Fiction

The Books of Jacob

The Books of Jacob

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-01-19 06:52:10
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Olga Tokarczuk
  • ISBN：0593087488
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Summary

The Nobel Prize-winner's richest， most sweeping and ambitious novel yet follows the comet-like rise and fall of a mysterious， messianic religious leader as he blazes his way across eighteenth-century Europe。

In the mid-eighteenth century， as new ideas--and a new unrest--begin to sweep the Continent， a young Jew of mysterious origins arrives in a village in Poland。 Before long， he has changed not only his name but his persona; visited by what seem to be ecstatic experiences， Jacob Frank casts a charismatic spell that attracts an increasingly fervent following。 In the decade to come， Frank will traverse the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires with throngs of disciples in his thrall as he reinvents himself again and again， converts to Islam and then Catholicism， is pilloried as a heretic and revered as the Messiah， and wreaks havoc on the conventional order， Jewish and Christian alike， with scandalous rumors of his sect's secret rituals and the spread of his increasingly iconoclastic beliefs。 The story of Frank--a real historical figure around whom mystery and controversy swirl to this day--is the perfect canvas for the genius and unparalleled reach of Olga Tokarczuk。 Narrated through the perspectives of his contemporaries--those who revere him， those who revile him， the friend who betrays him， the lone woman who sees him for what he is--The Books of Jacob captures a world on the cusp of precipitous change， searching for certainty and longing for transcendence。

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Reviews

Bridget Bonaparte ，

So it was a bit of a slog， I can’t say the reading experience was super pleasurable。 But， it does force you to take a good long look at a moment in history and as moments go the cusp of the enlightenment is a pretty interesting time。 It feels like she’s shining a light on mysticism’s last gasp。 We’re to understand that， in a changing world， there are many ways interpret and embrace those changes。 Pre-enlightenment life is hard to truly grapple with; tokaraczuk returns many times to scenes of mov So it was a bit of a slog， I can’t say the reading experience was super pleasurable。 But， it does force you to take a good long look at a moment in history and as moments go the cusp of the enlightenment is a pretty interesting time。 It feels like she’s shining a light on mysticism’s last gasp。 We’re to understand that， in a changing world， there are many ways interpret and embrace those changes。 Pre-enlightenment life is hard to truly grapple with; tokaraczuk returns many times to scenes of movement and travel in which the road is only lit by starlight— only hinting at the existence of a greater worlds but too dim to light the way。 Characters are motivated by murky intentions and the semblance of meaning or understanding， without the tools to explain their world but knowing that it is broken。 To me， the work felt more like a creative scholarly piece than a novel。 。。。more

Muaz Jalil ，

It is the story of the Jewish false Messiah Frank Joseph。 Not my cup of tea。 Way to esoterical for my taste。 Discusses Jewish theological debates in 18th century， particularly in Poland。 Too heavy and long。 Did not enjoy it。 Feels like the author knows this is an epic and the narrator is trying to convey that what you are reading is important。 There are great reviews of this book。 I bought this book thinking Jacob might end up meeting and discussing with enlightenment figures。

Drkks Stephens ，

This one is going to marinate for a bit。

Monika S。 ，

Trochę nie wiem co mam powiedzieć。 Przeorała mnie ta książka， bardzo też bolała w wielu miejscach， a pod względem estetycznym czuję się w pełni zaspokojona。 Tyle pięknych zdań 🥺❤️Z serca polecam tez audiobook， fenomenalnie przeczytany！

Aleks Piotrowska ，

Podczas czytania artykułów o Księgach Jakubowych natknęłam się na recenzję mówiącą， iż to monumentalne dzieło będzie istotnym punktem historii czytelniczej każdego， kto zdoła podjąć to wyzwanie。 Uważam to podsumowanie za niezwykle trafne。 Księgi Jakubowe to książka niesłychanie wielowymiarowa， można interpretować na wielu płaszczyznach lub czytać jak zwyczajną powieść historyczną， jednak największą radość przyniesie czytelnikowi żywo zainteresowanemu naukami humanistycznymi i historią。 Dla mnie Podczas czytania artykułów o Księgach Jakubowych natknęłam się na recenzję mówiącą， iż to monumentalne dzieło będzie istotnym punktem historii czytelniczej każdego， kto zdoła podjąć to wyzwanie。 Uważam to podsumowanie za niezwykle trafne。 Księgi Jakubowe to książka niesłychanie wielowymiarowa， można interpretować na wielu płaszczyznach lub czytać jak zwyczajną powieść historyczną， jednak największą radość przyniesie czytelnikowi żywo zainteresowanemu naukami humanistycznymi i historią。 Dla mnie np。 wielką gratką było odkrywanie na kartach Ksiąg Jakubowych postaci historycznych， o których uczyłam się jeszcze w liceum。 Przed oczami stanęła mi moja nauczycielka języka polskiego， cytująca Nowe Ateny （"koń jaki jest， każdy widzi"） jako przykład zaściankowego polskiego Oświecenia。 Sam warsztat jest oczywiście fenomenalny， opisy tak plastyczne， że czytelnik z miejsca przenosi się do XVIII wieku， na błotniste drogi ówczesnych wsi i na bruk ówczesnych miasteczek。 Postacie są poprowadzone w sposób mistrzowski a ich charaktery i historie bogate ale i wielce prawdopodobne。 Gdzie kończy się prawda historyczna a zaczyna licentia poetica？ U Tokarczuk ta granica jest niewyczuwalna。 Niezmiernie podobała mi się również powracająca raz po raz narracja z perspektywy Jenty， fantastyczna klamra spinająca kompozycję poszczególnych ksiąg， która pozwoliła na gładkie przejście do historii potomków frankistów w XX wieku。 。。。more

