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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Jewish history ✔
Historical fiction✔
Contemporary fiction✔
My words would not do this book justice... But once in awhile when you close a book and exhale you know this, this right here is why I (we) read.
Highly recommend!!
Historical fiction✔
Contemporary fiction✔
My words would not do this book justice... But once in awhile when you close a book and exhale you know this, this right here is why I (we) read.
Highly recommend!!
3.5 rounded up to 4
This was a beautiful and well-written story. It was extremely detailed, and I liked the alternating timelines. Though a fictional story, I learned a lot about Jewish history through Ester: a Jewish woman in 17th century Europe, and the main focus of the book. I also enjoyed learning about Helen and her past. You can tell that Kadish wrote this story with tons of research and tons of care.
That being said, there were a lot of different POVs, and the sheer amount of detail, and letters, bogged down the pace for me. It definitely could've been 100-200 pages shorter. Aaron's character was also nearly insufferable in the first half; however, all of the characters ended up having great character arcs.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story, and I recommend it if you like historical fiction. But the sheer amount of detail, and the jumps in POV, made me struggle to finish the story.
This was a beautiful and well-written story. It was extremely detailed, and I liked the alternating timelines. Though a fictional story, I learned a lot about Jewish history through Ester: a Jewish woman in 17th century Europe, and the main focus of the book. I also enjoyed learning about Helen and her past. You can tell that Kadish wrote this story with tons of research and tons of care.
That being said, there were a lot of different POVs, and the sheer amount of detail, and letters, bogged down the pace for me. It definitely could've been 100-200 pages shorter. Aaron's character was also nearly insufferable in the first half; however, all of the characters ended up having great character arcs.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story, and I recommend it if you like historical fiction. But the sheer amount of detail, and the jumps in POV, made me struggle to finish the story.
This was excellent! Reminded me a bit of "Possession" by AS Byatt. I couldn't put it down and, when I had to, couldn't stop thinking about it.
phew. This is a LONG book. It's over 500 pages and the pages are not small but the print is there is a LOT in this book and I do think that it could have survived a more rigorous editing. There were parts that were really fabulous and then parts that seemed a bit superfluous. That said, it's good one for historical fiction buffs but I would strongly suggest a hard copy because dates are important you will want to be flipping back and forth.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a great complicated story with multiple points of view done well. Well worth the read, but it is definitely a bit of a commitment. If you like historical fiction and or are looking for a Judaism related book done well, this story is really well worth it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
It is two stories for the price of one. One is set in 17th century London as Jews are coming back after their exile in Spain and refuge in Amsterdam. She is being used as a scribe to a renown rabbi but is thrown in with the Elizabethan theater crowd. the other story involves two scholars who are finding the letters and writings of this unusual girl that they have discovered in an archive under the stairs.
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes