Wednesday, June 29, 2011

June's Book Club: 'People of the Book' by Geraldine Brooks

I must begin with apologies for being so quiet on the blog front, but I needed to take a short break. But I'm back now and will start with a wrap up of our last meeting's book, 'People of the Book' by Geraldine Brooks.

It was unanimous from the club members who attended our meeting that this is a book worth reading...a must read. The research that went into this book made it authentic and captivating. We found it to be a page turner that was gripping and moving.

Geraldine writes in a way that helps the reader skim along with ease. The concept of this work is interesting and intriguing. Ms Brooks' characters are flawed but are likeable. The book is based on a sliver of truth, but ultimately it is a work of fiction.

Hannah Heath is a renowned book conservator who is asked to restore the Sarajevo Haggadah, a Jewish prayer book. To do this she must travel to Bosnia in order to complete the job. While she undertakes the task, she slowly discovers the secrets that surround the book and its survival.

This is a book that all book and history lovers will enjoy. I particularly enjoyed reading about the way ancient books and parchments were made using the intestinal gut of sheep and also the process of illuminating and design of the illustrations in these books was fascinating. I enjoyed these aspects of the book as much as the story itself.