Robert ，

The Books of Jacob is considered to be Nobel prize winning author， Olga Tokarczuk’s masterpiece。 Considering that the I loved the stellar Flights and her ‘light’ novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead ， I was eager to see why this hefty 912 page tome has gathered so many accolades。The titular Jacob is actual historical character Jacob Frank， a religious leader who preached against Jewish beliefs of the time and gathered followers as he travelled from Poland to Turkey and vice versa。 Ev The Books of Jacob is considered to be Nobel prize winning author， Olga Tokarczuk’s masterpiece。 Considering that the I loved the stellar Flights and her ‘light’ novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead ， I was eager to see why this hefty 912 page tome has gathered so many accolades。The titular Jacob is actual historical character Jacob Frank， a religious leader who preached against Jewish beliefs of the time and gathered followers as he travelled from Poland to Turkey and vice versa。 Eventually he was proclaimed as the Messiah， only to convert to Christianity。 Despite being imprisoned his popularity increased， in his last days he was based in Vienna and his daughter took over the cult。Since The Books of Jacob is a Tokarczuk novel， things are not as simple。 There is a huge cast of characters， whose backstory and connection to Jacob are given at various points in the novel。 One such example is the first messiah， Sabbatai Zevi who gets a tiny mention but much later in the book he has a chapter devoted to him。 Essentially this is a book to read in big chunks as more connections and backstories are revealed。 Think of the book as a flower blooming in slow motion: the more you pay attention， the more it unfolds。The books of Jacob has a plethora of themes but here are some that stood out:The idea of Babel and reverse Babel : right from the beginning one of the many characters， a priest called Father Chmielowski approaches a major protagonist Rabbi Elisha Shorr and tries to prove to him that Babel is scientifically incorrect and yet Rabbi Shorr is not understanding him due to the fact that both people speak different languages。The ‘Babel effect’ occurs throughout the novel。 Characters have difficulty in communicating， new dialects spread out。 To add to this division， the book takes place during the years 1748 – 1816， a time when Europe was going through many changes: new territories were annexed， some stopped existing， Poland had it’s borders changed， Vienna grew to be the capital。 Elsewhere the French revolution took place。 All these changes just created more schisms in society and at the same time a more modern era was approaching。The reverse Babel comes in the form of Jacob Frank; by learning languages and understanding dialects and relating to people’s discontent with the religion they practise， he is uniting。 By the mid section of the book Jacob Frank has amassed a substantial cult which continues after his death in 1791。Treatment of Jews: In The Books of Jacob， we readers see the attitudes towards Jews， they are persecuted， seen as odd， at times they are evicted。 Diasporas feature。 As far I know this has always been a problem whether it is the crusades or the holocaust。 Yet they are the chosen nation and are resilient， waiting for the messiah。The character of Jacob Frank: This is an interesting one。 Is Jacob Frank a tyrant？ saviour？ or pervert？ Are his intentions to change the world？ or does he just want to sleep with men and women？ Is he a good father and husband？ The novel presents all aspects of Frank。 it neither glorifies him or makes him out to be a scoundrel。 The one thing that we are certain of is that his words manage to attract people and he was looked up to by many of his followers。There is also a semi mystical element to the book by mentions of Kabbalistic philosophy， debates over the validity of the Holy Trinity and a character whose soul watches over Jacob’s exploits， in fact we readers never see Jacob Frank’s POV， it is always through secondary sources。The Books of Jacob is not an easy read， due to all the detail 。 Yet it was a book I found difficult to put down。 I had to see the story develop and the more I researched about Jacob Frank， the more I wanted to see how Olga Tokarczuk would develop his character。 Plus I just loved how Olga Tokarczuk managed to link all the protagonists destinies cleverly。 Definitely kudos to Jennifer Croft for managing translate this awesome tome。This novel has so much breadth and scope that one cannot help but marvel at it。 Ambitious， daring and challenging （in the sense that questions one’s views of history） The Books of Jacob is a piece of work like no other。 If one thought that Mantel’s Cromwell Trilogy was the definitive historical novel， think again。 This is the Burj Khalifa of historical fiction。 At this point the only person who I think will be able to overcome this is Olga Tokarczuk herself。 。。。more

