Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Full review at bookendra.wordpress.com/2018/04/22/book-review-the-weight-of-ink-by-rachel-kadish/
This may be my favorite book of the year. It is one of those books I'm sad to leave--even though the 16th century was so much candles and cold and suffering.
Difficult to say something about this book. It was completely what I expected - but also really not. Before I read it, I constantly saw how it was likened to "The People of the Book" and "Possession", which, now that I read it, is the definite, if narrow, category this novel is in. But I'm not so sure this one plays in the same league.
I have a hard time defining why, though. I loved the premise: I enjoy books spanning and connecting different time periods, as well as stories set in and around university and academia, philosophy and the art of writing, description of day to day life, work etc in historical settings... The language was beautiful! There were many great passages and lovely details, but also some weird elements. The protagonists were actually rather genuine and not just off the rack, however they seemed so obvious to me. I just didn't really connect to either, I'm afraid.
So, I liked a lot of things about this book, but I'm getting the impression that these are maybe the same things that made me doubt it a bit. I liked it, but didn't love it.
I read it as an audio book, which was done very nicely. The narrator was calm and didn't really do "voices", just slight changes in tone depending on which setting in the narrative she read. The different characters and formats of the narrative came out very vividly.
Anyway. Without being so skeptical really, I did enjoy this!
I have a hard time defining why, though. I loved the premise: I enjoy books spanning and connecting different time periods, as well as stories set in and around university and academia, philosophy and the art of writing, description of day to day life, work etc in historical settings... The language was beautiful! There were many great passages and lovely details, but also some weird elements. The protagonists were actually rather genuine and not just off the rack, however they seemed so obvious to me. I just didn't really connect to either, I'm afraid.
So, I liked a lot of things about this book, but I'm getting the impression that these are maybe the same things that made me doubt it a bit. I liked it, but didn't love it.
I read it as an audio book, which was done very nicely. The narrator was calm and didn't really do "voices", just slight changes in tone depending on which setting in the narrative she read. The different characters and formats of the narrative came out very vividly.
Anyway. Without being so skeptical really, I did enjoy this!
I’m sorry but I just could not get into this book. I felt like I kept zoning out and couldn’t focus on it again as if my brain was off in another world. Maybe sometime in the future I could read this but now it’s not my thing.
Entwined stories of Esther, a 17th century woman, and Helen, a 20th century historian, is rich and detailed for both. The details were fascinating, and the philosophy noted here were also captivating. At times the secondary characters were not fully fleshed out, and the details of the lives that both women end up living a bit of an extreme, but the truth of academic rivalry and human frailty are also included. Well worth the read.
I had to work to enter the world Rachel Kaddish creates in “The Weight of Ink”. But once I was in it, I did not want to leave. I have little in common with her characters, yet I understood them, and had great empathy for the main characters. I enjoyed their company and felt curious about their lives. Often when a novel toggles back and forth between time periods there is one era I prefer over the other. This was not the case with this novel. I spent more time consulting Google when I was in a 17th century Sephardic community during the London plague and Great Fire. But I enjoyed reading in both eras and learned a great deal. This is what I look for in a novel. Stick with it past chapter 10 and you will be rewarded!
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No