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bkdrgn303's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating look at 16th century Judaism through the eyes of shammes, or synagogue sexton Benyamin Ben-Akiva who has three days to find the murderer of a young Christian girl found dead in the Jewish ghetto of Prague. Full of history, intrigue and humor. I hope that author Kenneth Wishnia plans to write more mysteries featuring Benyamin Ben-Akiva.
eososray's review against another edition
4.0
I am fascinated by the medieval Jewish community. What they were accused of, and how they survived is a marvel, when almost no one liked them and they were accused of everything bad that ever happened in the areas they lived.
I think this story did a fantastic job of describing the lives of those in the Prague Jewish ghetto. It also creates a very believable atmosphere for the city, both in and out of the ghetto, when the Jewish are accused of killing a Christian girl. The author obviously did a vast amount of research and it shows in the quality of historical fact in the book.
I think this story did a fantastic job of describing the lives of those in the Prague Jewish ghetto. It also creates a very believable atmosphere for the city, both in and out of the ghetto, when the Jewish are accused of killing a Christian girl. The author obviously did a vast amount of research and it shows in the quality of historical fact in the book.
roshk99's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book set in Prague at the time of vicious religious tensions between the Catholics and Protestants, where the only thing the two sides can agree on is hating the Jews. In the midst of this mess, a Christian girl is murdered and it is up to one lowly shammes to clear the Jews' name before the Christians band together and destroy the entire ghetto. This book is filled with well-researched historical details and the plot twists and turns until the end. Similar to the Sansom series.
zoemig's review against another edition
3.0
The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia is a complex historical fiction murder mystery, taking place in 1592 in Prague where Jews take refuge within the gated walls of a ghetto in one of the few places they are actually allowed to live. All that may be forced to change when the body of a young Christian girl with her throat slashed is found in a Jewish shop on the eve of Passover. The shopkeeper and his family are arrested, but more is at stake than just their freedom as the Christians may use this as an excuse to destroy the Jews. With less than three days to find the real killer, Talmudic scholar Benyamin is left to try to solve the crime.
In The Fifth Servant, Wishnia does a great job of combining the historical with his murder mystery plot line, although I do think the historical aspects work much better than the mystery part, as it is waded down by all the details and more characters than I could easily keep straight. It's also not Wishnia's fault but when everyone goes by Rabbi or Reb I get easily confused trying to recall who has done what and sometimes the novel became too complicated for me. This wasn't helped by constantly throwing in interesting, but often irrelevant, historical facts and philosophical debates. In particular, I think the first 150 pages could have been trimmed down slightly as it took quite awhile to actually get into the story. Once I had settled into the book, I was able to enjoy the story even if it went occasionally off-topic.
The novel contains a lot of words in other languages, particularly Yiddish and Hebrew, and although there is a small glossary at the back I really think footnotes would have been beneficial in this case. It really interrupts the flow of the book to constantly be flipping around, especially since the glossary isn't even completely at the back at the book but actually precedes a bonus chapter about what happened to one of the characters. One aspect I appreciated about The Fifth Servant was the surprising sense of humour, particularly when it came to jokes about faith and religion between the various Rabbis and other individuals. However when it came to actual character development there were simply too many people in the story for all of them to feel dimensional and many came across as caricatures, for example the prostitute with the heart of gold or the friendly giant with mental disabilities.
The Fifth Servant offers so much to the reader, insight on everything from history to religion, that at times it becomes overwhelming and difficult to follow. I wanted to understand what was going on, but at times the story simply became too complex and with too much random information for it to really be clear in my head. There is a lot about the book that is interesting and well-written, but ultimately Wishnia simply overreaches and the result is that The Fifth Servant is an intelligent but overly confusing novel that is heavy on the historical and light on the actual mystery component.
In The Fifth Servant, Wishnia does a great job of combining the historical with his murder mystery plot line, although I do think the historical aspects work much better than the mystery part, as it is waded down by all the details and more characters than I could easily keep straight. It's also not Wishnia's fault but when everyone goes by Rabbi or Reb I get easily confused trying to recall who has done what and sometimes the novel became too complicated for me. This wasn't helped by constantly throwing in interesting, but often irrelevant, historical facts and philosophical debates. In particular, I think the first 150 pages could have been trimmed down slightly as it took quite awhile to actually get into the story. Once I had settled into the book, I was able to enjoy the story even if it went occasionally off-topic.
The novel contains a lot of words in other languages, particularly Yiddish and Hebrew, and although there is a small glossary at the back I really think footnotes would have been beneficial in this case. It really interrupts the flow of the book to constantly be flipping around, especially since the glossary isn't even completely at the back at the book but actually precedes a bonus chapter about what happened to one of the characters. One aspect I appreciated about The Fifth Servant was the surprising sense of humour, particularly when it came to jokes about faith and religion between the various Rabbis and other individuals. However when it came to actual character development there were simply too many people in the story for all of them to feel dimensional and many came across as caricatures, for example the prostitute with the heart of gold or the friendly giant with mental disabilities.
The Fifth Servant offers so much to the reader, insight on everything from history to religion, that at times it becomes overwhelming and difficult to follow. I wanted to understand what was going on, but at times the story simply became too complex and with too much random information for it to really be clear in my head. There is a lot about the book that is interesting and well-written, but ultimately Wishnia simply overreaches and the result is that The Fifth Servant is an intelligent but overly confusing novel that is heavy on the historical and light on the actual mystery component.
gawronma's review against another edition
3.0
Although I thought the story took place in an interesting locale, the mystery itself was fairly light. The history and the triangle between the Jewish, the protestant and Catholic communities was intersting. The main characheter appeared smart and it would have nice he was a more of the focus in the book. The author continued to shift focus. On the whole the book was lieable.
caitlinxmartin's review against another edition
4.0
Here's a book that combines some of my favorite things - history, detailed information about a relatively unfamiliar culture, a basis in folklore, and a mystery. The Fifth Servant is a wonderful and playful book based in part on the legend of Rabbi Loew's creation of the Golem that saved the ghetto of Prague. It's a legend that never fails to delight me and this book goes on my list of favorites based on it, including He, She, and It by Marge Piercy and The Golem by Issac Bashevis Singer. All are very different, but all tell a story of ingenuity and courage in the face of great peril and of winning out against all odds through wit and intelligence.
This was a great story and once I started reading I was immediately hooked. The language is relatively modern, but the author makes an argument about this by talking about old tales written in Yiddish that are colloquial and very modern in their sound. I think this was a good choice. There's nothing worse than reading historical fiction where the dialogue sounds like that one person from your high school drama class that has that phony snooty stage voice (or that pretentious classical music announcer that thinks a fake British accent makes them smarter). Bleh.
This is a complicated story, but the author balances the plot complexities and the mix of cultures and languages deftly by giving each character (no matter how minor) a clear voice that is related to the individual's shared culture. It makes it easier to keep track of all the pieces.
The brilliant reminder of the oppression faced not just by Jews, but by Protestants and by the poor is a wonderful reflection of our own time. We all need to be more concerned with social justice and with our histories and this book amply illustrates that (although not in a didactic way). I also loved the detail about daily life, about being an apothecary or a butcher or a Jewish prostitute. The celebration of learning and reading and language as a tool for rising above circumstances of all kinds was also a big hit with me.
What a lovely book - not run of the mill, but combining the best of several genres into its own tale.
This was a great story and once I started reading I was immediately hooked. The language is relatively modern, but the author makes an argument about this by talking about old tales written in Yiddish that are colloquial and very modern in their sound. I think this was a good choice. There's nothing worse than reading historical fiction where the dialogue sounds like that one person from your high school drama class that has that phony snooty stage voice (or that pretentious classical music announcer that thinks a fake British accent makes them smarter). Bleh.
This is a complicated story, but the author balances the plot complexities and the mix of cultures and languages deftly by giving each character (no matter how minor) a clear voice that is related to the individual's shared culture. It makes it easier to keep track of all the pieces.
The brilliant reminder of the oppression faced not just by Jews, but by Protestants and by the poor is a wonderful reflection of our own time. We all need to be more concerned with social justice and with our histories and this book amply illustrates that (although not in a didactic way). I also loved the detail about daily life, about being an apothecary or a butcher or a Jewish prostitute. The celebration of learning and reading and language as a tool for rising above circumstances of all kinds was also a big hit with me.
What a lovely book - not run of the mill, but combining the best of several genres into its own tale.
sczechw's review against another edition
1.0
Short story buries within pages & pages of Jewish details if you interested.
literaryfeline's review against another edition
3.0
When I first read the description of Kenneth Wishnia's novel, The Fifth Servant, I knew I had to read it. Set in late 16th century Prague during the inquisition when Catholics and Protestants are battling for control, the Jewish people in the ghetto are going about their lives, hoping attention is not turned on them. When the body of a young Christian girl is found on the floor of a Jewish businessman's shop, however, all eyes focus on the Jewish community and what is perceived as their Jew-magic. Shammes Benyamin comes upon the scene hoping to sort it out only to find himself more deeply involved than he could have anticipated. Suddenly it is on his shoulders to find out what really happened, prove that it was not a blood crime, and save the ghetto from complete destruction by the angry mobs outside the gates.
Benyamin is an outsider even in his own community. He is a newcomer who hasn't yet proven his value. He traveled from his home in Poland, following his wife, a woman who feels betrayed by him. Benyamin still has hope that he could win her back. With the prejudices and biases of the authorities involved with the murder investigation, Benyamin knows he has a difficult road to travel to get to the truth. He knows he cannot do it alone.
Anya is a Christian woman, the daughter of a butcher. She earns extra money by working as a servant in a Jewish home despite the prohibition by the Catholic Church against Christians working for the Jews. Because of Anya's foot in both worlds, she is the perfect person to ask for help with the investigation into the girls' murder, a friend of both Christians and Jews. She is observant and intelligent but must be careful.
There was much in the way of Talmudic thought and discussion throughout the novel, which I found quite interesting. I have long been interested in the Jewish faith and history. The author clearly did a lot of research into the traditions and history of the time period. The hostility between the various religious factions was a big focus of the novel. The Catholic Church in that region was very powerful and punitive. It seemed to be a fearful time, one where a cry of witchcraft or blasphemy by a neighbor would be enough to warrant punishment, even torture without a full investigation. My heart went out to the midwife who was only trying to make her living, having to watch her every step for fear she'd be accused of witchcraft.
The novel was told from the perspective of both Benyamin and Anya, one in first person the other in third. The Fifth Servant takes place over three days, but is not a fast paced book for all the author tries to accomplish, both in conveying the historical aspects of the time period as well as the more philosophical discussions that take place between the characters. There are also the personal stories: Benyamin's attempts to reconcile with his wife and Anya with her own internal struggles, including whether or not to pursue forbidden love. There is building tension, especially as Benyamin's deadline to bring forward the real killer approaches and the angry mob outside the gates grows more and more violent. The mystery itself, the search for what happened to the murdered girl, seemed almost secondary to the other events taking place in the book. Still, it definitely is what moved the story forward.
The Fifth Servant was not quite I expected, but I did enjoy it. I would have preferred there to have been more of a balance between the mystery itself and the other aspects of the novel; however, there was so much going on that I can see how challenging that might be. The inquisition is an interesting and sad part of our world's history, and I was inspired to do a little research into the time period and setting of the novel after finishing it--always a good sign.
Source: Review Copy provided by publisher.
Benyamin is an outsider even in his own community. He is a newcomer who hasn't yet proven his value. He traveled from his home in Poland, following his wife, a woman who feels betrayed by him. Benyamin still has hope that he could win her back. With the prejudices and biases of the authorities involved with the murder investigation, Benyamin knows he has a difficult road to travel to get to the truth. He knows he cannot do it alone.
Anya is a Christian woman, the daughter of a butcher. She earns extra money by working as a servant in a Jewish home despite the prohibition by the Catholic Church against Christians working for the Jews. Because of Anya's foot in both worlds, she is the perfect person to ask for help with the investigation into the girls' murder, a friend of both Christians and Jews. She is observant and intelligent but must be careful.
There was much in the way of Talmudic thought and discussion throughout the novel, which I found quite interesting. I have long been interested in the Jewish faith and history. The author clearly did a lot of research into the traditions and history of the time period. The hostility between the various religious factions was a big focus of the novel. The Catholic Church in that region was very powerful and punitive. It seemed to be a fearful time, one where a cry of witchcraft or blasphemy by a neighbor would be enough to warrant punishment, even torture without a full investigation. My heart went out to the midwife who was only trying to make her living, having to watch her every step for fear she'd be accused of witchcraft.
The novel was told from the perspective of both Benyamin and Anya, one in first person the other in third. The Fifth Servant takes place over three days, but is not a fast paced book for all the author tries to accomplish, both in conveying the historical aspects of the time period as well as the more philosophical discussions that take place between the characters. There are also the personal stories: Benyamin's attempts to reconcile with his wife and Anya with her own internal struggles, including whether or not to pursue forbidden love. There is building tension, especially as Benyamin's deadline to bring forward the real killer approaches and the angry mob outside the gates grows more and more violent. The mystery itself, the search for what happened to the murdered girl, seemed almost secondary to the other events taking place in the book. Still, it definitely is what moved the story forward.
The Fifth Servant was not quite I expected, but I did enjoy it. I would have preferred there to have been more of a balance between the mystery itself and the other aspects of the novel; however, there was so much going on that I can see how challenging that might be. The inquisition is an interesting and sad part of our world's history, and I was inspired to do a little research into the time period and setting of the novel after finishing it--always a good sign.
Source: Review Copy provided by publisher.
cyndin's review against another edition
4.0
16th century Jewish Prague is a bustling ghetto filled with those who embrace the isolation from the larger community and those that chafe against it. After a young Christian girl is found murdered in a Jewish shop just outside the ghetto, mere days after the fifth shammus (translated as servant) of the community arrives to start his employment, the community fears the worst: that they will be blamed and collectively punished regardless of whether or not a Jew was involved in the crime.
Fortunately, the shammus is a budding detective and starts investigating. Told mostly from his point of view, we see a wide range of the community, as well as the lives of some of the gentiles that interact with it.
Fortunately, the shammus is a budding detective and starts investigating. Told mostly from his point of view, we see a wide range of the community, as well as the lives of some of the gentiles that interact with it.
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