Tom ，

I don’t have the literary criticism skills to do justice to an epic like this。 It is an epic in more than just size: a （true？） story told through multiple perspectives that’s equally interested in examining a vast range of social and political relations alongside the esoteric historic and religious elements in the foreground。 The way Tokarczuk engineers the movement of all these pieces is mesmerising。

Monica ，

This novel is unlike anything I have ever read before。It took Tokarczuk two decades of intensive research and an additional 7 years to write this historical mammoth。 Croft took another 7 years for its English translation where she studied 18th century texts in order to capture the right tone — not an easy feat and at just under 1，000 pages， Croft’s English translation is exemplary。 The novel is based on Jacob Frank， a prominent self-proclaimed Jewish messiah who founded Frankism （a mix of Judais This novel is unlike anything I have ever read before。It took Tokarczuk two decades of intensive research and an additional 7 years to write this historical mammoth。 Croft took another 7 years for its English translation where she studied 18th century texts in order to capture the right tone — not an easy feat and at just under 1，000 pages， Croft’s English translation is exemplary。 The novel is based on Jacob Frank， a prominent self-proclaimed Jewish messiah who founded Frankism （a mix of Judaism， Christianity and Islam） in the 18th century。 It is crafted as a series of separate passages， each told through the eyes of a different character， although somewhat surprisingly， none are from Frank’s perspective。 His physical presence always remains on the periphery of the narrative， though his influence is the undercurrent that ties everything together。 There are two things that I think make this novel unique。 One， being the crafting of such an intricate network of individual perspectives， each enmeshed in and around one another to create this immersive， vibrant and ever-evolving world。 Tokarczuk reminds us that existence is fleeting， ideologies are capricious and even identities change depending on who the observer is or even what name you’ve been given。The second being the intricate theological， historical and political detail — it is extensive， factual and very arcane， much like reading a religious book。 Tokarczuk reawakens all these historical figures slowly; she breathes life into moments in history by way of dialogue， letters， journal entries… Her narration is subtly poetic and richly imaginative， the substantial cast of characters inserted with such care within defining moments in European history。 It is a slow burn and admittedly， it took a lot of stop/starts over the course of 1。5 months to get through — it is a tangle of unpronounceable names， places and languages — details which my sleepy mama brain kept glazing over。 Deeply enthralling but not likely to be everyone’s cup of tea。Thank you Text Publishing for the review copy。 。。。more

Ben ，

Suddenly it seems to him that aside from all those lofty theses printed by the Berlinische Monatsschrift， beyond light and reason， beyond human power and freedom， there remains something very important， a kind of dark ground with the sticky consistency of cake batter onto which all words and ideas fall as though into tar， losing their shape and their meaning。Mind-blowing levels of research， imagination， care， attention to detail， love， emotional intelligence， ambiguity （moral， social， political） Suddenly it seems to him that aside from all those lofty theses printed by the Berlinische Monatsschrift， beyond light and reason， beyond human power and freedom， there remains something very important， a kind of dark ground with the sticky consistency of cake batter onto which all words and ideas fall as though into tar， losing their shape and their meaning。Mind-blowing levels of research， imagination， care， attention to detail， love， emotional intelligence， ambiguity （moral， social， political）， European panoramas， paradoxes， dichotomies and insights - all of which provided with Olga's cool eye， not at all didactical but instead totally engaging， somehow achieving a work that is lyrical， documentary and artistic， all at the same time。 。。。more

Rasy ，

An ambitious， all-encompassing historical （？）fiction capturing the cultural diversity and social situation across Europe， especially Poland， from mid to the fin-de-siècle of the 18th century。 Jennifer Croft also did a good job in preserving these diversity when translating in most parts， down to leaving some phrases purposely untranslated。 As far as research goes， it is befitting that this is Olga’s magnum opus。 However， the lack of footnotes on some of the localised（？） terms and religious refer An ambitious， all-encompassing historical （？）fiction capturing the cultural diversity and social situation across Europe， especially Poland， from mid to the fin-de-siècle of the 18th century。 Jennifer Croft also did a good job in preserving these diversity when translating in most parts， down to leaving some phrases purposely untranslated。 As far as research goes， it is befitting that this is Olga’s magnum opus。 However， the lack of footnotes on some of the localised（？） terms and religious references made the reading process arduous for me as a non-Polish reader。 4。05⭐️ 。。。more

