Fiction

Los libros de Jacob

Los libros de Jacob

  • Downloads：3485
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-02-26 04:42:12
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Olga Tokarczuk
  • ISBN：843390180X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Vuelve la Premio Nobel con una novela total sobre las andanzas de Jacob Frank， que se autoproclamó Mesías en pleno Siglo de las Luces。

Jacob Frank， el protagonista de esta novela， parece por sus peripecias un personaje ficticio que solo la mente de una novelista podría concebir。 Sin embargo， resulta que existió， y su vida está históricamente documentada。 La Premio Nobel Olga Tokarczuk parte de las andanzas de este personaje real para construir una novela impetuosa， deslumbrante。

En la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII， el joven judío Jacob Frank se reinventó una y otra vez; recorrió dos imperios， el de los Habsburgo y el Otomano; profesó tres religiones; se autoproclamó Mesías; soliviantó a las autoridades; reunió discípulos y creó una secta que abogaba por romper tabúes y practicaba， según algunos rumores， ritos orgiásticos y bacanales; buscó la trascendencia espiritual en pleno Siglo de las Luces; cuestionó el orden establecido y fue perseguido y acusado de hereje。。。 Con este personaje real casi inverosímil –carismático， loco， subversivo， iconoclasta–， la autora construye una novela épica， histórica， satírica y filosófica que recorre Europa hasta sus confines， desde las aldeas campesinas hasta las sofisticadas cortes。 Con una prosa exquisita y un ritmo que no da tregua， Tokarczuk atrapa al lector en sus garras y no lo suelta。

Una novela total， que reconstruye una historia poco conocida de nuestro pasado para abordar literariamente los grandes temas de nuestro presente。

Download

Reviews

Gilles GEORGEL ，

Le livre nous fait entrer dans l'univers juif polonais du 18ème siècle et nous conte la ferveur messianique qui entoura l'apparition de Jakob Frank， un Juif mystique。 Ecrit avec une écriture savante， le livre nous fait connaître un épisode peu connu de l'histoire juive si pleine de péripéties， dans une Europe qui ne s'est pas toujours montrée， loin s'en faut， accueillante à leur égard。 Le livre nous fait entrer dans l'univers juif polonais du 18ème siècle et nous conte la ferveur messianique qui entoura l'apparition de Jakob Frank， un Juif mystique。 Ecrit avec une écriture savante， le livre nous fait connaître un épisode peu connu de l'histoire juive si pleine de péripéties， dans une Europe qui ne s'est pas toujours montrée， loin s'en faut， accueillante à leur égard。 。。。more

Nadia Uddin ，

Like finishing a marathon， I'm exhausted but done！ The book was a great lesson in Eastern European history told by persecuted Jews。 It challenges European mindsets that tout an "ethnically pure" nation。 The translator seems to capture Tokarczuk's quirk and funny tone。 I had to challenge myself to finish the book。 And I'm unsure if it was worth it。 But I love Tokarczuk and Jennifer Croft， and my loyalty to them hasn't wavered。 In other words， I'll read whatever else comes out in English from thes Like finishing a marathon， I'm exhausted but done！ The book was a great lesson in Eastern European history told by persecuted Jews。 It challenges European mindsets that tout an "ethnically pure" nation。 The translator seems to capture Tokarczuk's quirk and funny tone。 I had to challenge myself to finish the book。 And I'm unsure if it was worth it。 But I love Tokarczuk and Jennifer Croft， and my loyalty to them hasn't wavered。 In other words， I'll read whatever else comes out in English from these two。 。。。more

Katarina Bogdan ，

Too long and meandering。 Makes Karl Ove Knaussgard seem succinct。

Tina ，

I was set to like this book: Nobel-prize winning author， religious cult， Polish history。 But then reality set in: it took nearly 1/4 of the book to figure out what was happening， all the characters changed names about halfway through， things *almost* got interesting but then didn't。I am now several weeks behind my Goodreads challenge because this 1k page book was too hard for my brain。 Also， I'm stubborn and could have just stopped but I didn't。 I was set to like this book: Nobel-prize winning author， religious cult， Polish history。 But then reality set in: it took nearly 1/4 of the book to figure out what was happening， all the characters changed names about halfway through， things *almost* got interesting but then didn't。I am now several weeks behind my Goodreads challenge because this 1k page book was too hard for my brain。 Also， I'm stubborn and could have just stopped but I didn't。 。。。more

Laurence Copeland ，

I always feel a little uncomfortable reading historical novels。 They do after all inhabit the vast no-man’s land between fact and fiction。 I am not for one moment suggesting that the novelist has no right to invent plotlines that intertwine with the history – simply that I am uneasy when I am unsure which bits are documented and which are pure inventions， or simply surmise based on the most likely interpretation of the facts。 With， say， the Tudor England of Hilary Mantel， I am like most British I always feel a little uncomfortable reading historical novels。 They do after all inhabit the vast no-man’s land between fact and fiction。 I am not for one moment suggesting that the novelist has no right to invent plotlines that intertwine with the history – simply that I am uneasy when I am unsure which bits are documented and which are pure inventions， or simply surmise based on the most likely interpretation of the facts。 With， say， the Tudor England of Hilary Mantel， I am like most British readers， in reassuringly familiar territory。 I start off with some basic knowledge of who Wolsey， More， Ann Boleyn and co。 were and what were the main issues of the day。 In the case of the 900-page novel that won the 2018 Nobel Prize for Olga Tokarczuk， I started from a position of almost total ignorance。 I had never heard of the eponymous （anti-） hero， Jacob Frank， let alone his galaxy of weird disciples， nor any of the other characters who figure in the book other than the Empress Maria Theresa and her son， Joseph II （of “Too many notes， dear Mozart” fame） who both figure very briefly towards the end。 A little digging （with help from Wikipedia and ChatGPT） along with the author’s own Endnotes revealed that the basic outline of the story is true。 There was indeed a sect of apostate Jews in Eastern Europe in the 18th century who followed a charismatic， exploitative and debauched leader into a form of Christianity， accumulating wealth， power and royal connections in the process。 The author apparently spent seven years researching these events， even going so far as to trace the lineage linking one of the characters down the generations to a group of Holocaust survivors in Poland in 1942。 On to this near-complete skeleton of facts， she has sprinkled the stardust of her imagination。 This is history meets magic realism， in a text also peppered with illustrations and photographs of artefacts from the period， in a style I have only ever seen in the work of W G Sebald。Many readers will find the book hard work， but for me it was a pure delight， and I am tempted to go back to the beginning and start again， not just because I enjoyed it so much but also because I probably missed some important details as I had no idea where the author was taking me until I had read the first hundred pages or so。 Having finished， I now ask myself what the book is really about。 What is the author trying to tell us with her seven years of research on this strange episode in the history of Eastern Europe？ It seems to me there are a number of themes。First， and most combustibly， it is about the history of Poland， pointing out to her fellow citizens （to the violent displeasure of many， apparently） that the country has its roots in an ethnic mishmash of many different ethnicities， language groups and religions – like every other country， but far more than most。 I was surprised to learn， for example， that Turkish traders were common in Poland at the time， some presumably settling permanently in the towns and villages。 The novel reminds us， if we need reminding against the background of the Ukraine War， that borders are not set by divine decree but by deals between rulers， by the fortunes of war or sometimes by the treaties that end them。 As such， they are arbitrary porous manmade artefacts。 （This theme is also present in the only other Tokarczuk novel I have read， “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead”， which is set on the Polish-Czech border in post-Soviet times）。 I would guess that the novel’s setting in the era of the dismemberment of Poland by its powerful neighbours adds to the sensitivity of the subject matter。 The contingent nature of international borders is ever present in the continual wandering of the central character。 With the exception of his years of imprisonment， he is forever on the move， from Turkey across Greece and what is today Romania to Russia and the Ukraine， which was a region， not a state at the time， and back again。 In Poland itself， the action shifts from village to village and from city to city， moving at the end to Offenbach in Germany， nowadays a suburb of Frankfurt-am-Main。 Secondly， the novel is about charisma and the corrupting power it confers on those who possess it， a very modern theme， because the followers of Jacob Frank were essentially what we would nowadays dismiss as a messianic cult cf。 Koresh， Moonies， Scientology etc。 Like most cults， it thrived on opposition。 In this case， the opposition consisted on the one hand of the Jewish establishment， the “Talmudists” and on the secular side， the gathering force of the European Enlightenment。 So we see how a tiny band of devoted converts become both more extreme and more corrupt as they accrue money and power， as the abusers abuse and their victims convince themselves that everything is in the divine plan。 The process is no confidence trick， in the sense that the victims are not duped。 Instead， they deceive themselves， out of their irresistible desire to believe in something， however outlandish， implausible or foreign to their original self， which they are impatient to abandon so as to follow the new Messiah。The story is told through the eyes of a number of different protagonists – mainstream Christians like the scholarly Catholic priest who views the process with academic detachment and an aristocratic lady who is swept up in the wave of emotion， the disciples around Frank who form his itinerant court and a mysterious old woman who dies early on in the story， but whose spirit hangs over the remainder of the plot。 