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The Bookseller's Sonnets
A mysterious package from an anonymous artifact donor arrives on the desk of Jill Levin, the senior curator at a Holocaust museum: a secret diary, written by the eldest daughter of St. Thomas More, legal advisor to and close friend of Henry VIII. As Jill and her colleagues work to authenticate this rare find, letters arrive to convey the manuscript's history and the donor's unimaginable story of survival. At the same time, representatives from the Archdiocese of New York arrive to stake their claim to this controversial document, hoping to send it to a Vatican archive before its explosive content becomes public. As the process of authentication hovers between find and fraud, and as the battle for provenance plays out between religious institutions, Jill struggles with her own family history, and her involvement in a relationship she fears will disrupt and disappoint her family.
322 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 2010
17 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
September 7, 2012
I enjoyed this book a lot. As mother to children whose grandparents (on their father's side) were Holocaust survivors, I love reading about the impact of the Holocaust on young adults of my children's generation. The struggle that Jill went through over her relationship was interesting to follow.
I read this for my book club and I'm anxious now to discuss the book.
I read this for my book club and I'm anxious now to discuss the book.
August 16, 2015
Not bad. Predictable in a way.
August 14, 2015
This is a good story, somewhat of a mystery really. It's just not polished enough to be a 4.
July 28, 2018
Very unusual book. I felt it bogged down sometimes when the manuscript was being read. Possibly because I’ve never found poetry easy to read. But the story of Jill and Michael and the struggles of an interfaith relationship were very well done. I really liked the point made that hatred, no matter how justified, only further damages the hater.
March 7, 2019
I really enjoyed this book--it was very reminiscent (but not quite as good as) "The People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks. The author very deftly wove together stories from England in the 1500's, Germany in WWII, and present-day US. I felt that the ending was predictable in certain respects, but enjoyably not neat-and-tidy in other respects. A worthwhile read.
May 25, 2020
The story goes back and forth between the time of Sir Thomas More and a modern day museum currator. Although this is a format that is frequently used, it serves the story well and is engagingly done. I really liked this book and would highly recommend it
November 29, 2018
Haunting.
April 9, 2019
Read it twice - forgot story first time. Holocaust story merged with modern day love story. Liked
February 20, 2021
Enjoyed the story would like to now go to the museum the next time I am nyc. Good story.
March 12, 2023
This was a very interesting story, written quite well, and left me with a warm feeling that unity among different faiths is possible.
December 3, 2012
Jill Levin works with Holocaust artifacts at the Holocaust Museum in Lower Manhattan. One day, a package is received which is enigmatic. There are no identifying marks, names or addresses, but the sender claims to have met her and hopes that she will treat the book she has just received, with the proper care. It appears to have been written in the mid 1500’s. The authenticity of the book will have to be verified.
If the book is authentic, it was written at a time when women were treated as chattel, especially in ultra religious communities. Their behavior was highly regulated in the places they lived, essentially insuring that they all lived in ghettos, for they were outcasts if they left the community or disobeyed the Rabbi's dicta, and they were subject to death if they disobeyed their sovereign.
After collecting these artifacts and meeting survivors for more than a decade, Jill has lost her original thirst and appreciation for her job. She is in a long term relationship with a man who is not Jewish, and she has therefore kept his existence a secret from her parents and grandmother, who would surely vehemently disapprove. Her grandmother is a Holocaust survivor, and as such, believes in preserving the Jewish religion at all costs. Her colleague and office mate, Aviva, is pregnant and very religious, wears a shaitl and long skirts with high necked blouses. This is the atmosphere in which she lives and works.
Modernity clashes with history in this novel as the past and present are in constant conflict because of governments, culture, religion and scientific developments. Two concurrent stories are taking place, one in the current century, post Holocaust and the other in the 16th century, post Inquisition. The modern day preservation of Jewish artifacts from the Holocaust, comes face to face with a manuscript from the 1500’s, ostensibly written by the eldest daughter of Saint Thomas More. Is it authentic, is it not? What is its connection to the Holocaust, if any?