RL ，

What a phenomenal achievement to have written a book like this， and I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to read it。 It's such a complex constellation of characters and geographies and theologies， and although at times it was difficult to keep track of it all， I felt complete confidence in the narrator guiding us through。 There is so much I loved about this book， but one of the most wonderful things was how slippery the characters felt: with each different point of view you got to see What a phenomenal achievement to have written a book like this， and I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to read it。 It's such a complex constellation of characters and geographies and theologies， and although at times it was difficult to keep track of it all， I felt complete confidence in the narrator guiding us through。 There is so much I loved about this book， but one of the most wonderful things was how slippery the characters felt: with each different point of view you got to see another facet of the character in question so it felt as though we were catching glimpses of them as we couldn't possibly know them in full （and this feels so true to life）。 All the characters also often make strange decisions and bad choices， but Tokarczuk also shows their compassionate and funny sides。 To do this with such a range of characters is such a feat。 Particularly wonderful were the meditations on what it means to live， as a community， through grief and fear and struggle， and how these inevitably effect your view of the world and of god and of yourself。 It's no wonder many 18th century Europeans were so convinced of the impending apocalypse， and in that I think we see parallels with our own world， and what feels like an apocalyptic moment on our horizon。 。。。more

Warwick Conway ，

Epic， complex and fascinating。 The only difficulty is keeping on top of the vast array of characters。 So glad this was finally translated into English。

sean ，

pulled up stumps around the 600 page mark。 too much of a slog for me！ sorry！

Jdu FFH ，

aren; geluid， geur， warmte， licht。 Ga niet uit van een anonieme ‘gebruiker’ maar probeer te begrijpen hoe het menselijk organisme kan floreren in de omgeving die je ontwerpt – want mensen zijn geen passieve gebruikers van hun omgeving， maar geven er actief betekenis aan。 Is dat nou helemaal nieuw？ De onderbouwing die Mallgrave hier voor geeft is dat zeker。 Hij maakt gebruik van het meest recente onderzoek en ontdekkingen die 20 jaar geleden nog niet bekend waren。 Aan de andere kant zijn de inzic aren; geluid， geur， warmte， licht。 Ga niet uit van een anonieme ‘gebruiker’ maar probeer te begrijpen hoe het menselijk organisme kan floreren in de omgeving die je ontwerpt – want mensen zijn geen passieve gebruikers van hun omgeving， maar geven er actief betekenis aan。 Is dat nou helemaal nieuw？ De onderbouwing die Mallgrave hier voor geeft is dat zeker。 Hij maakt gebruik van het meest recente onderzoek en ontdekkingen die 20 jaar geleden nog niet bekend waren。 Aan de andere kant zijn de inzichten die Mallgrave poneert eerder een bevestiging van wat iedereen stiekem al weet。 Het is impliciete， pragmatische kennis die in al onze lichamen zit， want we gaan allemaal harder lopen op een industrieterrein dan in een levendige stadsstraat。 En dat de fysieke omgeving onze sociale en culture ontplooiing kan fnuiken of stimuleren， dat was in de jaren ’90 ook al bekend， lang voordat we wisten wat spiegelneuronen waren， zie hier。Maar wat geeft dat？ Hoe meer bewijs dat ontwerp er toe doet， en dat we moeten ontwerpen voor menselijke lichamen in plaats van technieken， des te beter。 Historische romans die op basis van waargebeurde feiten een boeiend verhaal vertellen zijn mijn lievelings。 Ook als het gaat over Joodse sektes in 18eeeuws Polen， en dat meer dan 900 pagina’s lang。 Tokarczuk neemt de lezer mee naar een tijd en een plek waar je niet snel zult terugkomen: het achterland van het huidige Lviv， inmiddels in Oekraïne， destijds nog in Polen。 Dat achterland wordt voor een groot deel bevolkt door Joden， die daar al eeuwen geleden zijn neergestreken。 Het is een grensgebied， deels onder Russische invloed， deels Pools， maar ook met nauwe banden met het Ottomaanse Rijk， aan de overkant van de Dnestr。 Het is een gebied dat vaak van heerser verandert maar waar de verhouding tussen Joden， boeren en landheren al eeuwen ongewijzigd is。Dat verandert met de komst van Jacob Frank， die grote groepen Joden ervan weet te overtuigen dat hij de Messias is。 En dat ze met hem allemaal katholiek gedoopt moeten worden。 Waarmee voor die groep een reis begint dwars door Europa， die hen via Warschau， Czestochowa en Brno uiteindelijk in Offenbach aan de Main brengt。 Tegen die tijd zijn de Poolse koning， Russische tsaar， Ottomaanse Sultan en Oostenrijkse Keizer allemaal betrokken geraakt。Het verhaal wordt verteld vanuit het perspectief van de volgelingen van Frank， hij komt zelf niet aan het woord。 Tokarczuk doet dat op een manier die het grote verhaal steeds op de achtergrond laat。 Door kleine dagelijkse gebeurtenissen worden de contouren van dat grote verhaal wel steeds duidelijk。 Bovendien krijgt de lezer een kijkje in heel veel alledaagse zaken in de 18e eeuw， zoals de manier waarop mensen reisden， woonden en aten。 Wat voor de 21e eeuwse lezer altijd weer een schok is， is hoeveel er gestorven wordt: zuigelingen， jonge kinderen， vrouwen in het kraambed， het is aan de orde van de dag。De volgelingen van Frank， de Frankisten， zijn in zekere zin de wappies van hun tijd。 Ze volgen de bevelen van Frank op zonder er bij na te denken。 Hij belooft ze vernieuwing， een nieuwe wereldorde die pas gevestigd kan worde als alle geboden uit de oude orde overtreden zijn。 Het is fascinerend om mee te gluren over de schouders van alle personages en te volgen hoe dat gebeurt。 Behalve een sekte is het namelijk ook een verdienmodel voor Frank。 Hij vraagt aan zijn volgers geld， eigent zich hun vrouwen toe， belooft hen onsterfelijkheid。 Zij krijgen daar aan materiele zaken niets voor terug。 Wel worden ze gesterkt in hun geloof en， misschien wel belangrijker， in de overtuiging dat ze ergens bij horen。 Dat hun saamhorigheid leidt tot het beste voor de hele wereld。 De 18e eeuw voelt dan ineens heel dichtbij。Heel ver op de achtergrond speelt ook de Verlichting en de Franse Revolutie een rol in het boek。 Je zou Frank ook kunnen zien als een soort Joodse Luther， die oude dogma’s en gebruiken verafschuwt en terug wil naar de kern。 Dit thema wordt niet heel veel verder uitgewerkt， en ik denk dat dat een gelukkige keuze is。 Laat het verhaal maar het verhaal zijn。 Een geweldige onderdompeling in 18eeeuws Europa， waarin niet menselijks de mensen vreemd is。 。。。more

