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Loved the Australian heroine with her blunt humor. A fascinating insight into the world of book and manuscript restoration.
Praised by some as being classic literature (it's not, no chance Jane Austen or William Faulkner need to peek in their rearview mirrors) and slammed by others as being politically correct feminist dribble (most certainly not, Brooks is a respected expert on the Muslim world, and on feminist issues), it's best to abandon such polarities and remember a concept that sometimes falls by the wayside: the simple pleasure of a rich and well told tale. Personal gripes. The author has an agenda. What fun." The binding of this book's plot is the story of Hanna Heath, an Aussie rare book conservator called in to examine the Sarajevo Haggadah, a richly illustrated Jewish prayer book. Don't like that agenda.
Agenda. Said another way, People of the Book is an invitation to recall the satisfaction of opening a book with one's mind ready to expand its horizons a bit, and then closing the book several hundred pages later thinking "Hmmm. Pulitzer Prize winning author Brooks uses this plot device to lead the reader on a centuries-spanning journey through the lives of people that time and again prevented destruction of this priceless piece of Jewish culture. Geez, Ms. Reading the reviews posted on Geraldine Brooks' People of the Book is almost as adventuresome as the tale contained in the book itself.
I'm not a fan of semi-narcissistic whining, and the heroine (Hanna) seems to me to fall into this a bit too regularly to be a truly attractive character. Well, nothing to get an ulcer over, just pick up a Tom Clancy novel instead, and enjoy a less complicated view (Muslims: Bad. And women.the whole world works better when society is fully inclusive. Rich in historical detail and fascinating in its portrayal of the CSI like treatment of rare book research, Brooks uses her considerable skills to illuminate her story, and her agenda.
Well, but of course, and much to the benefit of the tale. Ultimately. Whew. Women: Absent. Israelis: Good fighters). The sex in the book was usually a bit sordid and/or squalid. And, Brooks would like to remind us, Schindler's List was not a onetime event: many times over the centuries people of different faiths and political beliefs have lived in times of collaboration and mutual enrichment, instead of merciless persecution. Ultimately People of the Book harks back to that reason that many of us became lifelong readers in the first place: a fun book, filled with fascinating information, and a feeling as you read the last words of "Hmmm.
That was interesting. That was interesting. Cultural treasures are priceless, Brooks argues, not so much because of the object (be it book, painting, or sculpture) itself, but because of the deep explication of our human nature that is embedded in these objects. Acts of bravery have occurred regularly, with people of one faith extending their hands to the hands of others in times of dire need. Brooks, sometimes sex is both fun and joyful. What fun."
If you have read "The Source", you will learn nothing new from this book. However, there are moments of genuine passion, and a definite viewpoint. It is indeed a Jewish book, or at least an illumination of Jewish thought. But it retains the ability to interest you in the story of its people.
I've read Geraldine Brooks other books and enjoyed them, but I found "People of the Book" to be plodding and joyless. I hope the author's next work has more likeable, admirable characters. Had to convince myself to pick it up and keep reading.
Even the main characters annoyed me. I'm an avid reader, but this is one book I could have easily missed. The story moves from one character's point of view to another's, and most of those characters are unpleasant people, so I didn't care what happened to them.
The writing is uneven, engaging in some places, plodding in others, and downright unpleasant in others. I did learn a few interesting things about history, illuminated manuscripts, their creation and preservation. But I had to force my way through this book.
There are better books worthy of your time. I just didn't care enough about these unlikeable people to keep turning pages.
Serbs were the Chetnitsi - freedom fighters - fighting for democracy. Ms Brooks may have been a reporter in Bosnia, but obviously didn't do any serious research into the stories and propaganda passed on to her, but passes this travesty of lies on to others.Right. The world just expects Serbs to tolerate whatever is asserted about them. Tito, himself a croat, used the confusion of the times to take over yugoslavia with propaganda and false assertions - no one was interested in Yugoslavia to try to understand what he was doing to Yugoslavia, just as no one cares in our time. This horrendous and boring book completely disregards history and continues the nazi/muslim propaganda since WWII. Right. Tito (a croat) made the entire seaboard of Yugoslavia Croatian territory - does that prove where his allegiance lay. Who cares right.
The muslims helped Jews during the holocaust - sure. Tito also confused the world by using the radio airwaves to call the Serbs ustashe and the Croats chetnitsi. Geraldine is obviously unaware of what 'ustashe' means, or the close alliance between Yugoslavian muslims, croatian 'ustashe' and the german nazis in their singular task of butchering Jews AND Serbs during WWII. The muslisms hated their alliance with the nazis that gave the muslims all that undeserved land they coveted - sure. Tito pitted the serbs and Jewish people against each other with lies until they no longer had an alliance and no longer trusted each other. After the generation of Serbs that fought and died for democracy, Tito so confused the succeeding generations until they did not know any more what they had fought for. The muslims considered Jews their relatives. On what freaking planet did any of that happen.
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