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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
This was really well done. There are some really interesting themes about feminism and choosing your own path that really resonated with me. The paths of both the modern and historical characters intertwine really well, and there are a lot of parallels. I think I might put this book aside for rereading, because I feel like there'd be a lot to be gained from a second pass. Reading Ester's story really made me grateful that I live when I do, so I can choose both marriage to a man I love and still continue the intellectual pursuits that interest me. For a while in the middle I found this somewhat hard to read because of that - I'm so far removed from a world where I have to make that choice I found it challenging to read of a character who does. Really really good.
This had a really, really slow start, and it felt a lot like work with little reward (unless you’re excited by the intricacies of the academic research process), and I didn’t understand the disjointedness and why we were in the heads of certain characters at all, but! But. Eventually it started to come together, and I got to see characters change (and earn that change), and by the end it was almost a…feminist manifesto of sorts? I didn’t always love the experience of reading this, but it ended up being worth the payoff.
I was for sure impressed by the amount of historical research that went into the book, and the religious stuff was a window into a whole world of ideas and problems that aren’t part of my experience, and so for those two aspects I’d definitely recommend this for people who are into that sort of stuff, but for others, be warned that this is for sure a Serious Book that will take some time and effort.
I was for sure impressed by the amount of historical research that went into the book, and the religious stuff was a window into a whole world of ideas and problems that aren’t part of my experience, and so for those two aspects I’d definitely recommend this for people who are into that sort of stuff, but for others, be warned that this is for sure a Serious Book that will take some time and effort.
weirdly Zionist, obnoxious characters, and a writing style I couldn't get through.
Interesting premise and characters are complex, but it moved so slowly that I lost interest.
challenging
informative
Really a 4.9 stars. Superb novel. Wonderful weaving of storylines. Slow to start, but stick with it.
The Weight of Ink is a enjoyable densely packed novel with lots of moving parts. It's foremost a historical novel, exploring late 17th century life in London, with a focus on Jewish history (the Inquisition in Portugal, Jewish culture in Amsterdam, the emergence of Jewish culture in London). The plague of 1665 figures prominently.
It's also a mystery, with an interwoven story of modern day historians trying to piece together the life a female scribe for a rabbi in London from a newly found trove of documents.
The novel has great, unpredictable, imperfect characters. Ester the scribe is a intellectually strong and uncompromising. Helen the historian is trying to make sense of her own life as it ends. Aaron, the graduate student has a lot to learn. Even the secondary characters are interesting.
The philosophical questions and discussions that Ester poses will have you looking to wikipedia.
As a catalyst, the novel owes Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own" a nod - because at is heart is the question of what happens to a female who wants intellectual not household pursuits. But unlike Shakespeare's sister, Ester manages to pull it off.
It's also a mystery, with an interwoven story of modern day historians trying to piece together the life a female scribe for a rabbi in London from a newly found trove of documents.
The novel has great, unpredictable, imperfect characters. Ester the scribe is a intellectually strong and uncompromising. Helen the historian is trying to make sense of her own life as it ends. Aaron, the graduate student has a lot to learn. Even the secondary characters are interesting.
The philosophical questions and discussions that Ester poses will have you looking to wikipedia.
As a catalyst, the novel owes Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own" a nod - because at is heart is the question of what happens to a female who wants intellectual not household pursuits. But unlike Shakespeare's sister, Ester manages to pull it off.
This book took me a while to get in to. I felt lost when it came to the Jewish history lesson. Though once the lives of the characters unfolded I was able to get lost in the pages.
I rarely write reviews but truly could not put this down but for work and sleep and the like. It was an incredible piece and I absolutely loved it.