The Book of Air and Shadows

Michael Gruber

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"The Book of Air and Shadows" by Michael Gruber is a thrilling tale revolving around the discovery of a lost manuscript purporting to reveal unknown information about William Shakespeare. The story follows a group of characters who become entangled in a dangerous race to uncover the manuscript, leading to murder, mayhem, and even romance. With three intersecting storylines, the plot involves Russian gangsters, English professors, and cyphered letters that may lead to a lost Shakespearean play.

The book combines elements of mystery, historical intrigue, and literary detective work, with a mix of modern-day settings and 17th-century manuscripts. As the characters navigate through a web of deceit, fraud, love, and infidelity, the audiobook version is praised for its well-narrated performance, adding depth to the diverse cast of characters.

Characters:

The characters are complex but generally unlikable, with Jake Mishkin portrayed as particularly flawed, while Albert Crosetti is more relatable.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is complex and layered, featuring multiple viewpoints and interspersed historical letters that add depth, along with occasional humor.

Plot/Storyline:

The story features a hidden manuscript by Shakespeare, with characters engaged in a treasure hunt that involves murder and criminal pursuits. It alternates between present-day and historical narratives.

Setting:

The setting encompasses modern-day New York and 17th-century England, focused on locations significant to literary history.

Pacing:

The pacing starts slow with heavy exposition, later picks up and becomes more suspenseful, particularly in the final chapters.

On the evening of the little fire, the revelatory fire that changed his life, Albert Crosetti was working in the basement as usual, and so was the first one to detect it. He was there because Sidney G...

Notes:

The Book of Air and Shadows involves a treasure hunt for a lost Shakespeare play.

The story alternates between modern characters and letters from the 17th century.

Jake Mishkin, one of the protagonists, is an IP lawyer and a former Olympic weightlifter.

Albert Crosetti finds a manuscript tucked within a damaged book after a fire at a bookstore.

The narrative includes both first-person and third-person perspectives, making it complex.

The book incorporates humor and commentary on film and literature.

Characters include a mix of Jewish and Russian mobsters and complicated family histories.

The author, Michael Gruber, contrasts modern crime and historical intrigue in his storytelling.

Many readers found Jake Mishkin's character unlikeable due to his flaws and self-centeredness.

The letters from Richard Bracegirdle are written in archaic English, adding historical authenticity.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The book includes themes of sexual addiction, violence, and familial abuse.

Has Romance?

There are romantic elements, particularly surrounding the character dynamics but they are not the main focus.

From The Publisher:

A fire destroys a New York City rare bookstore-and reveals clues to a treasure worth killing for. . . . A disgraced scholar is found tortured to death. . . . And those pursuing the most valuable literary find in history are about to cross from the harmless mundane into inescapable nightmare.

From the acclaimed, bestselling author of Tropic of Night comes a breathtaking thriller that twists, shocks, and surprises at every turn as it crisscrosses centuries, from the glaring violence of today into the dark shadows of truth and lies surrounding the greatest writer the world has ever known.

Ratings (5)

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Reader Stats (12):

Read It (5)
Want To Read (7)

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