The novel was written in Polish， but the English translation reads beautifully and has itself won prizes （presumably on the basis of its fidelity to the original as well as its poetic prose style）。I always feel a little uncomfortable reading historical novels。 They do after all inhabit the vast no-man’s land between fact and fiction。 I am not for one moment suggesting that the novelist has no right to invent plotlines that intertwine with the history – simply that I am uneasy when I am unsure which bits are documented and which are pure inventions， or simply surmise based on the most likely interpretation of the facts。 With， say， the Tudor England of Hilary Mantel， I am like most British readers， in reassuringly familiar territory。 I start off with some basic knowledge of who Wolsey， More， Ann Boleyn and co。 were and what were the main issues of the day。 In the case of the 900-page novel that won the 2018 Nobel Prize for Olga Tokarczuk， I started from a position of almost total ignorance。 I had never heard of the eponymous （anti-） hero， Jacob Frank， let alone his galaxy of weird disciples， nor any of the other characters who figure in the book other than the Empress Maria Theresa and her son， Joseph II （of “Too many notes， dear Mozart” fame） who both figure very briefly towards the end。 A little digging （with help from Wikipedia and ChatGPT） along with the author’s own Endnotes revealed that the basic outline of the story is true。 There was indeed a sect of apostate Jews in Eastern Europe in the 18th century who followed a charismatic， exploitative and debauched leader into a form of Christianity， accumulating wealth， power and royal connections in the process。 The author apparently spent seven years researching these events， even going so far as to trace the lineage linking one of the characters down the generations to a group of Holocaust survivors in Poland in 1942。 On to this near-complete skeleton of facts， she has sprinkled the stardust of her imagination。 This is history meets magic realism， in a text also peppered with illustrations and photographs of artefacts from the period， in a style I have only ever seen in the work of W G Sebald。Many readers will find the book hard work， but for me it was a pure delight， and I am tempted to go back to the beginning and start again， not just because I enjoyed it so much but also because I probably missed some important details as I had no idea where the author was taking me until I had read the first hundred pages or so。 Having finished， I now ask myself what the book is really about。 What is the author trying to tell us with her seven years of research on this strange episode in the history of Eastern Europe？ It seems to me there are a number of themes。First， and most combustibly， it is about the history of Poland， pointing out to her fellow citizens （to the violent displeasure of many， apparently） that the country has its roots in an ethnic mishmash of many different ethnicities， language groups and religions – like every other country， but far more than most。 I was surprised to learn， for example， that Turkish traders were common in Poland at the time， some presumably settling permanently in the towns and villages。 The novel reminds us， if we need reminding against the background of the Ukraine War， that borders are not set by divine decree but by deals between rulers， by the fortunes of war or sometimes by the treaties that end them。 As such， they are arbitrary porous manmade artefacts。 （This theme is also present in the only other Tokarczuk novel I have read， “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead”， which is set on the Polish-Czech border in post-Soviet times）。 I would guess that the novel’s setting in the era of the dismemberment of Poland by its powerful neighbours adds to the sensitivity of the subject matter。 The contingent nature of international borders is ever present in the continual wandering of the central character。 With the exception of his years of imprisonment， he is forever on the move， from Turkey across Greece and what is today Romania to Russia and the Ukraine， which was a region， not a state at the time， and back again。 In Poland itself， the action shifts from village to village and from city to city， moving at the end to Offenbach in Germany， nowadays a suburb of Frankfurt-am-Main。 Secondly， the novel is about charisma and the corrupting power it confers on those who possess it， a very modern theme， because the followers of Jacob Frank were essentially what we would nowadays dismiss as a messianic cult cf。 Koresh， Moonies， Scientology etc。 Like most cults， it thrived on opposition。 In this case， the opposition consisted on the one hand of the Jewish establishment， the “Talmudists” and on the secular side， the gathering force of the European Enlightenment。 So we see how a tiny band of devoted converts become both more extreme and more corrupt as they accrue money and power， as the abusers abuse and their victims convince themselves that everything is in the divine plan。 The process is no confidence trick， in the sense that the victims are not duped。 Instead， they deceive themselves， out of their irresistible desire to believe in something， however outlandish， implausible or foreign to their original self， which they are impatient to abandon so as to follow the new Messiah。The story is told through the eyes of a number of different protagonists – mainstream Christians like the scholarly Catholic priest who views the process with academic detachment and an aristocratic lady who is swept up in the wave of emotion， the disciples around Frank who form his itinerant court and a mysterious old woman who dies early on in the story， but whose spirit hangs over the remainder of the plot。 The novel was written in Polish， but the English translation reads beautifully and has itself won prizes （presumably on the basis of its fidelity to the original as well as its poetic prose style）。 。。。more

