Reading the Chunksters discussion

Welcome to our discussion of The Books of Jacob, Olga Tokarczuk's historical epic about Jacob Frank and his followers, translated by Jennifer Croft. Please do not post spoilers in this thread. Any other discussion of the book and any other experiences you have of reading Tokarczuk are welcome.

I read the book when it came out in 2021, and enjoyed it, but it is very dense and detailed and it is bound to divide opinion. I have also read all of the other Tokarczuk novels that have appeared in English, and for me this one and Flights are the best. Rereading it so soon may test my patience, but we'll see. I will post a reading schedule later this week.

I also read this when it came out but was conscious that I was being swept along by the story and that a slower read would be helpful - so happy to have the chance to revisit the book with a group.

It's my favourite Tokarczuk and showcases her warmth, humanity and uncompromising intelligence wonderfully.

I have never read this author, but have heard wonderful things about this book! I'm looking forward to reading it with the group as it looks rather dense and perfect for discussion.

It will be interesting to discuss the book with a group that is more receptive to long novels. I wrote quite a long review with a few background links, but beware, it does contain some plot spoilers (most of which are historical fact):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Hugh wrote: "It will be interesting to discuss the book with a group that is more receptive to long novels. I wrote quite a long review with a few background links, but beware, it does contain some plot spoiler..."

Your review is very enlightening Hugh, and as usual without many spoilers. The links you provided for religious background are useful for me, in fact , i was waiting for this thread to appear so that i can request guidance regarding this area.

I wanted to read this book because its theme intrigued me , but i was surprised when Tomb of Sand got the award. I am currently reading Tomb of Sand which till now has impressed me with the 'magical' use of words and it is a very well translated work.

If we go with the usual 50-ish pages a week, the discussion will run over 17 weeks. I was thinking of keeping the numbered chapters contained within single weeks, but that will mean a few weeks with fewer than 40 pages and a couple with over 70.

I'm flexible with number of weekly pages, and agree that it could be awkward breaking mid-chapter as there are switches of pov and structure from chapter to chapter. But happy to go with the general consensus.

I like the idea of not breaking up chapters.

I’ve only read book by this author titled Flights.
This one looks pretty interesting, but I think it would take more time and focus than I have at the moment. Enjoy the read, everyone. I’ll check in later when it’s time to nominate the next book.

I've just come off a 4 year deep dive into Miss MacIntosh, My Darling and saw this book as another big one recommended. I'm also working on Ducks, Newberryport. Thanks!

Just in case anyone is wondering what happened to this discussion, I have stopped posting the weekly updates because nobody was commenting on them, and creating plot summaries is very time consuming, so it would be nice to know somebody values them. If anyone is still reading the book let me know.

If not I suppose we'll have to choose another book, but I'd like to find a way to stop people voting for books they have no intention of reading (I didn't vote for this one because I knew it was hard work!)

I reread Jacob as I'd wanted to anyway but didn't post as no one else was - disappointing.

I know this is a perpetual issue on Goodreads and realise life can get in the way of book plans but it can be frustrating when this happens.

Thanks, Hugh, I did appreciate your summaries when I was following the group schedule.