just bought; will review and decide to keep/let go

In 1996, Dr. Hanna Heath is called upon to restore a priceless Haggadah in Sarajevo. It is exceedingly rare, due to the fact that among the text there are beautiful illuminations, much like in a Christian book of hours. This aspect of the Haggadah is unique, since it was once against Jewish law to create religious images. Although in Bosnia, through careful conservation and custodianship, it survived the war there, and now Hanna is eager to get to work. Her trip is sanctioned by the UN, because there is to be a multicultural exhibit at the museum in which the book will be housed. As Hanna begins work, she finds little artifacts within the Haggadah, and Brooks has skillfully provided a fictional account of the provenance of each of the little things in the book. Going backwards in time, with brief interludes into the modern day (and Hanna's story), the books traces the ownership of the Haggadah along with the stories of the people with whom it came into contact.

It is a fine story and I really enjoyed the chapters from the past. However, as much as I liked the book, throughout my reading I continually felt that there was some lack of depth here and that really detracted me from making this one a "wow! that was great" kind of story.

I would definitely recommend it to others. I think that anyone would enjoy this book, especially people who are interested in history, or in the problems faced by the Jews in Europe from medieval times onward. Overall -- a fine read; just be aware that it's a bit superficial and would have been outstanding if the author had just added a little more depth.

-- and now, I've given this book away! If I find a used one, I'll offer it here.