Well, Kellie, Lindsay and I were surprised to find ourselves the only 3 at book club this Friday. But, we enjoyed the small group and had a long and lively discussion. We all loved the book. Kellie and Lindsay rated it a 5. I rated it a 4.5 …I’m never that generous with my ratings😊 Since those of you who didn’t come didn’t write in with any comments or ratings on the book, I’m not sure who read it. It is a story about a woman who is an expert at preserving books and researching/dating/exploring the various things that are found in old books (blood drops, wine stains, etc.) The book she is asked to preserve is a particular Haggadah (a Jewish book that tells about the Passover). This Haggadah dates back to the 1400’s and is an actual book housed in Sarajevo today. It is a curiosity because it has illustrations. However, in the 1400’s the Jews considered illustrations in a sacred text to break the 2nd Commandment of not having any idols. The storyalternates between Hannah – the book preserver in modern time, and older times. Each chapter set at an earlier date describes a particular time period and the lives of the people who owned/created the book. The dates range from the 1400’s up through WW2 and give a mini history of the book during that time. I am not by any means doing the book justice but it is hard to describe. Most of the stories about the “people of the book” are tragic, but really interesting. It was a very unique way to tell a story, and we appreciated the author’s writing, her creativity, the contents of the stories, and just about everything about the book!
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