A book that needs quality time set aside for it - Rated 
There are different kinds of novels, those you read and can't put down, those you wish you'd never started, and those where you think you should be enjoying it more but can't decide if that's down to the book or you.
So when I say I didn't much care for this book I'm afraid it comes with a caveat: it says more about me than it does about the book.
In fact, this is one of those rare occasions where I've decided I'm going to put the book away until later in the year and give it another go. The fact I'm going to do that should say a lot, I hope. I have a feeling it's worth giving another shot but that this is certainly a book that needs time and attention - not a beach read by any stretch of the imagination, nor is it a bedtime 'few pages each evening' read. Instead, it needs several hours over a weekend and I hope that's taken as praise.
There aren't many books that make you question yourself as a reader, and this is one of them! I'll revise this review when I've had another shot.
The life of a book - Rated 
You may be forgiven for thinking you're in postmodern territory when faced with a book telling, in essence, the life story of a book. What you actually get is a wonderfully written historical tale that presents you with a text and then strips open the pages to reveal the people and events that shaped the writing. There's more than enough for your brain to feast upon for a long time. Extremely rewarding.
A compelling walk through history - Rated
A novel about a book, and about the people whose lives are intertwined down the centuries because of it, Geraldine Brooks has created a memorable and magical tale that dips briefly into the lives of a wide range of people who came into contact with the Sarajevo Haggadah, an illustrated book of Jewish prayer that was saved from the conflict in Bosnia as it had been saved so many times before.
The present-day book restorer's exploration of the object she has in front of her opens up windows into the past thanks to small signs and markings she finds: a curious stain, a moth's wing, marks where clasps once were, which the author then spins into tales of what might-have-been, spanning the years and many walks of life. This is a book to spend time over, and the imagery is stunning, little breaths of history coming alive and making this a book within a book.
Its difficult to convey the sense of wonder you get as each layer of the mystery of the Haggadah's past is unfolded, as you go back in time and meet men, women and children who've lived, and sometimes died, and whose interaction with the book have left these tiny marks.
Truly a compelling read, and the insight into the restoration work and the clues mere paper and ink can leave were fascinating, although I was less interested in Hanna's life and loves than in the rest of the tale. Everything was drawn together beautifully in the end however.
Journey of a Prayer Book - Rated 
When do we consider loss in our own lives? What cost and what effect does loss have on our everyday existence? Is it traumatic only when a loved one passes or is there more of a sense of collective loss when looking at centuries of war, loss of life or needless destruction of towns and cities? How do we measure that loss compared to a loss of love or even when a beloved object goes missing? In reading Geraldine Brooks' novel, one comes away with a personal reflection of what loss means.
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK integrates all of the various and very dissimilar kinds of loss by telling the story of a journey of a beautiful rare meticulously engraved Haggadah.
Pulitzer prize winner Geraldine Brooks does a terrific job with this story. She was able to weave the true story of this missing prayer book into a well written historical fiction novel.
Hanna Heath is our protagonist who is an Australian book conservator summoned to investigate the authenticity of this newly surfaced gem of a prayer book which had been saved from a Bosnian museum by a librarian.
Hanna makes a series of discoveries while examining the find as any ancient book conservator would. She uncovers an insect wing, a thin strand of white hair, a stain that appears to be blood or wine, and some evidence that the prayer book had been near or around salt water. The investigation takes us back in time through centuries to the 1480's in Seville.
Brooks so competantly weaves a tale with intimate details and she introduces us to all of the PEOPLE who touched or were changed by this BOOK. The true story of the Haggadah is a beautiful and intimate study of the basic goodness of mankind through difficult and ominous events and Brooks is successful in capturing that quality in her literary art.
PROS:
Hanna' investigation leads us and her into the depths of intrigue, deception, and suspense. The journey of the book itself helps Hanna find out more about herself as well as truths she never knew existed. Fantastic weaving together of truth and fiction.
CONS:
Only one for me: the last chapter. It was just a little too pat and a bit incredulous. The main reason for this wonderful book not being a perfect five.
Recommended: B
Bentley/2008
Superb! - Rated
Great story - very believable central character, and so real I actually felt rather sorry for her that we got to know the whole "history of the book" as it were, and she only had glimpses. I am now more informed on several historical periods, I desperately want to see the Haggadah for real, and am thoroughly looking forward to Ms Brooks next book! Will you like it? I saw similarities between this book and Kate Mosse's Labyrinth also with Babs Horton's Recipe for Cherubs, so if you liked those, then you will love it! Lastly, I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but this was just so beautiful, sitting there glinting and sparkling like a jewel on the shelf in my local bookshop, I just had to have it! Well done to the designer of this dustjacket - you got me!
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