Papyrus – Irene Vallejo

I did not finish - but I understand why many readers are enthusiastic about this book. It’s full of enthralling tidbits. The writer is enthusiastic, and readers are introduced to facts and people that are new to most of them.

The book is as much about the author as it is about the subject matter. The facts and people are surrounded by the author’s reactions to them, opinions about them, and somewhat-free associations. The author does not make sharp distinctions between “known to be true”, “thought to be true”, “as good a story as any”. (For example, the author states that the Hebrew bible was translated to Greek by seventy-two translators six from each of the twelve tribes - but does not note that the source of that statement is highly dubious.)

In the end the author’s enthusiasm, digressions, and tendency to explain things through modern analogies were too distracting for me. But I can see why many readers would enjoy the journey.