The subject of this novel, the Sarajevo haggadah, is a real book, an exquisitely illuminated Passover script from the 1300s. Its survival over the centuries is a miraculous story of near-misses and incredible luck and the author uses her imagination (based on some historical facts) in an attempt to reconstruct the book's origins and history as it travels from Spain to Italy to Sarajevo, where it most recently was threatened by the antisemitic policies of the Nazi occupation in World War II and the more recent violence of the Bosnian War. Hannah Heath, a rare book conservator, gathers clues from the book itself—salt crystals, spilled wine, blood, an insect wing, a solitary white hair—then there are flashbacks explaining the origin of these artifacts and providing a backstory to this fascinating book. It’s a great historical lesson, though critics might suggest that everything fits a bit too neatly. And although there are no police chases or psychopaths, this may well be considered "the thinking-man's Da Vinci Code". There are many links on the web to the Sarajevo haggadah. This one shows a facsimile edition, but gives you an idea of the beauty and craftsmanship of the original.
The subject of this novel, the Sarajevo haggadah, is a real book, an exquisitely illuminated Passover script from the 1300s. Its survival over the centuries is a miraculous story of near-misses and incredible luck and the author uses her imagination (based on some historical facts) in an attempt to reconstruct the book's origins and history as it travels from Spain to Italy to Sarajevo, where it most recently was threatened by the antisemitic policies of the Nazi occupation in World War II and the more recent violence of the Bosnian War. Hannah Heath, a rare book conservator, gathers clues from the book itself—salt crystals, spilled wine, blood, an insect wing, a solitary white hair—then there are flashbacks explaining the origin of these artifacts and providing a backstory to this fascinating book. It’s a great historical lesson, though critics might suggest that everything fits a bit too neatly. And although there are no police chases or psychopaths, this may well be considered "the thinking-man's Da Vinci Code". There are many links on the web to the Sarajevo haggadah. This one shows a facsimile edition, but gives you an idea of the beauty and craftsmanship of the original.
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