The Books of Jacob: Olga Tokarczuk

I understand why so many reviewers say they couldn’t follow this book, but I think they mostly misrepresent the challenge here. While it is long and dense, a good deal of the text is richly rendered descriptions. The plot itself, while very long, is relatively straightforward. The writing style is clear, so if you’re putting this on a scale with other “difficult” books, it’s more “War and Peace” than “Gravity’s Rainbow”.The real challenge is keeping track of the characters. However, while I’m sure on repeated readings the differences between some of the more prominent supporting characters might become more important, I found I only really had to keep track of 8-9 characters to get a lot out of this book. I read this on Kindle, and I think it would’ve been much harder without the ability to highlight and search within the text any name I recognised but couldn’t quite place. I should note that this doesn’t make the book overcrowded. Rather, it contributes to the immense scale of the story and themes.I would also recommend watching a short YouTube video about Sabbatai Zevi before starting this book. You don’t need to know more than who he was, but Tokarczuk offers us little exposition, and knowing who he was is absolutely essential to understanding why the Jews who make up Jacob’s core following are who they are.My only other recommendation would be to keep track of the years noted in the letters between various characters. I found midway through that my sense of time had completely distorted and I’m sure I missed some important character developments because I didn’t realise how much time was passing.The Books of Jacob is a long book. But it is also one of the richest novels I’ve ever read. Its themes, characters and imagery are comparable to little but the very cream of the western cannon. It makes few concessions to the comfort of the reader, but it never actively obfuscates to seem smarter than it is; the things that make it difficult are essential to its breathtakingly broad scope.

It took me the best part of a year to finish this book. It was overwhelming in its intensity, density and detail but always engaging and immersive. My respect for the intellect that generated this experience of the past through imagination knows no bounds. The thoughts provoked continue to prod and poke. I will be back for a second reading. This book demands it.

I gave up on this book after a hundred pages. To remember who was who and what was going on I would have needed to take notes and this I was not prepared to do and do not expect to have to do when reading a novel. I bought the title because I was interested in the topic of Jewish messianism and I hoped that the author would combine clear historical context regarding this within a well-plotted conventional novel. This was not the case. I might have tolerated the novel to the end had it been much shorter. For anyone interested in Jewish life in Poland (although at a later date) I would thoroughly recommend the short stories and novels of Bashevis Singer, e.g. "The Family Moskat".

If you struggled with Ulysses this is not for you.

Imaging stepping into a painting of Breughel with all it's detail and mesmerising charm. That is what reading this book is like.The language is beautiful, the personalities finely drawn and the intersecting worlds sketched with loving and unjudging detail.I rarely read novels, but this is more than a novel - it is a time travel mechanism

It didn't work for me at any point. I must say I was disappointed. I enjoyed Drive Your Plow and was intrigued by Flights. But The Books of Jacob was an absolute grind at every point.

Will keep me engrossed for days, I have been fascinated by Frank Jacob for years and am delighted that this book is now out. Based on the facts, but not as dry as a biography

100 pages in it is an exciting prospect. As an analysis of the Jewish experience it may turn out to be predictable but it draws you in and may yet surprise