Joe ，

well， the writing's not bad， has some interesting plot lines， but it's a tough read， given the many Jewish terms and phrases， as well as unusual names and places。 And 700 pages of this is just too much -- made it through around 200。 well， the writing's not bad， has some interesting plot lines， but it's a tough read， given the many Jewish terms and phrases， as well as unusual names and places。 And 700 pages of this is just too much -- made it through around 200。 。。。more

Markus Paminger ，

DNF after 200 pages。 I loved Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead but this books is a whole different beast。 Inaccessible， too long， 18th century novel format， after 2000 pages I had no idea who's people were， what they were doing， or why I should care。 DNF after 200 pages。 I loved Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead but this books is a whole different beast。 Inaccessible， too long， 18th century novel format， after 2000 pages I had no idea who's people were， what they were doing， or why I should care。 。。。more

BP ，

I tried。I really did。 I'm not one to give up。 I've finished Infinite Jest and the major Russians。 Couldn't do it。 Had to stop after about 300 pages。 Maybe I'm missing something， but NOTHING EVER HAPPENS。 The 1st 50-100 pages were interesting， but then they introduced the main protagonist， who is a pretty entitled jerk， and the story ground to a halt。 This is one of the cases where I read some of the positive reviews and I'm like， did we （try） to read the same novel？ I tried。I really did。 I'm not one to give up。 I've finished Infinite Jest and the major Russians。 Couldn't do it。 Had to stop after about 300 pages。 Maybe I'm missing something， but NOTHING EVER HAPPENS。 The 1st 50-100 pages were interesting， but then they introduced the main protagonist， who is a pretty entitled jerk， and the story ground to a halt。 This is one of the cases where I read some of the positive reviews and I'm like， did we （try） to read the same novel？ 。。。more

Marlin Barad ，

I could not put it down！ The historic story， which I knew， took on a more subtle background compared to the powerful characters that inhabit this book。 Olga’s thoughts， put into the mouths of her characters（particularly Nahum）， were profound。 I found myself rereading passages to absorb the entire path of her ideas and logic。 Her writing style is simple but again， extremely powerful。 She conveys complex ideas in a prose style that is new， different， putting together word phrases and metaphors ent I could not put it down！ The historic story， which I knew， took on a more subtle background compared to the powerful characters that inhabit this book。 Olga’s thoughts， put into the mouths of her characters（particularly Nahum）， were profound。 I found myself rereading passages to absorb the entire path of her ideas and logic。 Her writing style is simple but again， extremely powerful。 She conveys complex ideas in a prose style that is new， different， putting together word phrases and metaphors entirely innovative to the thoughtful reader。 It’s a long book but I got lost in it and loved it！ 。。。more

Taylor Barkley ，

Three stars for enjoyment; five for work of art。 I didn’t have fun but the overall vibe was very sticky。 The only reason I kept going is because it won a Nobel Prize。 Totally respect it for what it is though！

Arabella ，

More then anything， this book crystallises the writers approach to time/mapping/storytelling。 Although， it is very long and sometimes meandering， I’m very glad I stuck with it。

W ，

Tokarazuk should get a Pulitzer。 Jennifer Croft， the Translator， should get two Pulitzers。“Essences always seek carriers in matter。”Maybe I had some awareness of Jacob Frank’s notorious history as the false messiah， but this book read as good as any Tolstoy。It isn’t the next book you want to pick up。 Make space for it。

