Provenance

Words matter. Provenance is a novel about two ancient books that link the lives and dreams of ordinary people across centuries—a widow in Brooklyn, a young girl and her father in 14th century Provence, the beadle of an Aleppo synagogue, an OSS spy in post-war France, a young Frenchwoman yearning for a new life in Israel, a clerk in Weimar on the eve of the collapse of the German Democratic Republic, a coffee trader in 17th century Amsterdam, and a lonely wife in the papal...
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Words matter. Provenance is a novel about two ancient books that link the lives and dreams of ordinary people across centuries—a widow in Brooklyn, a young girl and her father in 14th century Provence, the beadle of an Aleppo synagogue, an OSS spy in post-war France, a young Frenchwoman yearning for a new life in Israel, a clerk in Weimar on the eve of the collapse of the German Democratic Republic, a coffee trader in 17th century Amsterdam, and a lonely wife in the papal territories of France who sees an answer to her longings in a false messiah. The locales and the books, a definitive Hebrew bible and an unusual prayer book for women, are real. Seamlessly blending history and fiction, Provenance is a mystery and an unforgettable story of love, passion, yearning, and trust.