Chris ，

I'm finding this sort of hard to review。 It was very long， and sometimes I only had the attention to read a page or two at a time。 Not very plot driven。 But I was never bored — Tokarczuk makes every page interesting， even standing alone。 There is just so much in here， and all woven together in an incredible way。 I can't imagine how much research she did。I liked that it had pictures。 I'm finding this sort of hard to review。 It was very long， and sometimes I only had the attention to read a page or two at a time。 Not very plot driven。 But I was never bored — Tokarczuk makes every page interesting， even standing alone。 There is just so much in here， and all woven together in an incredible way。 I can't imagine how much research she did。I liked that it had pictures。 。。。more

Josee Leclerc ，

。。。still reading and it is with joy and pleasure the I keep reading this historical and could I say complicated story about a certain Jakob。 From Jewish to Islam and then Catholicism， he moved inside-out through a large area of East Europe， adapting to the circonstances and followed by more and more people without any desire else than to be himself。 He has ecstatic visions and is recognized has a master， a leader for a group whom believes he is the chosen one。 I'm reading it in French， the readi 。。。still reading and it is with joy and pleasure the I keep reading this historical and could I say complicated story about a certain Jakob。 From Jewish to Islam and then Catholicism， he moved inside-out through a large area of East Europe， adapting to the circonstances and followed by more and more people without any desire else than to be himself。 He has ecstatic visions and is recognized has a master， a leader for a group whom believes he is the chosen one。 I'm reading it in French， the reading is slow。 It is so full of complicated and différents way of living for me。 I was not aware of these different ways of living。 My reading answers many questions the I had about jewish beliefs。 It is a long trip throughs seven countries， 5 languages and three religions from the 18th century up to now。 It does clarify， for me at least， many questions about religions and beliefs。 The author has a wonderful way of describing and telling us such a complicated story。。。I am still reading！ 。。。more

