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aristarcodisamo's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Antisemitism, Hate crime, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, War, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual content, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Violence
reggiewoods's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.25
Jacob Frank was an 18th century Polish Jew who claimed to be the messiah and started a religious movement that managed to piss off pretty much everyone that wasn’t a follower of his. I had never heard of Jacob Frank before this book, so I don’t know how accurate Tokarczuk’s account is, but it is indeed both epic and detailed. The only problem I had with this book happens to be a big one: I did not find Jacob Frank to be anything special. I don’t know if this is a failure of the author, the translator, or my own inherent skepticism, but nothing about Jacob ever helped me understand why people would see him as a prophet or messiah. Otherwise it is a solid book by a terrific author. I recommend it to fans of historical fiction, religious history, and epics.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Infidelity, Death, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Rape, Pregnancy, Antisemitism, and Adult/minor relationship
unboxedjack's review against another edition
I don't like the fact that after 10 days of slogging through this I couldn't even skim the last couple of books. The subject matter was appealing and the translation was top notch. Despite that, though, it felt like nothing really grabbed me nor was there a plot or character that I could connect to. I get that historical fiction is a unique genre and this was certainly an ambitious project, but for such a charismatic cult leader (which Jacob Frank so obviously was), this story felt flat. I'm perplexed as to why this was such a lauded book from Tokarczuk when her other works are so much richer. Two stars for a DNF. Ugh.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
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