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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
This book was an excellent read. I bought it on a whim but was almost immediately engrossed. The writing is exquisite, the story line inventive and well researched. The back-and-forth between the (near) present and the past helps to keep the pace of the narrative going -- just when you're beginning to tire of one particular path, you jump several centuries back or ahead to pick up where you left off there.
My one very minor complaint about this book is that there are several sections of very heavy philosophical discussion that were mostly over my head and gave me flashbacks of the one philosophy course I took in college that used to regularly put me to sleep. I understand why they're there -- they're an integral piece of the narrative -- but I found them a bit of a slog to get through.
I think what I enjoyed most in this book was the very real characters that Kadish has created. She gives you a complete history and background for each of the three main figures, almost as if they were actual historical figures who she's thoroughly researched to provide a complete biographical sketch. I found that as the book progressed I had come to care deeply about what happened to these individuals, and as I finished the last page, I felt a sense of loss from not knowing how their stories would carry on after the end of the book.
My one very minor complaint about this book is that there are several sections of very heavy philosophical discussion that were mostly over my head and gave me flashbacks of the one philosophy course I took in college that used to regularly put me to sleep. I understand why they're there -- they're an integral piece of the narrative -- but I found them a bit of a slog to get through.
I think what I enjoyed most in this book was the very real characters that Kadish has created. She gives you a complete history and background for each of the three main figures, almost as if they were actual historical figures who she's thoroughly researched to provide a complete biographical sketch. I found that as the book progressed I had come to care deeply about what happened to these individuals, and as I finished the last page, I felt a sense of loss from not knowing how their stories would carry on after the end of the book.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
Kirjaan kesti hetken päästä sisälle, pääasiassa koska Kadish ei todellakaan anna nykyajan päähenkilöistään mairittelevaa kuvaa, ja alkuun hieman pelotti, että he olisivat koko kirjan ajan sellaisia. Mutta tarinapa olikin paitsi hitaasti avautuva mysteerikertomus 1600-luvun Esterin elämänkaaresta, myös vahvasti historioitsija Helenin ja jatko-opiskelija Aaronin kasvutarina. Kirjan eri aikatasot toimivat hyvin tarinan avautumisen työkaluna ja että kirjailija annosteli lukijalle taitavasti aina jotain uutta odotettavaa.
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would give the first half of the book a 2, it was painfully slow and overlong. The second half was much better
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
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:
Complicated
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It starts off slow, but after 200 pages I couldn't put it down
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read A. S. Byatt’s “Possession” the year it was published, and although I know I loved it all I can remember is snowfall outside a mullioned window and an encounter at a stile where a child’s curly hair is a giveaway. I may not be remembering very well as it was thirty years ago. I even thought I had read People of the Book, but it turns out I was confusing out with another book about book conservation, The Sixteen Pleasures. So I could enjoy this novel without comparing it to anything. Anyway, it has something the others don’t - a raging pandemic, which lends it a topical flavor. How do writers know how people would behave in the midst of one? Are we so predictable? Other interesting topics include academia, London, books, writing, love found, love lost, and a bit of mystery. I will admit I skipped a few of the philosophical passages which were quite heavy going, Spinoza, anyone? I’m alarmed, and somewhat annoyed that this is the second novel I’ve recently read where a woman of my age is depicted as frail, old, and on her way out. You can’t even claim Social Security until you’re 66 and one month years old, people!
Later: I watched the 2002 movie of the novel Possession last night and found it to be very sterile. Not much passion and I was unexpectedly ambushed by a dirty weekend in Whitby. Also, lots of lush English countryside to make me feel homesick
Later: I watched the 2002 movie of the novel Possession last night and found it to be very sterile. Not much passion and I was unexpectedly ambushed by a dirty weekend in Whitby. Also, lots of lush English countryside to make me feel homesick
This is a fascinating and complex work that interweaves the story of a seventeenth-century Jewish woman living in London who must hide her intellect from those closest to her, with two contemporary academics who slowly discover the truth about her. The three main characters are compelling, and Kadish's language skillfully conveys the feel of both time periods.