Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by karenstory
The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
5.0
Catching up…
This one was recommended to me by my GR friend, DeB quite a while ago. Her review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3411457819
Because of its size, (560 pages), I opted to read it as an in-between book. (In-between my other books.)
I am not typically a fan of period pieces, and usually avoid them. It doesn’t mean I don’t like historical fiction, I do, but…
I usually prefer the WWII era.
However…
Lately, it seems I am going back in time more.
And…
I am grateful to have many of you encouraging me to do so.
Now…
This story finds us crossing time, when a cache of mid-17th-century papers are found in modern-day London. An academic and her Ph.D. student are on a mission to fit the pieces of the puzzle together to find out who wrote these pages.
And…
That takes readers to meeting another central character, a brilliant young Jewish woman working with a blind Rabbi at the time of these papers being produced.
What was her role with these papers? And will they be able to discover it? And what story do these papers tell?
The images of these different times and places and well-fleshed-out characters, brought to life through detail and well-crafted writing, are the gift of this book.
And…
There is also the complexities of being Jewish and choosing to enter into interfaith relationships that are central to the novel.
So…
How does that affect the story? The characters? The community?
And…
What does it mean to choose survival over martyrdom?
The author interweaves her themes and characters’ journeys so skillfully, as readers we can’t help but be drawn into their lives and struggles.
And…
For me, when one of the characters began to suffer from rapidly advancing Parkinson’s Disease, I couldn’t help but be affected. Watching my own mother’s decline from the disease prior to her death was difficult and painful.
There was…
So much to appreciate about this story. The “weight of ink” refers to the special ink used in the 17th century that was so heavy it created holes in the parchment.
But…
Mostly the title reflects the transformative power of the written word.
And…
Isn’t that what draws us to read? The idea that we can truly be transformed through written words?
This is…
Amazing taut, gripping storytelling.
One last thing…
Be sure to read the Author’s notes for her insights and background into the writing of this story.
And…
I loved when I read what another reviewer shared about this book, that I felt I had to include in my review…
“The Weight of Ink has the brains of a scholar, the drive of a sleuth, and the soul of a lover.”
Beautifully stated. Thank you, DeB for this recommendation.
This one was recommended to me by my GR friend, DeB quite a while ago. Her review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3411457819
Because of its size, (560 pages), I opted to read it as an in-between book. (In-between my other books.)
I am not typically a fan of period pieces, and usually avoid them. It doesn’t mean I don’t like historical fiction, I do, but…
I usually prefer the WWII era.
However…
Lately, it seems I am going back in time more.
And…
I am grateful to have many of you encouraging me to do so.
Now…
This story finds us crossing time, when a cache of mid-17th-century papers are found in modern-day London. An academic and her Ph.D. student are on a mission to fit the pieces of the puzzle together to find out who wrote these pages.
And…
That takes readers to meeting another central character, a brilliant young Jewish woman working with a blind Rabbi at the time of these papers being produced.
What was her role with these papers? And will they be able to discover it? And what story do these papers tell?
The images of these different times and places and well-fleshed-out characters, brought to life through detail and well-crafted writing, are the gift of this book.
And…
There is also the complexities of being Jewish and choosing to enter into interfaith relationships that are central to the novel.
So…
How does that affect the story? The characters? The community?
And…
What does it mean to choose survival over martyrdom?
The author interweaves her themes and characters’ journeys so skillfully, as readers we can’t help but be drawn into their lives and struggles.
And…
For me, when one of the characters began to suffer from rapidly advancing Parkinson’s Disease, I couldn’t help but be affected. Watching my own mother’s decline from the disease prior to her death was difficult and painful.
There was…
So much to appreciate about this story. The “weight of ink” refers to the special ink used in the 17th century that was so heavy it created holes in the parchment.
But…
Mostly the title reflects the transformative power of the written word.
And…
Isn’t that what draws us to read? The idea that we can truly be transformed through written words?
This is…
Amazing taut, gripping storytelling.
One last thing…
Be sure to read the Author’s notes for her insights and background into the writing of this story.
And…
I loved when I read what another reviewer shared about this book, that I felt I had to include in my review…
“The Weight of Ink has the brains of a scholar, the drive of a sleuth, and the soul of a lover.”
Beautifully stated. Thank you, DeB for this recommendation.