While doing the research on this ancient manuscript, Jill learns of a forbidden, secret love affair between a Jewish bookseller and Margaret More, the eldest daughter of Thomas More who was a close adviser to King Henry VIII. Margaret has been married, unhappily, to a man chosen for her by her father, who is cruel and devious, aspiring to grasp her father’s wealth at all costs. More was eventually beheaded by the King, and Margaret’s husband may have encouraged that outcome with his malicious behavior, and surely, he did nothing to prevent it. Years later, Thomas More was elevated to Sainthood by the Catholic Church, and no longer was his reputation disgraced.
As the research continues, Jill receives personal letters from the anonymous donor which reveal her own wartime experiences under Hitler’s regime. She was forced to give her daughter to a convent, in the hopes of keeping her alive. She herself was deported to Dachau. The night before her deportation, she buries a manuscript. The tradition was to hand it down to the first born daughter in the family, on her wedding day. This woman was trying to preserve it for the future if she survived so that she could pass it to her own daughter, after the war ended. Was this the same manuscript Jill had received anonymously?
What is the connection of this manuscript to Jill Levin? Why was she chosen to receive and protect it? If the woman lived, why did she not pass it on to her own daughter? Why was she keeping her own identity a secret? Why did the Catholic Church try to gain possession of this manuscript which was sent to the Holocaust Museum? So many questions had to be answered and when they were, the revelations would throw Jill into a maelstrom of events that occurred centuries ago which would have a profound effect on her own life in the present day.
The archaic religious rules that governed the lives of women and afforded greater freedom to men were unfair but unchallengeable. Women were virtually puppets of their husbands and those that disobeyed or disagreed could be kept as prisoners of their husbands and live only at their behest. Although centuries have passed, in the present day, there are still some women who live in the shadow of a religious doctrine that is unfair to them, there are still some people whose lives are ruled by religious dogma rather than respect, love, charity, compassion and freedom of choice. Who can answer the question, what is the right way? Who has the power to make such a decision?
If the book is authentic, it was written at a time when women were treated as chattel, especially in ultra religious communities. Their behavior was highly regulated in the places they lived, essentially insuring that they all lived in ghettos, for they were outcasts if they left the community or disobeyed the Rabbi's dicta, and they were subject to death if they disobeyed their sovereign.
After collecting these artifacts and meeting survivors for more than a decade, Jill has lost her original thirst and appreciation for her job. She is in a long term relationship with a man who is not Jewish, and she has therefore kept his existence a secret from her parents and grandmother, who would surely vehemently disapprove. Her grandmother is a Holocaust survivor, and as such, believes in preserving the Jewish religion at all costs. Her colleague and office mate, Aviva, is pregnant and very religious, wears a shaitl and long skirts with high necked blouses. This is the atmosphere in which she lives and works.
Modernity clashes with history in this novel as the past and present are in constant conflict because of governments, culture, religion and scientific developments. Two concurrent stories are taking place, one in the current century, post Holocaust and the other in the 16th century, post Inquisition. The modern day preservation of Jewish artifacts from the Holocaust, comes face to face with a manuscript from the 1500’s, ostensibly written by the eldest daughter of Saint Thomas More. Is it authentic, is it not? What is its connection to the Holocaust, if any?
While doing the research on this ancient manuscript, Jill learns of a forbidden, secret love affair between a Jewish bookseller and Margaret More, the eldest daughter of Thomas More who was a close adviser to King Henry VIII. Margaret has been married, unhappily, to a man chosen for her by her father, who is cruel and devious, aspiring to grasp her father’s wealth at all costs. More was eventually beheaded by the King, and Margaret’s husband may have encouraged that outcome with his malicious behavior, and surely, he did nothing to prevent it. Years later, Thomas More was elevated to Sainthood by the Catholic Church, and no longer was his reputation disgraced.