Benjamin Farr ，

This tome is an incredible historical account of Jacob Frank， the mysterious Jewish religious leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of the Messiah， before converting to Islam and then Catholicism。 At 900+ pages this novel is unfortunately weighed down by a disjointed， sporadic plot and a lack of necessary editing （including many of the superfluous characters that add little to the story）。That said， this novel is exceptionally well-researched and Tokarczuk's knowledge of Judaism， Jewish/Poli This tome is an incredible historical account of Jacob Frank， the mysterious Jewish religious leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of the Messiah， before converting to Islam and then Catholicism。 At 900+ pages this novel is unfortunately weighed down by a disjointed， sporadic plot and a lack of necessary editing （including many of the superfluous characters that add little to the story）。That said， this novel is exceptionally well-researched and Tokarczuk's knowledge of Judaism， Jewish/Polish culture shines through。So， in what should have been a 5 star read ultimately became a burden。 。。。more

Xvmichal ，

Bardzo ładny język。

Autumn Kotsiuba ，

Amazing。

Roman Clodia ，

The messianic machine， how it works This has taken me six weeks to read but I think this was the right approach for me as this is a book which is monotone in its pacing: much happens but there is no plot as such， no quickening up and slowing down， no fast and slow chapters - it feels sedate though， I should add， never tiresomely so。 The story begins and ends in a somewhat arbitrary way and I'd guess that's part of OT's point: that history doesn't fall into neat named segments （e。g。 th The messianic machine， how it works This has taken me six weeks to read but I think this was the right approach for me as this is a book which is monotone in its pacing: much happens but there is no plot as such， no quickening up and slowing down， no fast and slow chapters - it feels sedate though， I should add， never tiresomely so。 The story begins and ends in a somewhat arbitrary way and I'd guess that's part of OT's point: that history doesn't fall into neat named segments （e。g。 the Renaissance， the Enlightenment） and is only reconstructed in that way with hindsight and the urge to narrativise， with possibly a politicised agenda either consciously or unknowingly。 And narrativisation， story-telling and even myth-making is one of the key themes that jumped out to me when reading this， though there are many others and different readers will attach to various other ideas。 At the purported heart of the book is the 'messiah' Jacob Frank but， cleverly， OT never allows us access to Jacob's own thoughts or feelings: we see him only from the outside， via his actions and through what other people think and say about him。 Narratives and points of view proliferate via letters to and from various characters， the book one of Jacob's adherents is writing， debates and discussions。 There is no omniscient narrator and while Jacob's grandmother， Yente， floats magically over the story， seeing everything， she has no voice or viewpoint of her own: she's like the proverbial omniscient （i。e。 godlike in being all knowing） narrator but with the power to speak withheld。 For me， this was a comment on the human construct of stories， something which the book performs。 So， in some sense， this is an unmoored story， free from narratorial （if not authorial） shaping which makes it both unrelentingly postmodern and also wide open to readerly interpretations。 It is a book which thinks about what 'history' is， who has the power to write it and how that is done and， as such， is an ideal companion to Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy which also asks intelligent questions about how we construct the past， though Mantel's strong， witty， interventionist voice is not a route that OT pursues。 What I loved alongside the intellectual questions that this book wrestles with is the immersive nature of the world and story-telling。 There is real ambition in the breadth of the world that OT recreates: almost like a Breughel painting， the world bustles and individual lives play out quite apart from the way in which they intersect with the story of Jacob。 Characters feel 'real' even when they walk into a scene and out again， and the majority of their lives is submerged from our view though we feel the presence of that roundedness。 The other thing that struck me about the quality of the writing is the generous humanity of OT's vision: she is gently humorous at times but also immensely empathetic to， for want of a better phrase， 'the human condition' （yuck！）。 So， a book for everyone？ Definitely not。 But a book that feels like it comes from a Nobel winner？ For sure。 。。。more

