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The Fifth Servant (2010)

by Kenneth Wishnia(Favorite Author)

3.38 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0061725374 (ISBN13: 9780061725371)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

William Morrow

review 1: The constant tension between Jews and non-Jews was palpable in 16th century Prague. The Jews were an easy target for derision in a populace where they were vastly outnumbered and forced to live in a walled ghetto. Emperor Rudolph II attempted to keep the peace in his city by tolerating the often despised Jews and masking his envy of their intellect and scientific knowledge as well as his need for their financial sustenance within the Empire. But the Catholic Church’s battle for control against the Protestants provided little room for compromise and often used Jews as a “straw man” for any resistance to Catholic conversion. A newly arrived Talmudic scholar from Poland, Benyamin Ben-Akiva finds himself caught up in the midst of this cultural clash when a Christian ... moregirl is found with her throat slashed in a Jewish shop. With every possible barrier thrown in his way by all sides, the names of the individuals responsible for the crime are far less important then the necessity to prove it wasn’t a Jew and thereby avoiding an ethnic cataclysm. This well researched historical novel gives significant insight into long running religious conflict. But for those with little exposure to Yiddish or Hebrew history and tradition the included glossary is a great help and adds to the enjoyment.
review 2: Ultimately, I loved the descriptions of Prague, and I thought this was very well researched. I was sorry when it was over, so I must have come to like the characters. I am sorry to say it was not the best-written book I have read -- still wanted to take my red pen to it. I think I don't like first person narratives, and that may have been part of the problem. There were a few too many characters; by the end I lost track of some of them and their motivations. I never fully grasped the conspiracy that was behind the mystery... not sure I will read it again to make sense of it. less

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