People of the Book

A Novel

By: Geraldine Brooks

Narrated by: Edwina Wren

Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

DUBLIN Literary Award winner

Short-listed, Harold U. Ribalow Prize

Indies Choice Book Award nominee

Library of Vermont Literary Award Finalist

Mary Shelly Award winner

Winner of the New England Book Award for Fiction

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March, the journey of a rare illuminated prayer book through centuries of war, destruction, theft, loss, and love.

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 15th-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 ultra-nationalist fanatics.

©2008 Geraldine Brooks (P)2008 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“There’s romance between Brooks and the world, and her writing is as full of heart and curiosity as it is intelligence and judgement.”—The Boston Globe

“Intelligent, thoughtful, gracefully written, and original . . . Brooks tells a believable and engaging story.”—The Washington Post

“Intense, gripping . . . People of the Book, like her Pulitzer Prize-winning previous novel March, is a tour de force that delivers a reverberating lesson gleaned from history. . . . It’s a brilliant, innately suspenseful structure, and one that allows Brooks to show off her remarkable aptitude for assimilating research and conveying a wide range of settings. Also on full display is her keen sense of dramatic pacing.”—San Francisco Chronicle

great idea for a story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, it is such an interesting concept

Who was your favorite character and why?

I guess the protagonist, altho she wasn't developed enough

Have you listened to any of Edwina Wren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Don't know if I have or not, don't pay much attention. Sad, isn't it?

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

not

Any additional comments?

hard to follow story line as it jumps from one episode to another. Each episode is hard to leave - wanting to know more

beautiful.

I love how this book slowly unraveled the history of what happened to this treasure treasure book. The history, the people, the imagery, it was beautiful

One of my new favorite authors?...

I’d never read anything by Geraldine Brooks, but the premise of the story intrigued me. I’d read no reviews, and had no idea what to expect. I started this story with low expectations and mentally prepared to bail on it and go to something else if it didn’t grab me pretty quickly.

It grabbed me quickly, and held on through the entire story.

The story is a most excellent one, and Brooks does a tremendous job of painting characters that you can believe in and identify with. She masterfully weaves her tale back and forth through history, intertwining it perfectly with the life of the main character. Brooks is high on my list as an author that I want to read more of – I REALLY like how she writes.

The story is a fabricated “what if” history of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah. While the reader knows that both the back story (history of the book) and the main character (a book conservator/restorer) are fictional, they’re so well crafted I found myself wanting them to be real. Ms Brooks outstanding research on the times and people of which she writes makes the history lesson in itself worth the read. Moreover, the voices she pulls from the story seem so authentic I found myself impressed over and over as the story unfolded.

Listening to books, it’s common to find an author and story I like, but have the story ruined by poor narration. What a delight to experience this recording though, as the actress who does the narration (Edwina Wren) is the perfect physical voice for this story, and does an absolutely wonderful job. Ms Wren enhances and improves the telling of the story with her outstanding narration.

Great book

The book was excellent! I think the narrator was lovely but the accents were terrible at points. I’m sure she’s fantastic but this was not the best introduction for me to her narration style. I love the book I highly recommend it I plan on reading more Geraldine Brooks novels

Disappointing

I had high hopes of this book, especially based on Horse. But it was a struggle to stay with it. Some very engaging parts to be sure, but otherwise I couldn’t find a connection with the multiple characters in multiple storylines. I won’t say don’t read (listen) but you might be prepared for disappointment.

mixed bag

This audio novel has an interesting premise and great historical research and details. It covers events in several places and several time periods. Unfortunately it has some weaknesses. The narrator, who does an excellent job with the third person narration and the English speaking characters, does strange accents for the other characters which diminishes the whole book. The choice to give a Spanish lisp, in English, to one character was laughable, as well as a bizarre Israeli accent. After a while all the unauthentic similar accents blended into an annoying goulash. The contemporary story of the art conservator is compelling, but her mother's behavior is inexplicable and bizarre - hence, unbelievable. I suggest a read of this one, not a listen.

Indeed, Narration Abysmal, but the Book Worthwhile

I read lots of the reviews from people who said the reading was awful, and I wondered how distracting bad narration would be. Well, pretty distracting it turns out. I think Geraldine Brooks is a really readable author. Poor Edwina Wren should stick to just reading, not trying to act out the characters with distinct voices - someone should tell her that a lisp is not an accent. Even with that said, I enjoyed the book and the thread of stories. I would have rated it higher, but the narration brought my rating down to three solid stars.

A beautiful trip through time

Enjoyed hearing so many stories from so many periods woven together. Stayed fresh for the entire performance.

Hooked on Brooks

I got hooked on the author with this book and quickly dispatched with "March" and "Caleb's Crossing."
I know a fair amount about Judaism but hadn't really heard much about the Haggadah beyond the basics...that it is read during the Seder.
I loved this story! She did a great job getting across to the reader the importance of this sacred text and her mystery story was fantastic!
I admit it's been a long while since I heard this book, so I can't really comment on the aussie narrator. She must not have bothered me too much, because I don't remember having an issue with it.

Interesting historical fiction

Interesting and engaging novel that traces the roots of a Jewish prayer book called a Haggadah. It is written in a style similar to The Red Violin or The Girl with a Pearl Earring, in which the history of the book is traced back to its beginning in the late 1400's. The main character is a kind of forensic scientist specializing in the conservation of rare books, and the clues she discovers about the book form the links to elements of the book's genealogy and bring in the backstories of the people involved with creating or preserving the book through time. I found it fascinating and well constructed. A slight warning: the book includes vivid descriptions of violence, especially during the section that takes place during the Spanish Inquisition.

I listened to the book, and the narration is pretty good; although I think there are some flaws, nothing was particularly distracting. I really liked the main character's Australian accent and the use of that dialect.