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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
This richly-detailed historical fiction novel about the Jewish population of 17th-century London brings to mind Geraldine Brooks's People of the Book, but in my opinion author Rachel Kadish does a much better job of making the lives of researchers in the modern age as compelling as the story unfolding in the past -- especially near the end, when the two narrative threads begin to parallel one another in some interesting and unexpected ways.
THEN: a young woman serving as scribe to a blind rabbi struggles against the limitations society puts on her gender and her religion, desperate for the freedom to pursue her scholastic interests. NOW: a lonely history professor on the verge of a forced retirement and her assistant, a Jewish grad student stuck on his dead-end dissertation, uncover a cache of documents from the rabbi's household and begin to piece together who could have written them. All three are fierce characters that I came to cherish, and the novel as a whole contains some beautiful meditations on love, history, gender roles, and Judaism. It's currently my top new read of the year, and I'll be thinking over its insights and most poetic passages for quite some time to come.
THEN: a young woman serving as scribe to a blind rabbi struggles against the limitations society puts on her gender and her religion, desperate for the freedom to pursue her scholastic interests. NOW: a lonely history professor on the verge of a forced retirement and her assistant, a Jewish grad student stuck on his dead-end dissertation, uncover a cache of documents from the rabbi's household and begin to piece together who could have written them. All three are fierce characters that I came to cherish, and the novel as a whole contains some beautiful meditations on love, history, gender roles, and Judaism. It's currently my top new read of the year, and I'll be thinking over its insights and most poetic passages for quite some time to come.
Inconsistent writing -- there's a romance here, also an historical novel, potentially there's a philosophical review (Spinoza et al) that could be contextualized and create greater tension than the modern characters present -- and while it's obvious how it all connects, this book lacks subtlety. Fine material, and the feminist narrative is important but somewhat compromised by the modern characters who are... again, inconsistent. It would be twice the book in impact, were it half the book in size.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
I struggled with the rating because the first 200 pages, or so, were slow going for me. Then suddenly, I couldn't put the book down. Characters I didn't care for, suddenly my heart was breaking for them. This was a part of Jewish history I was completely unfamiliar with and it was brought painfully alive.
"For the first time she thought, I understand why we sleep. To slip the knot of the world."
Some candle inside him was dangerously close to guttering. A definition of loneliness surfaced in his mind: when you suddenly understand that the story of your life isn't what you thought it was.
I struggled with the rating because the first 200 pages, or so, were slow going for me. Then suddenly, I couldn't put the book down. Characters I didn't care for, suddenly my heart was breaking for them. This was a part of Jewish history I was completely unfamiliar with and it was brought painfully alive.
"For the first time she thought, I understand why we sleep. To slip the knot of the world."
Some candle inside him was dangerously close to guttering. A definition of loneliness surfaced in his mind: when you suddenly understand that the story of your life isn't what you thought it was.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 very good.
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3/21/2021
Little did I know when I finished this book on March 13, 2020 that a few days later I would go home and stay home for a global pandemic. I thought of this book often during the past year.
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3/21/2021
Little did I know when I finished this book on March 13, 2020 that a few days later I would go home and stay home for a global pandemic. I thought of this book often during the past year.
I liked this, but it was a weighty tome, not one to pick up and put down lightly. But it was so rewarding in the end. Sometimes the parallels between the modern and the Renaissance storylines were a little heavy-handed. But there was so much here (and I know I missed out on a lot of the depth of the philosophical musings)! Really really good.
slow-paced
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just not invested in this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Murder