Els Guardians del Llibre

Loved the concept of little things found in the book (insect wing, hair, wine stain, etc) suggesting an interesting part of the history. Also that it was based on a true actual book. Different people in time periods of history trying to save and the last chapters were about the book being made. Best was the priest wanting to save something Jewish and the girl being the artist. Although I enjoyed the history some of it was too detailed for me. Really showed how throughout history Jews and their things were destroyed. Did not like the present day drama about her Mother disliking her career so much and her hatred of her. Accepted the forgery at the end but not her stopping her career. ( )

I was expecting more from this - a bit disappointing. ( )

I liked it, but i didn't love it. Wow....such complete hatred by 'competing' religions for each other over centuries and centuries was relvelaed to me in this book, more specifically here the plight of those of Jewish faith. A fascinating backward looking tale of the history of a spectacular sacred Jewish text, and some 'book sleuthing CSI' to help tell the story. Again, i enjoyed it, but i found myself having to remind myself to pick it up and continue....it was not instinctive. Part of that could likely be my complete ignorance of any of the things that were covered here, both faith-wise and the specific history of these religious 'disputes'. I liked the sleuthing, but was not taken by the lead character and the seeming forced relationships that she found herself engaged in. It did move fairly quickly, though. 3 1/2 is the best i can do. ( )

[This is a review I wrote in 2009]

**'There, where one burns books, one in the end burns men.' - Heinrich Heine**

This is a book that I wish I had written. People of the Book is a remarkable story about the chequered history of the priceless medieval Jewish prayer book, the Sarajevo Haggadah. Loosely based on the true story of what has happened to the Haggadah over the centuries, the plot and characters are plausible and do justice to the story of this beautiful manuscript.

The structure is complex, interweaving different characters and time frames throughout the novel. To take the story as a whole it is a journey through more than five centuries, from the creation of the illustrations and the text of the Haggadah, to persecution of the Jews in the Spanish Inquisition and their subsequent expulsion from Spanish lands in 1492. The journey continues when the Haggadah turns up in Venice and faces the book-burnings of heretical texts in post-reformation Catholic lands. The book next comes to light in Bosnia at the end of the nineteenth century, is rescued from Nazi hands in the Second World War and is rescued again in Sarajevo during the Gulf War. The Haggadah has suffered some damage over the years and after some time in a bank vault during the recent war it finally falls into the hands of Australia rare-book restorer Hanna. As Hanna restores the binding she becomes captivated by the book itself and is determined to unravel some of its mysteries and its past. In the process, Hanna confronts elements of her own past and makes some rather surprising discoveries of her own.

A rich historical mystery - brilliant and original subject - likely to be of most appeal to book lovers, and it could quite possibly change the way you look at books and manuscripts for ever. Geraldine Brooks has succeeded in making accessible the magic of the written word and the history of one book highlights the plight of many rare and beautiful books that have been lost to us over centuries of persecution; a persecution which still goes on in some countries today. A well-chosen quote at the start of the book really sums it all up: 'There, where one burns books, one in the end burns men.' - Heinrich Heine. My favourite Geraldine Brooks novel to date - I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next. ( )

I was disappointed in this book only because my expectations were high. A number of friends had said they really enjoyed it or loved it. I began with those expectations and the general plot at the beginning is something that would attract anyone who loves books. At a certain level I definitely enjoyed the story. It kept me turning the pages. It just wasn't enough. The characters were lightly drawn. The writing, while easy to read, added nothing to the experience. By the middle of the book I found myself getting a bit bored and wondered what was next on the shelf. Some of the most interesting relationships in the novel, between Hanna and her mother, Sarah, and between Sarah and Hanna's father were not explored the way they could have been. The resulting damage to Hanna was never fully addressed. It felt like the history of the Haggadah was the story and the rest was just filler. I definitely plan on reading [b:March|13529|March|Geraldine Brooks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327935441l/13529._SY75_.jpg|2643796] by [a:Geraldine Brooks|211268|Geraldine Brooks|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1303284528p2/211268.jpg] at some point; I will be interested to see if I feel differently about it. ( )