Reviews - Het gewicht van inkt

871 reviews for:

A book rich in depth and thought

So full of thoughts and feelings upon finishing this one... I'm not sure I can adequately express my ideas right now except to say this is one of the most interesting and memorable books I've read in a quite a while. The characters and stories are incredibly rich with history and culture, religion and philosophy, literature and even science. Other than proclaiming the brilliance of Rachel Kadish, I think I'll stew on it further before trying to sing its praises.

denisekaylink's review against another edition

5.0

This book is long and intense and so, so good. Three protagonists weave a story in two (and a half?) different timelines, learning and relearning truths about themselves and the world. It's steeped in history and philosophy, which makes it sound boring, but it's not. The writing is strong and appropriate, regardless of which voice is speaking/writing. Here's the only negative I can come up with: the discussion questions at the end are self-conscious. Skip those.

istegemoeller's review against another edition

4.5

challenging informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

kellyrolls's review against another edition

5.0

Rachel Kaddish’s novel ,The Weight of Ink, reaches back in time to ask the question: What does it take for a woman not to be defeated when everything around hers telling her to mind her manners?

The books is about two sets of characters set, Ester Velasquez and a rabbi, two Jewish refugee set in 17th century London and historians Helen Watt and Aaron Levy set in the year 2000 in London. Ester Velasquez and Helen Watt are two women in different time periods that refuse to mind their manners.

When a collection of documents is discovered in a historic home. Helen Watt is called to evaluate them.

The story alternates between Ester’s life in 17th century London and Helen Watt and Aaron Levy’s life in year 2000 London.

Rachel Kaddish uses exquisite writing to tell a story about characters fighting to be themselves and characters working to discover themselves.

mamaza1963's review against another edition

4.75

challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

hbeetleon's review against another edition

4.0

This is not my normal genre of fiction but I was absolutely delighted in Kadish's spinning of this fantastic yarn. The ethical and theological questions she wrestles with through these two different time periods and myriad of relationships is exquisite. I never knew how she would unravel the webs she created and it was an absolute delight to get to know these characters and their motivations, hopes, dreams and growth. I would highly recommend this book and particularly to anyone who enjoys the power and connective potential of the written word.

mshedgehog's review against another edition

3.0

Interesting settings and topic--I enjoyed reading about the Jewish presence in 17th century London, and the modern scholars discovering the writings of the people from the earlier era. But it took WAY too long for me to care about anyone in the story.