People Of The Book
| Price: |
$32.99 |
| On Sale: |
1/02/2008 |
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Formats:
Trade Paperback
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People of the Book crosses continents and centuries to bring stories of hope amidst darkness, compassion amidst cruelty, all bound together by the discoveries made by a young Australian woman restoring an ancient Hebrew book.
When Hanna Heath gets a call in the middle of the night in her Sydney home about a precious medieval manuscript that has been recovered from the smouldering ruins of war–torn Sarajevo, she knows she is on the brink of the experience of a lifetime. A renowned book conservator, she must now make her way to Bosnia to start work on restoring the Sarajevo Haggadah – a Jewish prayer book – to discover its secrets and piece together the story of its miraculous survival. But the trip will also set in motion a series of events that threaten to rock Hanna's orderly life, including her encounter with Ozren Karamen, the young librarian who risked his life to save the book.
As meticulously researched as all of Brooks' previous work, People of the Book is a gripping and moving novel about war, art, love and survival.
'dazzling ... Brooks writing at her very best' Publishers Weekly
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Author Extras
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Reader Reviews from First Look
This extraordinary novel manages to capture the reader’s attention on an intellectual level and engage them emotionally in the story of Hanna, the rare book expert hired to examine the Sarajevo Haggadah, as well as the varied characters who comprise the titular ‘people of the book’.
Brooks’s writing is deft as she smoothly moves between the past and the present to tell the story behind the ‘clues’ left behind by those who have the Haggadah pass through their hands. Even in the shorter passages set in the past, she managed at times to move me to tears when considering the fate of various characters, and the overall theme of the persecution of the Jews.
As well as being an absorbing tale, this novel is also a significant examination of man’s capacity for cruelty to his fellows, and of the resilience of the human spirit. At one point, when writing an essay on her research into the Haggadah, Hanna writes that ‘I wanted to give a sense of the people of the book, the different hands that had made it, used it, protected it. I wanted it to be a gripping narrative, even suspenseful’. I don’t know if Hanna’s essay managed to do this – but Brooks certainly has in this glorious work of fiction.
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Lynn (Spotswood, VIC)
This extraordinary novel manages to capture the reader’s attention on an intellectual level and engage them emotionally in the story of Hanna, the rare book expert hired to examine the Sarajevo Haggadah, as well as the varied characters who comprise the titular ‘people of the book’.
Brooks’s writing is deft as she smoothly moves between the past and the present to tell the story behind the ‘clues’ left behind by those who have the Haggadah pass through their hands. Even in the shorter passages set in the past, she managed at times to move me to tears when considering the fate of various characters, and the overall theme of the persecution of the Jews.
As well as being an absorbing tale, this novel is also a significant examination of man’s capacity for cruelty to his fellows, and of the resilience of the human spirit. At one point, when writing an essay on her research into the Haggadah, Hanna writes that ‘I wanted to give a sense of the people of the book, the different hands that had made it, used it, protected it. I wanted it to be a gripping narrative, even suspenseful’. I don’t know if Hanna’s essay managed to do this – but Brooks certainly has in this glorious work of fiction.
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Lynn (Spotswood, VIC)
Another wonderful read from Geraldine Brooks. This book contains a bit of everything - history, culture, religion, suspense, romance & family conflict. It is fast-paced and I found it difficult to put down. An immensely "readable" book, it nevertheless contains a wealth of interesting, factual information, ranging from Seville in 1480 to Sarajevo in 1994, and much in between. The way the history of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a jewish prayer book unfolds through the discovery of minuscule clues is fascinating reading. I thoroughly recommend this book.
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Christi (Strathdale, VIC)
This is a wonderfully ambitious and completely captivating novel. Geraldine Brooks is most obviously a highly skilled author, capable of enticing the reader with a swirling, heady fragrance of words that envelopes and enfolds as we enter the rich world she creates. ‘People of the Book’ reminds us that beauty and art have the ability to transcend cultural differences, survive the violent passage of human history, and connect us all across the wide divide of time.
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Tracey (Carindale, QLD)
People of the Book is an honestly told story about beautiful relationships and the lengths to which people will go to for their beliefs and faith. The spiritual nature of the book provides a magical backdrop for the characters to tell their stories and their passions and to understand that whilst not every story does end happily, there is beauty and wonder in all of them.
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Claire (Alphington, VIC)
The new novel by Geraldine Brooks, People of the Book, is a masterpiece. Geraldine possesses the rare ability of being able to draw her readers so deeply into the lives of her characters that reading the book is an emotional—sometimes painful, sometimes exhilarating—yet ultimately satisfying experience.
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Kim (Wagga Wagga, NSW)
Inspired by the true story of an ancient Hebrew prayer book, Brooks has delivered a fascinating and absorbing tale, weaving fictionalised history and painstaking research with a modern love story. ... Fans of Brooks’ writing will not be disappointed. And those who like to ponder the possible histories of ancient objects will enjoy this thoroughly entertaining read. And if like me you happen to spill coffee on your copy, don’t feel too bad. It’s just evidence you were there.
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Louise (Wallsend, NSW)
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People Of The Book
When Hannah Heath gets a call in the middle of the night in her Sydney home about a precious medieval manuscript which has been recovered from the smouldering ruins of wartorn Sarajevo, she knows she is on the brink of the experience of a lifetime. A renowned book conservator, she must now make...
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March
Acclaimed author Geraldine Brooks gives us the story of the absent father from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women – and conjures a world of brutality, stubborn courage and transcendent love. An idealistic abolitionist, March has gone as chaplain to serve the Union cause. But the war tests...
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