Jane Wiewora ，

Fascinating！

Gabriela Francisco ，

"For is it not so that our stories are told to us by others？ We can know ourselves to the extent that others tell us who we are and what it is we're struggling to do。"Tokarczuk set out to tell the story of a failed Messiah （the historical figure Jacob Frank）， whose radical view of Judaism made him undergo multiple conversions （as a Muslim， then as a Catholic） to pursue a greater truth， and who managed to amass an army of converts along the way。 Jacob Frank may very well have started out being a "For is it not so that our stories are told to us by others？ We can know ourselves to the extent that others tell us who we are and what it is we're struggling to do。"Tokarczuk set out to tell the story of a failed Messiah （the historical figure Jacob Frank）， whose radical view of Judaism made him undergo multiple conversions （as a Muslim， then as a Catholic） to pursue a greater truth， and who managed to amass an army of converts along the way。 Jacob Frank may very well have started out being a pioneer in syncretism， or the combining of different paths to God， before being overcome by success and ordering his followers to do acts not fit for social media （but are written of as sins in our very own Old Testament）。The story is simple enough。 The story behind the book's creation， and the continuing story of the immense backlash against its author， shows how its theme of truth-telling versus accepted prepackaged history still speaks intimately to Catholic Poland。One comes away with the book greatly impressed by the author's act of Tikkun: any act for "the repair of the world， mending the holes in its fabric。"Reading this book made me reflect on the disorganized state of organized religion in my own country， where more than one person claims to be the son or prophet of God。 This book makes its readers reflect: how can a messiah be considered "false？" Why do people long for a savior， be it in the religious or political sphere？ It also suggests how ridiculous all religious conflicts can be， when analyzed in full light: wars fought over matters of semantics or poor translations。 The peace and glory of God overshadowed by the petty pride of man。"The Messiah is something more than a figure and a person -- it is the dearest and most precious human thought: that salvation exists。"The book's length may have been "necessary" in order to drive home the point that， like any other great faith's Great Book， organized religion is historically a group of texts carefully selected by men to promote their vision of what brings light to the world。 But as a reader。。。 I have to say， the length sucked。 Haha！ It was just sooooooo loooooooong， around 900 pages！ Also， the pages are numbered backwards。 The numbered pages start at page 892 and end on page 27。 The author said this is to emphasize how "every order， every system， is simply a matter of what you've got used to。" It's also a tribute to how Hebrew is written。To be brutally honest。。。 had circumstances not forced me to be imprisoned in one room for the week it took to get through this mountain of a book， this would probably have suffered the fate of other DNF books （Don't worry， the quarantine wasn't due to COVID！ But workers came to the house for badly-needed renovations）。But now that I'VE SURVIVED。。。 I'm glad。 This book is an unforgettable experience。"The world itself demands to be narrated， and only then does it truly exist， only then can it flourish fully。 But also that by telling the story of the world， we are changing the world。" 。。。more

Yuri Sharon ，

An account of Jacob Frank （Jakub Lejbowicz， 1726-91）， a Polish Jew and self-proclaimed messiah， who created a new sect of ostensibly baptized neophytes。 His story and those of his contemporaries， followers and enemies， are woven together to create a long and complex historical fiction。Mostly set in that part of modern Ukraine that was in Commonwealth and then interwar Poland， the clear political message is that “lost” Poland was Jewish Poland。 Of course， any Polish novel about a messiah must lea An account of Jacob Frank （Jakub Lejbowicz， 1726-91）， a Polish Jew and self-proclaimed messiah， who created a new sect of ostensibly baptized neophytes。 His story and those of his contemporaries， followers and enemies， are woven together to create a long and complex historical fiction。Mostly set in that part of modern Ukraine that was in Commonwealth and then interwar Poland， the clear political message is that “lost” Poland was Jewish Poland。 Of course， any Polish novel about a messiah must lean on Bruno Schulz’s lost novel; and Schulz’s reputed first line is directly uttered by one of Tokarczuk’s characters。 A long， perhaps a little over-long work， I felt it was best read slowly， a companion over a month。 It contains much to dwell upon。 How accurate it is in all its details is hard to say， but I have the sense the trajectory of Frank’s life is probably right。 He is never really known， always remaining a “character” – but that is probably the best way to depict a man who sought to be a persona。 As she has done elsewhere， Tokarczuk uses the format of short， titled chapters， and embellishes her text with numerous illustrations。 。。。more

Meg ，

A historical epic in every sense。 A huge novel on a truly ambitious scale with meandering story and an enormous cast of characters - this did get confused at times。 This is a big one to get through but considering Olga Tokarczuk put 7 years of research into it its definitely worth it。 Bonus points for the page numbers descending from beginning to end。

