Customer Reviews

The Book of Abraham

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Marek Halter's novel traces the history not only of one family, but by proxy, of Judaism itself for the last nineteen centuries. Beginning with the sack of Jerusalem by Romans in AD 70, the descendants of a scribe called simply "Abraham" record the births and deaths in a scroll that Abraham carried with him out from the burning city. We track his children and their children and their children on into Alexandria, Tours, Moorish Spain, and finally Poland at the time of the Nazi conquest of eastern Europe. As we pass from generation to generation, we encounter literally hundreds of men and women who can trace their heritage to the first Abraham of the Scroll. We follow them through times of peace and prosperity, and more frequently through occasions of tragedy. Through it all, pogroms and persecutions, plagues and wars, migrations and exiles the members of this one extraordinary family maintain their identity and faith and persevere into the twentieth century.

Excellent for historians and lovers of literature, Jews and non-Jews alike.

Unlike the objective conveyance of history, this work of fiction captures the overwhelming sorrows of the Jewish people throughout the diaspora. By cleverly using a geneological scroll, relating the experiences of the family throughout the generations, Halter compassionately reveals the essence of the Jewish people as continuous survivors in a world which dispossesses them. His manner of writing is reflective and easy to read, yet he does not shy away from difficult concepts. I have no criticisms of this book. Since I seldom get to read for pleasure, I was very fortunate to have been recommended it. I do have some advice for anybody who plans to read it. Read it slowly. Stop between chapters and digest the many rich concepts offered. I was sorry when I finished it for that reason. How many times can that be said of anything?

In this epic work of Jewish history, Marek Halter uses an ancient document passed down from generation to generation through the centuries, and fleshed it out to create an exciting and informative epic novel.
Beginning in 70 CE (AD) Halter begins with the flight of a Jews called Abraham fron the burning city of Jerusalem, together with his family, during it's destruction by the Romans.
Taking us through the history of a Jewish family from Jerusalem to North Africa to Spain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia and Poland, This is a history of Halter's family and of the Nation of Israel.
The words of the book are permeated with words of wisdom such as "A dream of cake is a dream, not a cake, but a dream of a journey is itself a kind of journey" as well as the prayers of the Jews through the millenia: " May the Allmighty protect us from those who persecute us, and against those who speak evil of us. Blessed be the Allmighty". These words are as pertinent today as ever. The book deals with question such as why the Chumash started with the creation. And sayings such as Sof Tov Hakol Tov- All's Well That End Well"-Now we know how Shakespeare got the name for the play of that title.
We read of the cruel decrees of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, outlawing circumcision, observance of the Sabbath and study of the Jewish Law, in the Land of Israel, creating a situation where being a Jews in the Land of the Jews was punishable by death.
Hadrian went so far as changing the name of Judea to Palestine, after the enemies of the Jews who had once occupied the environs of Gaza, the Phillistines.
We learn of the massacres perpetrated during the crusades, the Spanish Inquisition and the bloody pogroms of Chmielnicki in which thousands of Jewish men, women and children were cruelly slaughtered. Of the struggles of the Nation of Israel: " Do not fear the venom of the wicked...aim your arrows and strike down the evildoer..."
The book speaks of the yearning through the exile, of the Jews for the Land of Israel and Jerusalem, and we are introduced to historical figures as diverse as the false messiah Shabbatai Tzvi, the beautiful Marrano Dona Gracia (Nasi), and the apostate Uriel Acosta.
We read of the loves and the struggles of the lives of the real life figures in this epic.
finally the book ends with the account of the Abraham who perished in the flames of the Warsaw ghetto, where the Jews fought a valiant battle against the Nazi monstrosity, always longing for freedom in their own land, the Land of Israel.

This is the story of a family, from the first Abraham who witnesses the burning of Jerusalem in 70 AD to an Abraham who dies in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII.

A new look into the Jewish history and their perspective on world events, quite different than the Christian perspective.

I found this book not only enlightening but quite enjoyable and very hard to put down.

A must read for any history buff.

This is the story of a family, from the first Abraham who witnesses the burning of Jerusalem in 70 AD to an Abraham who dies in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII.

A new look into the Jewish history and their prospective on world events, quite different than the Christian prospective.

I found this book not only enlightening but quite enjoyable and very hard to put down.

A must read for any history buff.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was massively long, but never boring! In fact, I found myself staying up late just to get to the next chapter. I especially loved the way each family generation was covered from a real perspective. It's history was of Biblical proportions.

This book is not an easy read. You have to put it down and think about it. This is a story of a Jewish family down through the ages. Hundreds of years. They suffered terribly in the name of religion. It goes rigtup through World War 2. I would recommend this book to everyone who likes to read and take their time. Normally I can finish a book in a few days, but this one I wanted to absorb so I took 2 weeks. Excellent writing.

It is the year 3830--aug 31,ad 70--Abraham,Judith,Elijah and
Gamaliel are forced to leave Jerusalem. Abraham would write
the first history scroll.

END--Jan 18 year 1943-5703 Marek's grandfather leaps off
a balcony in front of a NAZI tank in the Warsaw Ghetto.

1983...Marek Halter has written a 2 thousand year history
of his family.

At 782 pages it is one of the longest books I have ever read.

He has written the last scroll.

You will meet some of the most fascinating characters from all
walks of life. Mostly they were printers,scribes and millers. All
the good ones and the bad ones.

YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK. It was Huge undertaking.

It is a keeper and a re-read. Please do not pass this book up.

I could not put it down. It was like meeting a lot of people that would become inseparable companions for the time of the reading and have remained fond memories though I finished the book a month ago. This is not just reading, it is living with the people you read about. Halter writes so well that you travel with him, from Jerusalem to North Africa and then all over Europe and you travel through time. So glad to have read it! Don't miss it!

I bought The Book of Abraham on a whim and really enjoyed it. I minored in history and so reading about the history of the world from a Jewish perspective was both interesting and enlightening.

It was also heart-wrenching. While Halter includes the horrors experienced by many Jews over the centuries (some very explicitly), he also included the everyday and out of the ordinary moments, too. Most of the characters are believable and make the story (all 600 pages) difficult to put down.