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kenjariSo one of the things I wanted to do in this journal is keep a running record of the books I've read, with a paragraph or two about each of them. I just finished a book today, so here goes.
The Book of Splendor, by Frances Sherwood
This book is set in 1601, in Prague. It concerns the inhabitants of the Jewish ghetto (the Judenstadt), the Habsburg emperor Rudolph II, several other historical people, and the interactions among them. The Jewish community faces a threat from the rest of Prague, the Rabbi Judah ben Loew creates a golem to protect them, and the emperor pursues a mad plot to become immortal that involves the likes of John Dee, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and eventually the Rabbi. Meanwhile, Rochel, an orphan and new wife, falls in love with the golem.
The book was pretty good. I like both historical fiction and fantasy alot, and this had elements of both. Also, the writing was good and the characters vivid. While there weren't a lot of surprises, the book nonetheless kept me interested. I think Sherwood also did a good job of touching on the larger issues of life and death, and the human desire to continue living even in the face of great misery.
I also liked the fact that The Book of Splendors addresses a time, place, and group of people that are less typically found in historical fiction. I've read a lot of books that deal with England under the Plantagenet and Tudor monarchs. Plus, there are many novels based in Renaissance Italy. Eastern Europe seems not to be a popular setting, nor are pre-modern European Jewish people often featured in historical novels. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places, but I just don't come across many such books. Not sure why this is, since it's not like any of the (admittedly few) such books I've read were dull.
The Book of Splendor, by Frances Sherwood
This book is set in 1601, in Prague. It concerns the inhabitants of the Jewish ghetto (the Judenstadt), the Habsburg emperor Rudolph II, several other historical people, and the interactions among them. The Jewish community faces a threat from the rest of Prague, the Rabbi Judah ben Loew creates a golem to protect them, and the emperor pursues a mad plot to become immortal that involves the likes of John Dee, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and eventually the Rabbi. Meanwhile, Rochel, an orphan and new wife, falls in love with the golem.
The book was pretty good. I like both historical fiction and fantasy alot, and this had elements of both. Also, the writing was good and the characters vivid. While there weren't a lot of surprises, the book nonetheless kept me interested. I think Sherwood also did a good job of touching on the larger issues of life and death, and the human desire to continue living even in the face of great misery.
I also liked the fact that The Book of Splendors addresses a time, place, and group of people that are less typically found in historical fiction. I've read a lot of books that deal with England under the Plantagenet and Tudor monarchs. Plus, there are many novels based in Renaissance Italy. Eastern Europe seems not to be a popular setting, nor are pre-modern European Jewish people often featured in historical novels. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places, but I just don't come across many such books. Not sure why this is, since it's not like any of the (admittedly few) such books I've read were dull.