Courtney Ferriter ，

** 4 stars **"'Either the real or the intelligible universe has infinite points of view from which it can be represented， and the possible systems of human knowledge are as numerous as those points of view。'" - Diderot， as quoted in The Books of Jacob （p。 143）"Literature is a particular type of knowledge， it is […] the perfection of imprecise forms。" （p。 31）This book is an extraordinary achievement。 It chronicles the beginnings， rise of， and eventual demise of the Frankist sect led by real-life ** 4 stars **"'Either the real or the intelligible universe has infinite points of view from which it can be represented， and the possible systems of human knowledge are as numerous as those points of view。'" - Diderot， as quoted in The Books of Jacob （p。 143）"Literature is a particular type of knowledge， it is […] the perfection of imprecise forms。" （p。 31）This book is an extraordinary achievement。 It chronicles the beginnings， rise of， and eventual demise of the Frankist sect led by real-life false messiah Jacob Frank in mid to late 18th century Poland （and Germany， Turkey， Holy Roman Empire territories， etc。）。 The story is told by Yente， who is dying but not totally dead， and she has a bird's eye view of everything that goes on with the Frankists and other characters included in the text （Catholic clergy， a Polish poet， Jews opposed to the Frankists， members of the Habsburg court， etc。）。 As a result， the narration of the novel is detached and the story is told straightforwardly in the style of an outside observer except for parts of the story told in letters or writings of certain characters， which are told in first person from that character's perspective。 Tokarczuk also includes reproductions of drawings and prints throughout the novel， most of which came from the archives of the Polish national library， the Ossolineum。This is not the kind of character-driven novel that Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is。 There are dozens of characters we follow throughout the story， and with the exception of the all-seeing Yente， no one person's story seems to be given more weight than another's， which seems to have been one of Tokarczuk's goals （see the quote from Diderot above）。 She also explores maps/boundaries， light vs。 darkness， and intersections of religion， politics， and philosophy。 The novel is very immersive and atmospheric， and as the reader， I felt that I came away with a vivid and fairly rich understanding of 18th century Eastern Europe。 I am giving the book 4 stars rather than 5 because I prefer character-driven novels and never felt emotionally moved by the book， even as I am in awe of what it does。 。。。more

booksummoner ，

dnf p。402

Miki Noam ，

רוחב היריעה של הרומן כמעט לא יאמן。 מקופל בו באמת עולם שלם， מורכב ומדוייק。התרגום נפלא， קש。 להאמין שהספר לא נכתב בעברית。 השילוב של חיי הקהילה היהודית， שפת החסידים ולשון הקודש טבעיים לגמרי וכיהודי שגדל על סיפורי חסידות לא מצאתי צרימות。טוקרצ׳וק מתארת חוויות ופיסות חיים באופן מרגש ומעורר הזדהות， ובאותו הזמן מסבירה ומבארת באופן מרתק תהפוכות פוליטיות ודתיות חובקות עולם。הספר מרתק ומחכים。 הדמות של יעקב פרנק נפרשת כך שהוא אינו קוריוז אלא סמל ותוצר התרבות היהודית שגדל בה。

Jared ，

Ok A few notes: The plot is boring and bad。 Like objectively， unless you're into 17 century Eastern European religious history， there's going to be a lot to dislike here。 HOWEVER: Her writing is so good that I still enjoyed reading it？ And normally， if the plot is this bad and boring to me， I give up， but I read this super intensely just because of how good the writing is。 So: Do not dare to read this as your first Olga book--make sure you actually like her style UNLESS You enjoy novels like the Ok A few notes: The plot is boring and bad。 Like objectively， unless you're into 17 century Eastern European religious history， there's going to be a lot to dislike here。 HOWEVER: Her writing is so good that I still enjoyed reading it？ And normally， if the plot is this bad and boring to me， I give up， but I read this super intensely just because of how good the writing is。 So: Do not dare to read this as your first Olga book--make sure you actually like her style UNLESS You enjoy novels like the Brothers Karamazov and or poland。 3。5 。。。more

ReemK10 （Paper Pills） ，

Utterly fascinating！ One reads and wonders， how did we never read about this chapter of Polish history before？ I am in awe of what Olga Tokarczuk has been able to do with The Books of Jacob， and what Jennifer Croft has translated！ There was so much in this novel that had me intrigued！！！ Like wow！

David ，

The Books of Jacob is a monumental work， featuring a superb English translation by Jennifer Croft。 This is rightly regarded as Olga Tokarczuk’s masterwork， an immersive historical novel that breathes life into the old Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on the brink of partition。 The society Tokarczuk presents is fluid and permeable。 Languages and customs proliferate。 What we， 250 years later， regard as fixed - ethnic identity， religious dogma， borders， language - is shown to be in a constant state o The Books of Jacob is a monumental work， featuring a superb English translation by Jennifer Croft。 This is rightly regarded as Olga Tokarczuk’s masterwork， an immersive historical novel that breathes life into the old Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on the brink of partition。 The society Tokarczuk presents is fluid and permeable。 Languages and customs proliferate。 What we， 250 years later， regard as fixed - ethnic identity， religious dogma， borders， language - is shown to be in a constant state of flux。 It is only afterwards that history gives us a narrative， with labels and boundaries and a trajectory that didn’t exist for those living at the time。 The Books of Jacob is a powerful rejoinder to a mode of thought that looks for fixed identities and tidy narratives。 It isn’t a perfect book， and the story tends to sag a bit before picking up in the last half， but the world Tokarczuk brings to life will stay with you long of the book is finished。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Books of Jacob

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Books of Jacob&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

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