People Of the Book, - Brooks Geraldine
9780732280376, RRP$32.95
People of the Book crosses continents and centuries to bring stories of hope amidst darkness, compassion amidst cruelty, all bound together by the discoveries made by a young Australian woman restoring an ancient Hebrew book.
When Hanna Heath gets a call in the middle of the night in her Sydney home about a precious medieval manuscript that has been recovered from the smouldering ruins of war–torn Sarajevo, she knows she is on the brink of the experience of a lifetime. A renowned book conservator, she must now make her way to Bosnia to start work on restoring the Sarajevo Haggadah – a Jewish prayer book – to discover its secrets and piece together the story of its miraculous survival. But the trip will also set in motion a series of events that threaten to rock Hanna's orderly life, including her encounter with Ozren Karamen, the young librarian who risked his life to save the book.
As meticulously researched as all of Brooks' previous work, People of the Book is a gripping and moving novel about war, art, love and survival.
Review
I highly recommend this book. It’s such a fascinatingly complex read with its rich layers of history. Set in present day with the main character ‘Hanna’, who is put in charge of studying and conserving the book, a 500 hundred year old jewish prayer book, a ‘Haggadah’. With the vital clues that she discovers the story goes back further and further ( and further) in history to present a holistic look at the survival of the Haggadah. The sheer survival of the book is fascinating and gives the reader a sense of people’s higher purpose, conservation of beauty and truth. A higher purpose that breaks through prejudice, religion, racism, and sexism. A truly absorbing read and I wouldn’t hesitate reading it again and again. 5 out of 5 stars. *****
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Journey To The Stone Country':- Miller Alex Dodie
9781741141467, RRP$23.95
A terrific tale of love and redemption that captivates from the first line.' Nicholas Shakespeare, author of The Dancer Upstairs
Betrayed by her husband, Annabelle Beck retreats from Melbourne to her old family home in tropical North Queensland where she meets Bo Rennie, one of the Jangga tribe. Intrigued by Bo's claim that he holds the key to her future, Annabelle sets out with him on a path of recovery that leads back to her childhood and into the Jangga's ancient heartland, where their grandparents' lives begin to yield secrets that will challenge the possibility of their happiness together.
With the consummate artistry of a novelist working at the height of his powers, Miller convinces us that the stone country is not only a remote and exotic location in North Queensland, but is also an unvisited place within each of us. Journey to the Stone Country confirms Miller's reputation as one of Australia's most intelligent and uncompromising writers.
Miller's fiction has a mystifying power that is always far more than the sum of its parts . . . his footsteps - softly, deftly, steadily - take you places you may not have been, and their sound resonates for a long time.' Andrea Stretton, Sydney Morning Herald row, or even survive, with the terrible knowledge that comes into their possession at the end of their journey?
With the consummate artistry of a novelist working at the height of his powers, Miller convinces us that the stone country is not only a remote and exotic location in North Queensland, but is also an unvisited place within each of us. Journey to the Stone Country is a deeply disquieting story of our own time. Its appearance confirms Miller's reputation as one of Australia's most intelligent and uncompromising writers
Review
A unique, gentle love story. Miller’s language transports the reader to the place, Northern Queensland. The novel’s descriptive prowess of the country made me see the tree’s, feel the ground under my feet, and smell the air. The landscape is visually stunning and Miller is truly a painter of language. A story of characters, humanity, and our place and connection to the land. It presents the possibility of destiny. It draws the parallel of the lives that we lead and the life that we could lead, if we allow ourselves, of who we are and who we could be. Thought provoking and thoroughly enjoyable. 5 0ut of 5 stars. *****
