People of the Book
*The People of Sparks* picks up where *The City of Ember leaves off*. Lina and Doon have emerged from the underground city to the exciting new world above, and it isn't long before they are followed by the other inhabitants of Ember. The Emberites soon come across a town where they are welcomed, fed, and given places to sleep. But the town's resources are limited and it isn't long before resentment begins to grow between the two groups. When anonymous acts of vandalism push them toward violence, it's up to Lina and Doon to discover who's behind the vandalism and why, before it's too late. *--From the Hardcover edition.*
Themes & atmosphere
Also by Geraldine Brooks
All works by Geraldine Brooks →
What you might want to know about People of the Book
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
An Australian rare-book conservator is called to Sarajevo to study the famous Sarajevo Haggadah. Each speck and stain in the manuscript opens a chapter set centuries earlier across Europe.
The most commonly searched is People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (2008), a literary novel about a rare-book conservator tracing the history of the Sarajevo Haggadah. The metadata above lists Jeanne DuPrau, who wrote a different novel by the same title.
Yes, partly. The Sarajevo Haggadah is real and was repeatedly saved from destruction across centuries. Geraldine Brooks built the framing conservator narrative around documented historical episodes from the Haggadah's life.
People of the Book is 340 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, People of the Book takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
People of the Book is a standalone novel by Jeanne DuPrau, not part of a series.
People of the Book is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.