Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book; however, it was a litte long and slow. It really picked up and got interested in the last 1/3rd of the book. At that point I felt like I was really wondering what was gonig to happen next! But the first 2/3 were a little slow and hard to get through at times. Quite a few names and plot points/developments that I found confusing, maybe because it took me so long to read. However I liked the ending and though it was really well written.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Antisemitism, Death of parent
Holy.. what an experience of a book. The alternating timelines so perfectly intertwined and woven .. a LITERAL MASTERPIECE. Revolves around the love of books and the passion we as readers have for reading. Just utterly and easily top three books of the year.. heck maybe even of my life.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I went from hating this book to not minding it. I found the storyline interesting as I read Ester's story and also how Helen and Aaron uncover more truths about her story. I don't know much about that period of history, so it was interesting to learn more about it and to consider what it would be like to have thoughts that are not permissable in society.
I appreciated reading the letters and the story as it unfolded, but most of the time, especially in the first half of the book, the story felt bogged down with too many words and descriptions. At times the lengthy descriptions detracted from the storyline and the characters rather than contributing to it. Also, the pieces of the story felt too contrived at times.
The characters were interesting because from the beginning they are not likeable, and yet that's what makes them intriguing - it often means they have a story and a past that they have not yet healed from. This proved true for the main characters and we got to see their healing journey unfold.
So all in all, not my favourite book, but the research was thorough and I appreciated the glimpse into 17th century London from a Jewish perspective.
I appreciated reading the letters and the story as it unfolded, but most of the time, especially in the first half of the book, the story felt bogged down with too many words and descriptions. At times the lengthy descriptions detracted from the storyline and the characters rather than contributing to it. Also, the pieces of the story felt too contrived at times.
The characters were interesting because from the beginning they are not likeable, and yet that's what makes them intriguing - it often means they have a story and a past that they have not yet healed from. This proved true for the main characters and we got to see their healing journey unfold.
So all in all, not my favourite book, but the research was thorough and I appreciated the glimpse into 17th century London from a Jewish perspective.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, Torture, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated