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poischiche31's review against another edition
1.5
I love historical fiction and I often read big books, so what could go wrong? Lol. Began reading, and I only finished this absolute slog out of pride.
The writing reads like a verbose textbook. It’s not so much a novel as a fictionalized historical research report. The characters, of which there are far too many, are altogether poorly developed. What motivated Jacob? Who was he on the inside? 1000 pages later and I have no idea who Jacob, our titular character, really was. This goes for every character we meet.
The short chapters are sporadic, unfocused, monotonous. The conclusion reads like a genealogy report.
The illustrations, IMO, add nothing to the book. Sometimes they make no sense or seemingly have no connection to the text they’re placed next to. But every time I saw the dark outlines of a photograph shining through the next page, I rejoiced, for these photos reduced the number of words on a page.
To sum up the book: blah blah blah blah blah
The writing reads like a verbose textbook. It’s not so much a novel as a fictionalized historical research report. The characters, of which there are far too many, are altogether poorly developed. What motivated Jacob? Who was he on the inside? 1000 pages later and I have no idea who Jacob, our titular character, really was. This goes for every character we meet.
The short chapters are sporadic, unfocused, monotonous. The conclusion reads like a genealogy report.
The illustrations, IMO, add nothing to the book. Sometimes they make no sense or seemingly have no connection to the text they’re placed next to. But every time I saw the dark outlines of a photograph shining through the next page, I rejoiced, for these photos reduced the number of words on a page.
To sum up the book: blah blah blah blah blah
pierreikonnikov's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
laurjor's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.25
lpdodds's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.75
smallredboy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Me gustó muchísimo este libro; es mi primera vez leyéndome un libro tan largo y más encima histórico. Siento que necesito releerlo en un tiempo que pueda dedicarle todo el tiempo posible, quizá en físico para mejor observar las imágenes y poder tomar apuntes para no perderme tanto. A pesar de mis grandes hiatuses entre lecturas, amé la narración, la constelación de personajes, la vista a la religión y a la historia; quiero leer más de la autora.
andrew61's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I am still trying to digest this remarkable piece of writing.
The story is of a charismatic Jewish man, Jacob Frank in 18th century Poland who become leader of a cult that believe he is the next messiah and leads his followers to convert the Christianity. Told over 900 pages ( which are numbered backwards) it is told in the voices of the people around him as they observe his progress from a young boy who disappears in a local cave to an elderly man lashing out at those who surround him as he face death. These voices are diverse including his local aristocratic sponsor, a female poet, a book loving priest, franks chronolger, and his grandmother who on her death bed takes a spell into her mouth and lives in spirit forever overseeing the life of her grandson.
In between he builds such a following that they create a small town and he appears to begin to abuse his control.
Frank , who was a real character is unlikeable but the cult of the messiah is compelling in a society where anti-Semitism is rife informed by misconceptions of religion including the belief that Jews sacrifice gentile babies for their beliefs leading to persecution.
Like a similar messiah Sabbatai Zevi, who converted to Islam, the basis of Frank's ideology was a conversion from Judaism while retaining their customs and beliefs and among scenes that are described vividly are the mass baptisms that occur.
Frank quickly however is denounced and following a trial in which one of his followers betrays him he is imprisoned for many years although quickly exploits his monastic jailors.
This book was a slow but rewarding read as it explored a period of history I knew little about but the issues still permeate through the centuries both in terms of the creation of states in Eastern Europe but also the tolerance or otherwise of religion.
The story is of a charismatic Jewish man, Jacob Frank in 18th century Poland who become leader of a cult that believe he is the next messiah and leads his followers to convert the Christianity. Told over 900 pages ( which are numbered backwards) it is told in the voices of the people around him as they observe his progress from a young boy who disappears in a local cave to an elderly man lashing out at those who surround him as he face death. These voices are diverse including his local aristocratic sponsor, a female poet, a book loving priest, franks chronolger, and his grandmother who on her death bed takes a spell into her mouth and lives in spirit forever overseeing the life of her grandson.
In between he builds such a following that they create a small town and he appears to begin to abuse his control.
Frank , who was a real character is unlikeable but the cult of the messiah is compelling in a society where anti-Semitism is rife informed by misconceptions of religion including the belief that Jews sacrifice gentile babies for their beliefs leading to persecution.
Like a similar messiah Sabbatai Zevi, who converted to Islam, the basis of Frank's ideology was a conversion from Judaism while retaining their customs and beliefs and among scenes that are described vividly are the mass baptisms that occur.
Frank quickly however is denounced and following a trial in which one of his followers betrays him he is imprisoned for many years although quickly exploits his monastic jailors.
This book was a slow but rewarding read as it explored a period of history I knew little about but the issues still permeate through the centuries both in terms of the creation of states in Eastern Europe but also the tolerance or otherwise of religion.
bozonbozonski's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
stinkycheeseboy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0