"People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks

"People of the Book" has been on my to read list for years....I've even checked it out from the library a time or two, but never got around to reading it.  When I spotted a copy at a charity book sale for a dollar, I bought it on impulse.  And there it sat on the top of my ever-growing to read stack for five months before I picked it up.  From the first page "People of the Book" had me hooked.  Take my advice...pick this book up and read it now!

Summary:  Book Historian Hannah is called upon to restore and stabilize a rare Jewish Haggadah found and saved by a librarian in Kosovo amid the armed conflict in the city.  As Hannah begins her work, she extracts bits and pieces of foreign material from the books old binding - a white hair, an insect wing and a sample from a wine stain.  These bits and pieces lead Hannah on a search for the history of the people that have handled the book through some of histories most tumultuous times.

What I Liked:  First of all, I want to come straight off and say that I loved this book.  It appealed to both my amateur history buff and my reality TV loving sides.

"People of the Book" starts with Hannah's story as she flies into Bosnia to start her work preserving the book.  We the readers get just enough information about Hannah to be curious what happens to her next when we turn the page to chapter two and find ourselves face to face with the story of Lola.  About one page into Lola's story and I didn't want to stop reading.

That's the magic of this book: each chapter switches between Hannah's quest to find out more about the book, and the story of the book itself.  Often tragic but always compelling, "People of the Book" will pull at your heartstrings while keeping you guessing on what will happen next.

What Drove Me Nuts:  It was too short.  I wanted more!

Rating:  Absolutely read this book.  Then tell me what you thought!

Also Read By:  "Year of Wonders"

Reviewed By:  Tami

Image of the book from amazon.com