I am only halfway through this fascinating novel, which has been on the Times bestseller list for months, but I have to share it with you NOW. Why? Because it is a mystery about an old, a centuries old Haggadah (for the people who are not Jewish: a Haggadah is the book read during the Passover dinner telling the story of the Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt).
Even if your seders are boring, or if that doesn’t interest you, keep reading. This mystery is a wonderful example of exciting historical fiction!
In this novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning Geraldine Brooks, Hanna is a rare-book specialist, who is assigned to restore a centuries-old Haggadah from Sarajevo that survived the war. Actually, it survived many wars, and each minuscule item or stain Hanna discovers in the Haggadah has a story, which is thrillingly told in the book. The mystery of the book’s survival, enduring even many of the Jews of the stories, slowly comes out, as does Hanna’s story. She is an Australian book lover, who is the daughter, and possible disappointment, of a famous doctor. Oh – and there could be a love story too.
Read it! Then tell me if you liked it too when we get back to school.
Have a great break! What are you reading? Do you like it? Comment on this post and let us all know!
