The Books of Jacob
A Novel
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The Books of Jacob
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Narrated by:
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Allen Lewis Rickman
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Gilli Messer
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Written by:
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Olga Tokarczuk
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Jennifer Croft - translator
About this listen
A NEW YORKER “ESSENTIAL READ”
“Just as awe-inspiring as the Nobel judges claimed.” – The Washington Post
“Olga Tokarczuk is one of our greatest living fiction writers. . . This could well be a decade-defining book akin to Bolaño’s 2666.” –AV Club
“Sophisticated and ribald and brimming with folk wit. . . The comedy in this novel blends, as it does in life, with genuine tragedy.” –Dwight Garner, The New York Times
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, TIME, THE NEW YORKER, AND NPR
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-18th 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.
©2022 Olga Tokarczuk and Jennifer Croft (P)2022 Penguin AudioWhat the critics say
“Sophisticated and ribald and brimming with folk wit. . . The comedy in this novel blends, as it does in life, with genuine tragedy.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times
“Monumental . . . could help the Swedish Academy restore its rather tattered reputation as an arbiter of serious literature. …Tokarczuk is as comfortable rendering the world of the Jewish peasantry as that of the Polish royal court. . . . Incalculably rich in learning and driven by a faith in the numinous properties of knowledge.” —Wall Street Journal
“Yes, there’s a miracle in these pages. It’s not about the Virgin Mary or the false Messiah Jacob Frank, however, but the way Tokarczuk can make a period so distant from us in every way feel so completely alive.” —Los Angeles Times
What listeners say about The Books of Jacob
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Debbie Collingwood
- 2022-03-09
Worthwhile
This story is worth listening to at least twice. It is a classic, with incredible depth.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- YNM Toronto
- 2022-05-27
Too long
The book outlines in much length and details the a chapter in the history of Jewish life in Polish-Ukrainian territory in the 18 century.
While the overall subject is interesting and highlights an often forgotten movements, the descriptions are way too long.
I wish it was cut at least 50%.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- B. E. Krahn
- 2022-02-24
Interesting, a bit different.
Long, lots of back & forth. Hard to follow at times. History not always accurate.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kerry
- 2023-02-14
disappointing narrator
The story is wonderful but the the narration of Gilli Messer is disappointing. The reading is jerky with abrupt pauses and arbitrary emphasis on words. Words are mispronounced, and the same word is pronounced in different ways. The reading isn't dramatic, but monotonous.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- BB
- 2024-12-19
Long, slow and boring
Very slow story with tons of unnecessary details. Feels like listening to you grandma, who is in the early stages of dimensia, telling a meandering story and giving you all of the details that have nothing to do with it. Wish I gave up on it earlier and not wasted time.
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