È il 1996 a Sarajevo e Hanna Heath, trentenne restauratrice australiana di manoscritti e libri antichi, è appena giunta nella capitale bosniaca devastata da cinque anni di guerra civile e ancora sotto il fuoco dei cecchini. Qualche giorno prima, Hanna ha ricevuto da Gerusalemme una telefonata da un insigne studioso di antichi manoscritti ebraici. L'israeliano le ha comunicato che durante la Pasqua ebraica, il capo della comunità giudaica di Sarajevo ha tirato fuori la Haggadah, il celebre libro di preghiere che si pensava ridotto in cenere sotto i bombardamenti del '92. Hanna conosce bene la Haggadah di Sarajevo: un manoscritto ebraico prodotto in Spagna in età medievale e ricco di variopinte miniature, inusuali in un'epoca in cui la fede giudaica condannava ogni genere di illustrazione; un'opera così preziosa e fondamentale nella storia dell'ebraismo che quando, negli anni Quaranta, i nazisti e i famigerati reparti della Mano Nera cercarono di impadronirsene, il bibliotecario musulmano del Museo di Sarajevo la pose in salvo. E ora il libro è stato nuovamente sottratto alla furia distruttrice e alla follia degli uomini. Hanna si è affrettata ad accettare l'incarico di restaurarlo ed è accorsa subito al Museo Nazionale di Sarajevo, dove ora stringe tra le mani quel manoscritto raro e di grande bellezza con le sue miniature dai colori ancora puri e vividi come nel giorno lontano in cui sono stati stesi sulla carta. ( )

A bit of a page-turner and a bit educational, but I felt like it was aimed at a high school audience. ( )

I love how Geraldine Brooks managed to interweave the personal relationships of the modern Australian book preservationist, Hannah, with the tales of the other ancient people of the book she is investigating. The stories were told in a backwards timeline covering over 500 years. Artifacts Hannah finds in the Haggadah become the basis of her research and secrets are revealed from other times and places. Revelations of the negative and/or missing presence of her parents in her life explain Hannah's solitary professional traveling lifestyle. She takes a risk and falls into a brief relationship that becomes her first experience with true love. Lines are crossed and lies are told that change her family and work life. A mysterious attempt to return the Haggadah to the proper owner has tragic results for our protagonist. In the end Hannah is able to find out the explanation of the book's heist from the modern library, and an amazing truth about the identity of the illustrator is also revealed as she examines the book one more time in the presence of her former colleague of interest. Audioversion emerses you in a far away old world with diverse vocal variations and accents. If you are a lover of the intellectual study of the look and feel of books, exploring international settings, or meeting the people of various historic timelines you will enjoy this book. The story keeps you engaged in its moderate to slow pace, with just enough of the modern protagonist's real life struggles injected between the travels through the settings of each historic reveal. The strategy of alternating between the ancient and modern plot balances the storylines and prevents the dry intellectual reading experience that some historic fiction novels can become. Another bonus is that each artifact reveals an interesting little story of its own. Although some have compared this book to DaVinci's Code, the intrigue is at a different level, and you will be dissappointed if that is the genre you expect. People have risked their lives for this book, but it remains a sacred treasure. There are no revelations of shocking historic secrets that bend the foundations of world religions. The revelations in this story are more satisfying than shocking. They are about a diverse group of people who became connected through their skills, their beliefs, and their bravery as they rescued the ancient Haggadah codex from those who sought to destroy it. ( )

I love how Geraldine Brooks managed to interweave the personal relationships of the modern Australian book preservationist, Hannah, with the tales of the other ancient people of the book she is investigating. The stories were told in a backwards timeline covering over 500 years. Artifacts Hannah finds in the Haggadah become the basis of her research and secrets are revealed from other times and places. Revelations of the negative and/or missing presence of her parents in her life explain Hannah's solitary professional traveling lifestyle. She takes a risk and falls into a brief relationship that becomes her first experience with true love. Lines are crossed and lies are told that change her family and work life. A mysterious attempt to return the Haggadah to the proper owner has tragic results for our protagonist. In the end Hannah is able to find out the explanation of the book's heist from the modern library, and an amazing truth about the identity of the illustrator is also revealed as she examines the book one more time in the presence of her former colleague of interest. Audioversion emerses you in a far away old world with diverse vocal variations and accents. If you are a lover of the intellectual study of the look and feel of books, exploring international settings, or meeting the people of various historic timelines you will enjoy this book. The story keeps you engaged in its moderate to slow pace, with just enough of the modern protagonist's real life struggles injected between the travels through the settings of each historic reveal. The strategy of alternating between the ancient and modern plot balances the storylines and prevents the dry intellectual reading experience that some historic fiction novels can become. Another bonus is that each artifact reveals an interesting little story of its own. Although some have compared this book to DaVinci's Code, the intrigue is at a different level, and you will be dissappointed if that is the genre you expect. People have risked their lives for this book, but it remains a sacred treasure. There are no revelations of shocking historic secrets that bend the foundations of world religions. The revelations in this story are more satisfying than shocking. They are about a diverse group of people who became connected through their skills, their beliefs, and their bravery as they rescued the ancient Haggadah codex from those who sought to destroy it. ( )

Multiple timeline historical fiction based upon the Sarajevo Haggadah, an elaborately illustrated ancient Judaic text that had been saved in the past by two Muslims and a Catholic priest. It is unusual in featuring artwork, which was not common in Jewish texts of the time period. The modern story follows Australian book conservator Hanna Heath who, in 1996, is called upon to evaluate and restore the book. During the evaluation, she finds small pieces of evidence of the book’s 500-year history. She travels the world to consult with experts to discover its secrets. The modern story is interspersed with chapters showing how the book passed through the hands of people who created it, used it in Passover rituals, safeguarded it, and rescued it from destruction. Hands are mentioned numerous times and are clearly symbolic of their various attributes such as skill, purpose, blessing, expression, protection, justice, and humanitarianism.

Brooks has obviously done extensive historical research, as the book includes episodes (and the associated brutality) of Spain in the 1400’s, the Spanish Inquisition, 19th century Vienna, World War II, and the Bosnian War. Sections of this book will appeal to bibliophiles, especially the detailed information about book-binding, preservation, old parchments, and the like. The past stories are filled with colorful well-drawn characters and vivid settings. Each historic vignette introduces new people and the reader should be prepared for multiple shifts in timeline and perspective. The book’s diverse backstories were more appealing to me than Hanna’s personal account, which at times ventured close to melodrama in the form of a rather unconvincing romance and a quarrelsome relationship with her insensitive mother.

In the Afterword, the author clarifies what parts of this book are based on fact and what she has invented. The Sarajevo Haggadah is a real text dating back to medieval Spain and was saved by a Muslim museum curator during the Bosnian War. Unfortunately, not enough of its history is known to write a non-fiction account. Instead, the known history forms a framework for the author’s imagination.

Overall, I think the author succeeds in exploring the emotional lives of her characters, showing human responses to traumatic events, and promoting tolerance among diverse faiths and ethnicities. If you appreciate books about books or the history of medieval artifacts, you will likely enjoy this book.

Memorable quotes:
“With a few keystrokes of the hand, we touch the minds of many.”

“The point – that diverse cultures influence and enrich one another – was made with silent eloquence.”

“It [the Haggadah] was here to test us, to see if there were people who could see that what united us was more than what divided us.” ( )