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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A very interesting story, though I found the prose a bit too colourful and earnest for my taste. But smart. And chilling to read about the plague.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
An absolutely beautiful story. Engaging, thought provoking, challenging; a great story, and an education in one. It requires commitment and thought, it’s not a light, summer read, but so worth the effort!
Fascinating backdrop. I loved learning about the Jewish communities in Amsterdam and London in the 17th century.
So boring to me that I abandoned it halfway through. Couldn't endure any more.
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Hard returning to this world after being so immersed in Esther’s. “..as she read she saw the enormity of her blindness….she thought she understood the world…yet it’s very essence had been missing…The imperative…to live. The universe was ruled by a force, and the force was life, and life and life…a pulsing commanding law of its own”. And through the pages we saw this in the past and as the present day scholars search for meaning.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
Review of The Weight of Ink
By: Rachel Kadish
Professor Helen Watt has been led by a former student to a cache of writings by a female Jewish scribe, Ester, from the late 1600s. Unfortunately, Helen needs help from an American college student, who is Jewish, Aaron Levy to handle the documents as she has Parkinson’s. We also see Ester’s story as she secretly writes against the expectations and pressures of her society.
This is such a page turner as we learn Helen and Ester’s stories told to the reader in this book. There lives run parallel to each other as they are both women that are trying to prove their worth and are talked down to by males. They have to learn how to accept their fates and let others in, as well. Aaron also has to learn some of these things but also to lesson his ego. He’s a bit of prick and arrogant. I get the frustration of wanting to talk to someone that you can have in-depth discussions, but Aaron is rude and insensitive to other’s feelings, especially women’s feelings. The only character that pissed me off more than Aaron was Bridgett Easton. She’s cold and unfeeling and represents the negative traits of modern women such as her lack of respect for history and her sense of entitlement. Another character that pissed me off is Bescos. He is cruel and arrogant and is a self-righteous bastard. The writing is beautiful with one half immersing you in the past and the other half immersing you in world researching history. She explores not only the challenges that still exist today, but the suffering of the Jews. The hatred that Ester and Mary experienced throughout the novel was hard to read. Helen’s struggle with Parkinson’s and trying to hold onto her pride was also heartbreaking to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic