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Kelly P. (Monterey, TN)
Good book, bad mystery
The setting of the story, the period in history, the characterization, and the emotional impact resulting from the facts of Jewish life in that era all contributed to a fascinating novel. Unfortunately however, the mystery at the heart of the book detracted from an otherwise interesting read. It felt like this book started out as pure historical fiction and a late decision was made to shoehorn in a mystery. The author did a masterful job of recreating life in the Prague ghetto and the religious persecution of the era. I wish he would have stayed with that theme and left out the murder-mystery.
Alex Z. (Savannah, GA)
Novel or lecture?
The author’s technique of using modern conversational English for his 16th century dialog works pretty well. The historical detail is interesting and well-researched. But unless the reader has a particular interest in minute details of Jewish culture and history, it gets old after the first hundred pages. The plot, such as it is, takes second place to the detailed information about Jewish religion and custom. The main character is a sort of Talmudic superhero who has apparently memorized every scrap of Hebrew writing from the beginning of time to the mid 1500's. He’s the Bruce Lee of religious debate. He knows more, and quotes more scripture than all the rabbis put together. Every conversation seems to be a kind of poetry slam of battling quotations of ancient Jewish scholars. Certainly there’s a lot of interesting and clever stuff here, and I enjoyed it because I do have an interest in the subject matter. But the plot is really just a vehicle (and a slow one) for all the cultural and historical detail. It seems to me that the tail is wagging the dog here.
Lea Ann M. (Seattle, WA)
The Fifth Servant
As I read the description of this book on BookBrowse, I was intrigued and once chosen to receive an advance copy eager to read it.
I am sorry to say that I was disappointed in this book. Rather than being the mystery it was advertised to be, it read more like a text book.
First was the liberal use of Yiddish vocabulary. Yes, there is a 6 page glossary at the end of the book, but stopping to flip pages back and forth upsets the reading rhythm.
Second, was the long time between the murder and it's solving. What comes between is more of a cultural, history lesson re the animosity between the Ghetto Jews and the community Christians.
Thus, this book might better have been described as historical fiction than mystery. The reader would then have more realistic expectations of what he/she would be picking up to read.
Liz G.G. (South Pasadena, CA)
Disappointing
The Fifth Servant was a real disappointment. I really wanted to like this book. I have visited Prague and found it a beautiful and interesting city. I was looking forward to learning more about its complex history. Instead this novel was more like a lecture on comparative religion with a confusing murder mystery. The book is well researched and contains all sorts of historical information about medical practices, torture used during the inquisition and prejudices the Christians of that period had about Jews. Unfortunately these little scenes were sort of dropped into the story line with out a clear link to the plot. Likewise, the marital problems of the protagonist included to give the character some back story could have been omitted entirely. The glossary with this edition only included about a third of the expressions and terms used in the story. Some were explained in context others were not. I had the feeling that the author began with a collection of historical events and settings about this period and then tried to weave a murder mystery into the text.
Lorraine R. (Southampton, New York)
The Fifth Servant
This novel, set in the middle ages, was a mystery whose background was the mindless persecution of Jews in the city of Prague. I don't think it will have a wide appeal because of the topic. It portrays life in a ghetto and the hypocrisy of rules that governed Jews. Cleverly written with excellent research.
Joanne V. (Towanda, PA)
I really tried to like this book!
I just couldn't get into this book and I struggled with it from the beginning. I am sorry to say, I couldn't finish it. Good research, interesting languages, but I felt I was in school reading a text book and since I am student no more, I just dropped it. Sorry!
Deborah M. (Chambersburug, PA)
"Look at all my research!"
I found this book unenjoyable and very difficult to finish, mainly because the author seems to parade his extensive research at the expense of a good story. It wasn't so much the use of expressions in multiple languages, but more the stream of minute details about Jewish culture, history, and religion that bogged me down. I'm an academic myself (and my field is the 16th century, which is why I selected this book), but when I read historical fiction, my first criteria is that a book has to give me pleasure. I love to learn from well-researched fiction, but I don't want to be beaten into boredom by an author's research. This book might have more appeal to readers with a particular interest in Jewish history and Talmudic law; but I found the mystery thin and the characters rather weak.
Denice B. (Fort Bragg, CA)
The Fifth Servant
What a disappointment! Although obviously very well researched, the story didn't flow. The story and plot (what was it??) were confusing, and, though I'm fascinated by language, the insertions of several foreign tongues was tedious rather than illuminating. It was a chore to read, and I found myself rereading too many passages.
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