If you love reading about or have ever had interest in the following topics, you will like this book: old crusty beautiful books and Jewish history. I think I liked this book because I was interested in these topics, not so much that the book was great. Therefore, I don't think I could give a proper review because I was destined to like it either way. (P.S. I only say this because I wish more people would admit that they only like some books because they liked the topic(s), not necessarily how the book was written or how the story developed.) With that in mind, my only criticism is the method in which the individual stories were told. They were interesting and beautiful stories, however, I felt that there could have been a better way in which they were put together. Chronologically (or a lack there of), the stories jumped over five centuries - and after a while, the names and stories were jumbled in my head and I had trouble remembering who suffered which tragedy. Overall, it was still a great book and I would definitely recommend it. It does tell a great story of the Jewish plight throughout the centuries however concise it may be.