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The bestselling novel that follows a rare manuscript through centuries of exile and war, from the author of The Secret Chord and of March, winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

Inspired by a true story, People of the Book is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity by an acclaimed and beloved author. Called “a tour de force” by the San Francisco Chronicle, this ambitious, electrifying work traces the harrowing journey of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in fifteenth-century Spain. When it falls to Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, to conserve this priceless work, the series of tiny artifacts she discovers in its ancient binding—an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair—only begin to unlock its deep mysteries and unexpectedly plunges Hanna into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultranationalist fanatics.

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Reprint edition (December 30, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 372 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0143115006
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0143115007
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.05 x 0.73 x 7.72 inches
Reviewer: Jana L.Perskie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: "There, where one burns books, one in the end burns people." Heinrich Heine
Review: A book is the real protagonist of Geraldine Brooks' latest novel, "People of the Book." The author writes in the "Afterward" section that this is a work of fiction, inspired by the true story "of the Hebrew codex known as the Sarajevo Haggadah. The haggadah is an illuminated manuscript which contains the traditional text of the Passover haggadah that accompanies the Passover Seder. It is one of the oldest Sephardic haggadahs in the world, originating in Spain in the 15th century. The author succeeds in creating a riveting account of the volume's history, from its origins in Seville to a 21st century museum in Sarajevo.What makes this book so precious, besides its age and great beauty, is that it is illustrated with numerous miniature paintings, much like the Christian illuminations of the Gospels. Jews, during this period, considered figurative art a violation of the Third Commandment, which prohibits the making of "any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth below." Who was the talented artist who created this masterpiece and broke with tradition? And why?When the mysterious book was discovered in Sarajevo in 1894 it was considered a miracle that it had survived, almost intact, for so many centuries - tumultuous centuries filled with violence. It was not destroyed during the expulsion of the Jews and Moors from Spain in 1492, nor was it burned during the Holy Inquisition, which began in 1498, when Tomas de Torquemada, the Grand Inquisitor, targeted Marranos, Jews who had converted to Christianity. Large numbers of Jews then migrated to Venice, where they were expelled, once again, and their books burned, in the 17th century, but this Haggadah was kept safe. The treasure somehow survived and made its way, along with the "People of the Book," to Sarajevo, where the Ottomans had initially welcomed them in 1565.During the Dark Ages, the Muslim's vast empire extended into Europe and southern Spain. Their culture was the "one bright light where science, art, and poetry still flourished." Both Jews and Muslims were reviled, tortured and murdered by the Christians, and together, in places like Sarajevo, the two peoples could live in peace. Still, the book and its people were to experience much more brutality and bloodshed in WWI and WWII.One of the most dangerous periods in the volume's history was the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, an international armed conflict that took place between March 1992 and November 1995. The city of Sarajevo was under constant siege.In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare book expert, is offered a job by the UN to conserve the Sarajevo Haggadah, after it is discovered intact, even though many had feared it had been destroyed during the heavy shelling of the city. Dr. Ozren Karaman, (a fictitious character, based on a real person), is chief librarian of the Sarajevo National Museum and professor of "librarianship" at the National University of Bosnia. Dr. Karaman, a Muslim, risked his life to save a Jewish book.Hanna's task is to prepare the fragile volume for an exhibition at a newly built museum. As she works, she finds clues to the haggadah's history - an insect's wing, a fine white hair, stains of wine and blood on a few pages, missing clasps, and a few grains of salt. She is determined to solve the mystery of the extraordinary object's provenance. She and Dr. Karaman begin a tentative romance at this point. Hanna, a most appealing person, and an irreverent Aussie, has problems with relationships, both with men and with her mother. This is due to past events which occurred in Hanna's childhood and provide an interesting glimpse into her character.There are frequent flashbacks to medieval Spain, 15th century Venice, 19th century Vienna, Jewish communities near the the Adriatic Sea in the 1940s, and to Seville in 1480, where the reader finally meets the illuminator who created the haggadah. We are introduced to the people who came into contact with the book throughout its history and protected it.Geraldine Brooks' characters are rich, colorful and well developed. Her recounting of the history surrounding the book is extremely well researched, and her own imagination is very fertile. The narrative is well written and the pace is fast. Ms. Brooks won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, "March," which I read and enjoyed very much. But I was enthralled reading "People of the Book." It is definitely a 5 STAR novel.Jana PerskieThe Book ThiefThe Shadow of the WindThe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Reviewer: DJ
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fastidious research and attention to detail make her prose shine
Review: “Not every story has a happy ending.” (p37)This was my fourth Geraldine Brooks novel, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them all. Her fastidious research and attention to detail make her prose shine. She can turn the story of King David inside out (“The Secret Chord”), or wax poetic while her characters endure a plague (“Year of Wonders”). She can write a sprawling epic (“Horse”) around what appears to be a famous thoroughbred when her real concern is a larger matter. Here the central focus, at least on the surface, is a rare, priceless manuscript. But once again the novel is about things that are much more important.The story certainly includes tension, drama, trauma, and a few surprises. But much of the book has a calm, quiet tone, even when events are harrowing. There are only a few wow-I-didn’t-see-that-coming moments. Many plot mysteries and their resolution are interesting but pedestrian: a minor puzzle here leads to a straightforward explanation down the road. But that’s fine with me; it’s a privilege and pleasure to cede control to a master storyteller who will leave me with much to chew on afterward.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Robertson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Haunting, mesmerizing and beautifully written...
Review: I think the mark of a good book is that when you finish reading it, you can't get it out of your mind. The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks definitely is a good book, and more. It's a haunting, mesmerizing and beautifully written story about the Sarajevo Haggadah.A haggadah is a book of Jewish rites and the Sarajevo Haggadah was written in Spain before the exile of Jews from there in 1492. One of the things that makes this particular haggadah so unique is that it is richly illustrated, which was against Jewish beliefs of the time. Also, the fact that it survived at all is no small miracle. It is known that the haggadah went from Spain to Venice, and then to Vienna before landing in Sarajevo. Twice, it was rescued by Muslim librarians--once during World War II and again during the Bosnian War. Brooks fills in the gaps with an incredible tale that combines historical fact, customs of the day, and her moving fictional characters.People of the Book opens in 1996 when Australian rare book conservator, Dr. Hanna Heath, is tapped by the UN to conserve and restore the famous Haggadah. The things she discovers (an insect wing, a salt stain, a red blotch, a priest's signature, and a hair fragment) will allow Brooks to travel back in history to relate the story of how they came about. Throughout history, the book survives as a witness to the "Inquisition, Nazis, extremist Serb nationalists." Heath is also forced to evaluate and restore her personal life, as she assess the things that are truly important to her and then makes choices that support these values. The combination of Heath's professional and personal revelations provides us with a surprising and heart-warming ending.I especially enjoyed the history associated with People of the Book. I didn't realize how many times in history, Christians, Jews and Muslims lived in relative peace. When Spain expelled the Jews, Venice and Bosnia gave them a home. The Sarajevo Haggadah is a book that transcends all three religions. The Muslim librarian who saved the book during the Bosnian War tells Heath "the haggadah came to Sarajevo for a reason. It was here to test us, to see if there were people who could see that what united us was more than what divides us. That to be a human being matters more than to be a Jew or a Muslim, Catholic or Orthodox."I became a big fan of Geraldine Brooks when I first read Year of Wonders, and then March. Now, People of the Book just reaffirms Brooks' talents as a writer of historic fiction.