As the research continues, Jill receives personal letters from the anonymous donor which reveal her own wartime experiences under Hitler’s regime. She was forced to give her daughter to a convent, in the hopes of keeping her alive. She herself was deported to Dachau. The night before her deportation, she buries a manuscript. The tradition was to hand it down to the first born daughter in the family, on her wedding day. This woman was trying to preserve it for the future if she survived so that she could pass it to her own daughter, after the war ended. Was this the same manuscript Jill had received anonymously?
What is the connection of this manuscript to Jill Levin? Why was she chosen to receive and protect it? If the woman lived, why did she not pass it on to her own daughter? Why was she keeping her own identity a secret? Why did the Catholic Church try to gain possession of this manuscript which was sent to the Holocaust Museum? So many questions had to be answered and when they were, the revelations would throw Jill into a maelstrom of events that occurred centuries ago which would have a profound effect on her own life in the present day.
The archaic religious rules that governed the lives of women and afforded greater freedom to men were unfair but unchallengeable. Women were virtually puppets of their husbands and those that disobeyed or disagreed could be kept as prisoners of their husbands and live only at their behest. Although centuries have passed, in the present day, there are still some women who live in the shadow of a religious doctrine that is unfair to them, there are still some people whose lives are ruled by religious dogma rather than respect, love, charity, compassion and freedom of choice. Who can answer the question, what is the right way? Who has the power to make such a decision?
May 16, 2013
This was another one I read for book club.
There are three main stories: the story of Margaret More Roper, daughter for Thomas More, set during the reign of Henry VIII; a Holocaust survivor whose family Margaret's manuscript has been passed through the generations; Jill Levin, a contemporary curator at the Jewish Heritage Museum in lower Manhattan.
As I was reading the book, I found I was enjoying the older stories much more than the contemporary one. Ms. Levin is dating a man who is too-good-to-be-true, yet her family does not approve of him only because he is not Jewish. I was losing patience with this part of the story and wishing there had been less of this and more details about Margaret More.
Then, in the last or next-to-last chapter, came a twist than I never saw coming that brought it all together and changed my opinion of the book from OK to very good. I was particularly happy about this since lately it seems that I'm enjoying a book until the ending, which either has been feeling added on because the author had reached the publisher's desired word-count, or like the author had run out of ideas and had to end the book someway.
I read the Kindle version of the book using the Kindle app on my iPad. There were some formatting issues were jarring -- no clear separation between the text from the Tudor manuscript and the contemporary story was the one that repeatedly made me pause and regroup. The other was that Henry VIII's first wife was identified in the book as Katherine of Aragon; I have always seen her name spelled as Catherine.
However, in spite of this, I thought it was a very good book and well worth reading.
There are three main stories: the story of Margaret More Roper, daughter for Thomas More, set during the reign of Henry VIII; a Holocaust survivor whose family Margaret's manuscript has been passed through the generations; Jill Levin, a contemporary curator at the Jewish Heritage Museum in lower Manhattan.
As I was reading the book, I found I was enjoying the older stories much more than the contemporary one. Ms. Levin is dating a man who is too-good-to-be-true, yet her family does not approve of him only because he is not Jewish. I was losing patience with this part of the story and wishing there had been less of this and more details about Margaret More.
Then, in the last or next-to-last chapter, came a twist than I never saw coming that brought it all together and changed my opinion of the book from OK to very good. I was particularly happy about this since lately it seems that I'm enjoying a book until the ending, which either has been feeling added on because the author had reached the publisher's desired word-count, or like the author had run out of ideas and had to end the book someway.
I read the Kindle version of the book using the Kindle app on my iPad. There were some formatting issues were jarring -- no clear separation between the text from the Tudor manuscript and the contemporary story was the one that repeatedly made me pause and regroup. The other was that Henry VIII's first wife was identified in the book as Katherine of Aragon; I have always seen her name spelled as Catherine.
However, in spite of this, I thought it was a very good book and well worth reading.
