallel journey in which she learns as much about herself and her personal origins as she does about the book. She finds herself attracted to the man who carried the haggadah to safety in Sarajevo, has to fight self-doubts about her professional competence, and is forced into a confrontation with her mother that will forever change her life.

People of the Book is at once a mystery, a history lesson and a modern day romance. My only quarrel with the book is its "Mission Impossible" ending which, for me, served to completely change the tone of the story being told and rather jarringly reminded me that I was reading fiction. Fortunately, this distraction came late enough in the narrative not to ruin the book for me.

The central character in this wonderful novel is a rare illuminated copy of a fifteenth century Haggadah . This beautiful manuscript survives the war in Bosnia, the perilous period of Nazi Germany, the anti-Semitic years in Vienna,the Inquistion in Venice,and the years of forced Jewish exile in Tarragona, Spain. The book's origin is traced back to Seville where the mystery of its creation is finally revealed. As we travel back to the origin we meet a cast of likely and unlikely heroes who protect the book at all costs. Through the investigative eyes of Hannah Heath,book conservator, the gaping holes in the history of the saved Haggadah are creatively filled in.
This is a well researched novel that speaks to the power of the written word and the triumph of those who sacrifice to keep that word alive.

This very well-written book is a terrific read-- I had a difficult time putting it down.

Following a valuable Hagaddah through its magnificent history is an erudite learning experience of history. Hanna, an audacious Australian, is given a prize commission to study this glorious Haggadah. She starts out in Sarajevo and the reader is moved back and forth through history.
Learning the provenance of the Haggadah introduces us to many heroes in history. Diverse characters used, abused and loved the Hagaddah. All the characters were presented clearly and their roles and motives were probable.

The vicious persecution of Jews was blatantly described. We learn how inferior or frightened regimes used the Jew as a scapegoat but, at the same, used the talent of the Jewish doctor or professional. Many of the Jews had weaknesses which put the Hagaddah at risk. My only criticism was the lack of explanation of the contents of the Book, the story in detail. I think the exodus of the Jews from Egypt should have been clearly defined which would have drawn a stronger correlation with the "exodus" of the Hagaddah.

My favorite character was Hanna's mother, a rigid, cold neurosurgeon, who should have received the worst mother of the year award. Hanna chose science as her vocation but not medicine. Without giving away any more information, Hanna's lineage brings the book full circle.

I loved this book. The history part was awesome but it read like a novel. I felt like I learned something but was entertained the whole time too. Great book.

I truly enjoyed this novel and was lucky enough to hear the author speak on this novel before reading it. She is a fascinating woman and her insight made reading this story a delight. A new blend of historical fiction abounds in this novel as we visit so many times and cultures. I had my sister and mother read it before this year's passover sedar. How times have changed...from this beautifully treasured hagaddah to our maxwell house free hagaddahs from the grocery store!

If Ms. Brooks had ended her novel on page 316 instead of page 368, it would have been a fabulous book. Although I found Hanna an extremely irritating and edgy young woman, I tolerated her in order to learn more about the "fictional" history of the Sarajevo Haggadah, the real main character of this story. The historical chapters that explained how certain external items found their way into the pages of the Haggadah were fascinating and captured each historical period with a considerable degree of accuracy. However, the last 50 pages were absurd and totally unbelievable. I won't give away the ending in this review, but suffice it to say that I could not suspend my sense of reality to accept any of it, most especially Ms. Brooks's political message of tolerance. The writing throughout the book was neither lyrical nor magical, and certainly not Pulitzer quality.

I thought this sounded like a fascinating premise, but I slogged my way through it. I agree with the reader who wondered why this is a best seller and "The Book of Air and Shadows" is not. That was a real page-turner.

I enjoyed the real-time story about the conservation of the book and Hanna's story. I thought the back stories of the book dragged and skimmed through much of that.

I have not read that author's other works, but I think she may be coasting on her Pullitzer.