Reviewer: Susan in San Miguel
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Excellent read as always with this author.

Reviewer: Kindle Customer barbara
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A wonderful story , superbly written. I am delighted to have found such a gifted author.

Reviewer: Mrs E Wynne-Jones
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The wonderful weaving of art and history amidst the fabric of fiction intrigues, delights and inspires. Surely a must-read for all!

Reviewer: J. Scott-mandeville
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Geraldine Brooks has given us a well-written, highly compelling, complex and enthralling story. Who would think a novel about a book - albeit a rare and special book - could be so exciting? But Geraldine Brooks takes the reader, page by page, leaf by leaf, into the world of rare books and their conservation, the background and possible history of such a book, and on a fascinating, multi-cultural, and labyrinthine journey through the tangles of history, from the Bosnian war in Sarajevo to the Jewish artisans of Andalusia at the time of the Spanish Inquisition, via Vienna in the 19th century and Venice in the 16th, each period highlighted with vivid and resonant characters and scene-setting. The time-travelling is interspersed with the present-day, as the talented but slightly dysfunctional conservationist, Australian Hanna, discovers the secrets of this tantalising book, a 15th-century Jewish Haggadah, and the secret behind her own life.This novel is one of my all-time favourite books and every time I re-read it (on a 2 yearly basis); I always find new nuances of detail or delight in a particular character or setting. The author throws all her considerable knowledge, journalistic experience and technical expertise into this marvellous novel and I think it's her best. And it's all the better for the fact that there really was such a rare book and this could be its story.

Reviewer: . Rebecca Jean Poston
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Review: Very impressive.