December 11, 2012
I thought the writing in this book was really interesting. The combination of 16th century England, WW2 and present day Manhattan was somehow weaved all together in a very believable way. The holocaust story portrayed was heartbreaking and I thought the author did an excellent job in showing how easy it is to become invested and entwined with someone's personal narrative, while at the same time separating oneself from the awful history. The story of Margaret More was eye opening, and while it was fictional, it felt very real, especially knowing a bit of Tudor history. I must admit, that most of what I know about King Henry VIII is from other historical fiction novels and the HBO series, however I felt lucky that I had an understanding of the marriage of King Henry and Katharine of Arragon in order to really understand Margaret's manuscript.
In some ways, I felt a little too close to the story, being of Jewish descent in Manhattan. It was quite relevant for me since dating within the faith has always been a matter of such importance and controversy.
I did have a few questions about the story itself, specifically with why Chava's descendents did not all read the manuscript. Could they not all read the English? Did I miss something? Chava mentions that her mother died during childbirth, but at one point Jill mentions that she lived another 10 years.
Overall, the deep family struggle Jill had over the importance of marrying within the faith and the discovery over their true Jewish heritage was quite poignant.
In some ways, I felt a little too close to the story, being of Jewish descent in Manhattan. It was quite relevant for me since dating within the faith has always been a matter of such importance and controversy.
I did have a few questions about the story itself, specifically with why Chava's descendents did not all read the manuscript. Could they not all read the English? Did I miss something? Chava mentions that her mother died during childbirth, but at one point Jill mentions that she lived another 10 years.
Overall, the deep family struggle Jill had over the importance of marrying within the faith and the discovery over their true Jewish heritage was quite poignant.
October 9, 2010
Author Andi Rosenthal deftly weaves together past and present in this wonderful debut novel, The Bookseller's Sonnets. Because of its religious plot, people will want to compare it to the Davinci Code; while is does have cinematic potential, as that novel did, it is more multi-layered, modern, and taps in to character, prejudice and identity much more than the Davinci Code; it is more than just a religious mystery. Lead character Jill Levin, a curator at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in present-day Manhattan, receives an anonymous donation. It is a 500-year-old handwritten manuscript that—if it is truly authentic—is the diary of Margaret, the daughter of St. Thomas More. What is written inside has the potential to rock the worlds of both Judaism and Catholicism, but may affect Jill's life even more. Rosenthal's writing is crisp and fluid, and I couldn't wait to get home from work every night and crawl back into this world she created. As others here have said, it is a true page turner.
August 5, 2013
A wonderful story that weaves together Tudor England, the Holocaust, and 911 into a story about a young Jewish woman, Jill, a curator at a Holocaust Museum, who must break the news of her relationship with a non-Jew to her deeply loved Holocaust-survivor grandmother. Then, a 500-year-old book is donated to the Holocaust Museum by a survivor who writes that it had been passed down through the centuries to the oldest daughter in each generation, but which seems to have been written by the oldest daughter of the Catholic saint, Sir Thomas More. What did a book written by a 16th century Catholic woman have to do with the Jews? When the Catholic Church learns about the book and claims it was probably stolen from the Vatican archives, Jill doesn't have much time to trace its origins. Very sad stories, but it ends with hope for the future.
December 19, 2015
I loved this book, it was a great read! i loved the intricacy between the Tudor era and the Holocaust time period. Jill was an interesting character and I really felt her pain as she really felt so torn between her boyfriend and her family. When she found the manuscript, I was really intrigued but after a while I had a feeling it was her grandmother sending her the letters. It just was so sad that her family was holding onto so much hate though and could move past it, her grandmother never knew she even had a Gentile ancestor obviously. It was heartbreaking how she died, Jill was so hurt but her decision to move past that hate was a brave one. I was happy for Aviva, she didn't deserve that coward Jacob and Robert was such a sweet man who was perfect for her. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction!