Lisa ，

This is a difficult work to review。 The story line warrants a five-star rating and is inspired by a real historical character。 Jacob Frank was an 18th century Jew who declared himself the new Messiah， converted to Islam and then Catholicism during his lifetime， and attracted thousands of followers to his cult during his multi-year journies across the Hapsburg and Ottoman Empires。 Tokarczuk's writing and the translation from Polish are both top-notch。 The sheer size and complexity of the novel is This is a difficult work to review。 The story line warrants a five-star rating and is inspired by a real historical character。 Jacob Frank was an 18th century Jew who declared himself the new Messiah， converted to Islam and then Catholicism during his lifetime， and attracted thousands of followers to his cult during his multi-year journies across the Hapsburg and Ottoman Empires。 Tokarczuk's writing and the translation from Polish are both top-notch。 The sheer size and complexity of the novel is daunting and the reason for my three-star rating。 The book is nearly 1，000 pages long and includes roughly 100 characters who accompany Jacob during his travels。 Keeping track of all the characters is challenging enough and an added layer of complexity is the Polish names of characters and towns that are unfamiliar to Western readers。 In short， I think this is an exceptionally good novel that makes outsized demands on its reader。 。。。more

Angie ，

This was a little like reading the Christian Bible。 I liked the beginning and ending the best and there were parts I was willing to skim to keep going。 I can appreciate the research and craft it took to write and understand as a body of work this was deserving of the Nobel， but there were parts that were very boring。

Adeliny Mudrauskas ，

I couldn't finish reading this book。I will try at a later time。 I couldn't finish reading this book。I will try at a later time。 。。。more

Alexis Newkirk ，

For Enjoyability: 1/5。 For Genre: 5/5。 For Writing: 5/5。 For Audio Narration: 2/5。Overall: 3。25/5 starsThis is a hard review for me。 The writing and religious commentary are obviously phenomenal - Nobel Prize-winning good - and the author really builds out the entire world and each character's story。 However， I had such a difficult time getting into this book for the sole reason that there are so many characters - whose names also change throughout the book - and I didn't feel that I had enough For Enjoyability: 1/5。 For Genre: 5/5。 For Writing: 5/5。 For Audio Narration: 2/5。Overall: 3。25/5 starsThis is a hard review for me。 The writing and religious commentary are obviously phenomenal - Nobel Prize-winning good - and the author really builds out the entire world and each character's story。 However， I had such a difficult time getting into this book for the sole reason that there are so many characters - whose names also change throughout the book - and I didn't feel that I had enough time with each character， in the beginning， to form a good map in my mind of who was who and their connections to one another。 It really ruined it for me and made this extremely tough to get through。 About 200 pages in I decided to switch to the audio narration because I thought maybe it would help with breaking down the characters a bit more， but I found that wasn't the case and I thought the audio could've been done a lot better even though there were two voice narrators。 Overall， this got pretty dense， but if you're able to detangle the characters then I think it would probably be a really good read。 I might have to revisit this one in a few years。 Also - Jacob is a total dick。TW: lots of rape， sexual slavery， religious trauma， abuse， human trafficking 。。。more

Gosia ，

Dosc

Michele ，

I plowed my way through as much of this book as a three-week library loan would allow。 That was about 500 pages。。。or half the book : | There are great moments here， for sure， but overall， I just found myself bogged down in the endlessness of this tome。

Mirek Jasinski ，

Olga Tokarczuk pisała tę książkę przez 7 lat。 Ja przez 7 lat ją czytałem。 Książka jest doskonała！ Tylko praca i inne obowiązki nie pozwoliły mi na pochłonięcie jej jednym ciągiem。 Dopiero wersja Legimi pozwoliła mi na tyle skoordynować czytanie i słuchanie， by nie wracać ciągle do poprzednich rozdziałów。 Wreszcie ją zakończyłem i teraz trochę żałuję， że to już koniec。

Roman Protsiuk ，

Engrossing。

RH Walters ，

Oh the breadth and depth of Olga Tokarczuk's soul and scholarship！ Obviously I became exasperated by the length of this story and set it aside for long periods。 I continued because there were so many crucial messages and an arresting sense of history; sometimes the writing is dazzling。 There are lots of characters in it， and then they change their names。 It's almost like a Jewish 100 Years of Solitude， but longer。 Jacob Frank strained my patience， as any self-proclaimed messiah would。 One of my Oh the breadth and depth of Olga Tokarczuk's soul and scholarship！ Obviously I became exasperated by the length of this story and set it aside for long periods。 I continued because there were so many crucial messages and an arresting sense of history; sometimes the writing is dazzling。 There are lots of characters in it， and then they change their names。 It's almost like a Jewish 100 Years of Solitude， but longer。 Jacob Frank strained my patience， as any self-proclaimed messiah would。 One of my favorite sections was the story of Asher and Gitla drinking coffee and reading newspapers together in Vienna -- a rare instance of happiness and equality among the many people living in this book。 I'm glad I read it -- I feel triumphant that it's over。 。。。more

Beth ，

I don’t give up on many books。 I gave up on this。 An absolute chore to try and keep up with。 I loved another of her books - this i cannot do for 900 pages。

Gian Luca ，

The novel is interesting but there are a lot of characters that go by the story and it’s difficult to keep track of them。 It’s also difficult reading， big descriptions， long tailed stories。 For sure， it’s not a page turner but it’s a very interesting story of Jews from Turkey that move to Poland， they are persecuted， they change religion by baptism but continue to be persecuted。

Jean Lobrot ，

Ambitious as all hell， makes war and peace look like a quaint family miniature

Michele ，

The Books of Jacob is overwhelming in every way。 It is 991 pages long， numbered backwards from 991 as a nod to its origins in the religions and customs of the Middle East， as transported with the Jews to Eastern Europe。 The translation is magnificent。 The critics have called it awe-inspiring， sophisticated and ribald and brimming with folk wit。 They agree that Olga Tokarczuk is one of our greatest living fiction writers。 The Books of Jacob was named a best book of the year by the NY Times， the W The Books of Jacob is overwhelming in every way。 It is 991 pages long， numbered backwards from 991 as a nod to its origins in the religions and customs of the Middle East， as transported with the Jews to Eastern Europe。 The translation is magnificent。 The critics have called it awe-inspiring， sophisticated and ribald and brimming with folk wit。 They agree that Olga Tokarczuk is one of our greatest living fiction writers。 The Books of Jacob was named a best book of the year by the NY Times， the Wall Street Journal， Time Magazine the New Yorker and NPR。The subject matter is the career of Jacob Frank， a messianic figure of mysterious origin， who captures the souls of a portion of the Jewish populace at a time of upheaval。 In the middle of the 18thC， the world was in transition， and so were the Jewish people。 Traditional Talmudists strictly observe the rules printed in the Bible， and those devised by men in the Talmud and other writings， also revered as holy books。 Books like the Talmud were written by learned rabbis to fill in the voids， the holes， in the rules given by God， to provide answers to the most commonly asked questions， to give additional guidance to observant Jews。 This theme of 'repairing' the world， or 'reweaving the tapestry of Judaism' is an important theme throughout。 Gradually， the interpretations of men became as holy as the words of God， shrinking the freedom of Jews to decide for themselves。 As men in all stations and places yearned for more autonomy and the chance to improve their lives， they became more amenable to changes such as Kabbala and Hassidic Judaism， and some became convinced that the Messiah was here already， just waiting for the end times to reveal himself。This story of a melting pot of religions and nationalities begins in and near a market town called Rohatyn， which is in present day Ukraine near Lviv， but was in 1752 a part of the Polish empire。 Tokarczuk describes the non-death of a Jewish matriarch， Yente， who by accident and superstition becomes a spirit in between life and death with a bird's eye view what is happening in the world。 The narrative moves to the local parish priest， a writer， working simultaneously on a biography and on his "Scraps，" written in Polish for ordinary people to inform and instruct about everyday things。 （Like an encyclopedia）。 The priest is going to Rohatyn to meet the Jew Elisha Schorr， rumored to be a man of learning， and to borrow some Jewish books。 The Schorr family is the mainstay of the "true believers，" a group of Jews whose members believe the Torah and the Talmud adding man-made rules， have put a straight jacket on Jewish thinking and spirituality。 They are increasingly in conflict with the pro-Talmud Jews， who live conventional lives follow the rules。 The true believers are willing to accept that there will be several Messiahs， and that one or two have already lived and died。 The characters that inhabit the novel are mostly introduced in this series of stories in Rohatyn， and involve people from many religions and nationalities， reminding the reader that the trade routes throughout the world were quite cosmopolitan。The remainder of the book traces the development of Jewish Enlightenment ideas， and how they moved from the sublime to the ridiculous over the course of time and in the hands of a charlatan sociopath using the name Jacob Frank， an historical character。 The true believers in fewer rules and more autonomy for people were groomed by Jacob to accept ideas such as free love， and eventually， the advantage of adopting Islam and being Baptized by Christians。 Unfortunately， when making deals with secular leaders for financial support， they accepted the idea that some Jews believed Christian blood was needed for making matzoh， a libel that would result in the death of innocent Jews for centuries。 People who stayed with Jacob through the years learned to live lawlessly， and licentiously， and learned to accept every charlatan and hanger-on who could provide a few coins to Jacob's coffers。 The simple Jewish merchants and manufacturers who started with him in Rohatyn bought noble titles and learned to live as wealthy people。 Many didn't stay near Jacob， didn't live as he did， but tolerated and supported him financially no matter what heresy he preached and laws he broke。 When Jacob Frank died， he had collected and trained a militia which was armed with guns of every description， but which had no purpose。 His debts were gargantuan。 All the money had been spent， and his 'true believers' had mostly scattered。I thought that Jacob Frank as portrayed here was the perfect toxic narcissist， and that the glassy-eyed followers were dead ringers for the Tea Party， then MAGA faithful who follow their leader around， give him money they don't have， forget all about their original honorable aims in favor of bizarre "theories" like QAnon and anti-vaccine activism。 it seemed to me that the lesson was that even the most honorable people can be swayed under certain conditions and lose their identities to an unscrupulous leader。I don't know a lot about the Jewish enlightenment， so I had my phone handy at all times to look up where I was reading about and who。 I could study this book for a year and not get everything Tokarczuk related。 It is definitely a tour de force， and I am truly in awe of her imagination。 But this was a difficult book to read， not only because of its length and its structure but also because of the unfamiliarity of the constantly changing Polish names。 I think it is a 5-star book， but you have to be ready to work at it！ 。。。more

Andrew Jelinek ，

Easily one of the 5 greatest novels I’ve ever read

Jurgita ，

I was reading The Books of Jacob without much previous investigation and viewed it a novel， albeit quite extended。 Only towards the end I actually realised it was based on true events， which made it to a historical novel to me。 I admire the effort of Olga Tokarczuk to investigate the life of Jacob Frank and his followers， but I would have liked one or more character stories to have been developed better。There were simply to many important figures to remember them properly。 I feel like I have lea I was reading The Books of Jacob without much previous investigation and viewed it a novel， albeit quite extended。 Only towards the end I actually realised it was based on true events， which made it to a historical novel to me。 I admire the effort of Olga Tokarczuk to investigate the life of Jacob Frank and his followers， but I would have liked one or more character stories to have been developed better。There were simply to many important figures to remember them properly。 I feel like I have learned quite a bit about this religious sect that I was never even aware off， which has expanded my historical and religious awareness。 One needs will and determination reading this book as it is not a light reading！ 。。。more

Anne Earney ，

It took me three months to read this。 The beginning was difficult because there were so many characters， then the middle was kind of a drag， but the end was fascinating。 Part of me would like to reread it， knowing I'd have a better grasp on the characters。 But three months is a long time。 I give this four stars for everything I've mentioned so far。 But everything else about this book was a five-star experience。 Fascinating characters， settings， experiences - I felt like I lived it along with the It took me three months to read this。 The beginning was difficult because there were so many characters， then the middle was kind of a drag， but the end was fascinating。 Part of me would like to reread it， knowing I'd have a better grasp on the characters。 But three months is a long time。 I give this four stars for everything I've mentioned so far。 But everything else about this book was a five-star experience。 Fascinating characters， settings， experiences - I felt like I lived it along with the characters。 Based on a true story， the novel is essentially the story of an 18th century cult， with Jacob Frank as the leader。 He moves his followers around， converts them from Judaism to Christianity， leads them from poverty to wealth。 It's quite the adventure。 。。。more

Natalie ，

Masterpiece

Michelle ，

Tokarczuk has written a book that reads like a symphony with rising and intensifying descriptions that lead to my increasing dread and fear。 What am I afraid of？ A transmutation of events between centuries。 It is more than I can bear。

Tag

    los libros de jacob los libros de jacob olga tokarczuk los libros de jacobo grinberg los libros de anne jacobs todos los libros de jacobo grinberg todos los libros de anne jacobs libros los besos de jacob descargar todos los libros de jacobo grinberg orden de los libros de anne jacobs

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Los libros de Jacob

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Los libros de Jacob&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Los libros de Jacob&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0