September 25, 2012
Enjoyed this contemporary view of old and more recent history. The protagonist, Jill, is at once very smart and talented, but naive and melodramatic in her emotional swings which I found a little annoying. I very much enjoyed the Tudor history and learning about the ways in which the conversos played (or MAY have, as the factual material is blended with the fictional) a role in facilitating the divorce of King Henry VIII from his Spanish queen. The ending was predictable, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. It was good storytelling, exploring some of the nuances and some history of interfaith relationships in a new way. I wouldn't call this a profound piece of literature, by any measure, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
November 23, 2014
At first I thought this to be another of Carrie's romance novels and it did have two stories of love plotlines, one of the past and one present day romance. However, there were more to this book. I was intrigued by the historical fiction storyline. I learned of the era of Thomas More, Margaret More,Thomas's daughter and King Henry VIII. There also was a poignant section of a holocaust survivor and how these two worlds were connected. I especially enjoyed the portrayal of the humans at their best for survival and willingness to sacrifice for love of a child, religious beliefs and traditions. I enjoyed the ending and the message it sent.
January 7, 2013
This was an interestingly written book bringing together story lines from Tudor England, the Holocaust and current day. It was difficult to read at times because the stories it portrayed were heartbreaking. The main characters(s) are flawed in a very real way which makes the story that much more readable. It's an interesting story about the intermingling of Jewish and Christian life and the implications of such overlap...from the 1500s to today.
April 26, 2016
Jill works as a curator for the Holocaust museum in NYC. One day she receives a package of a seemingly very old manuscript written by Margaret More, daughter of Sir Thomas More. Accompanying the manuscript is a letter by a holocaust survivor who proceeds to tell her story thru subsequent letters. The book moves between three time periods: present day, 1940's and the 1500s (tudor era). Interesting story lines with fascinating historical background makes for a good read.
November 15, 2010
This book combined many of my favorite historical topics - Jewish hertiage, Tudor history and of course, a good love story - all in the backdrop of New York City. Rosenthal's story may have been fictional, but it is written in a very believable way - with a surprising twist at the end that I definitely did not see coming - and I'm usually pretty perceptive!
October 24, 2012
This is a book chosen by someone else for me to read and the description sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, I found it to be a thinly developed historical novel with many requirements for a leap of faith as well as reason. Characters were bland and shallow. The whole thing seemed a bit amateurish and silly. Luckily, it was a quick read.
April 25, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. I thought there were good discussions of Jewish issues that I think about a lot. Although the plot was pretty predictable in many senses, I still managed to be intrigued - mostly by the part of the story involving Henry VIII. Still, I cried near/at the end. A good read.
February 2, 2014
Touching, heartfelt, sad and beautifully written are the word to describe this novel. While an easy read, the story that interwines the centuries from Tudor England through the present day is wonderfully written and captures the soul of those who live during those times. For me, my heart was touched with love, sadness and hope. A wonderful book to be read. I would hightly recommend it!
April 18, 2015
It is a fictional story with some historical figures woven into the story. It deals with Tudor England in the 1500s, the Holocaust, and the present. The story keeps one's interest because it is full of details about the different times and how the past affect or blurs the present. The writing style is brilliant.
June 5, 2016
While the subject and writing of this book are very captivating. I found the author 19s views to be very antagonistic towards Orthodox Judaism. The Orthodox husband is a cheater, covering hair is very oppressive, and all the history should be left in the past. Live today, be happy and forget the history.
July 28, 2011
I loved this book. The combination of history, culture and mystery is just what like to read. Learning about other cultures and other times is a passion for me. Especially when I learn about my own culture, even when the history is painful.
December 28, 2014
Brilliant weaving of the past and present, of interfaith and traditional marriage
A touching story both past and present, of King Henry' VIII's court, of the Holocaust, and of faith-based issues of the modern day.
A touching story both past and present, of King Henry' VIII's court, of the Holocaust, and of faith-based issues of the modern day.
August 11, 2015
Such a beautifully written book - almost poetic at times. I loved the intertwining stories from different eras - Margaret, the unknown person sending the letters and Jill & Michael's story. I especially found the last third of the book mesmerizing. Great book club choice!
April 25, 2016
A story within a story within a story.
Downside: The conversations between co-workers, boyfriend/girlfriends, family members were so....polite. A small dose of Liane Moriarty might have done them well.
Downside: The conversations between co-workers, boyfriend/girlfriends, family members were so....polite. A small dose of Liane Moriarty might have done them well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews