The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

At almost 600 pages, this novel seems intimidating but there are sooooo many story lines to follow that all those pages may be necessary.  It is primarily the story of two women separated by centuries.  First is Ester Valesquez  - born in Portugal in the 1600's, Jewish and most uniquely educated.  She runs from the Inquisition to Amsterdam and then London where she is hired as a scribe to an important rabbi.  But Ester's mind is not made for copying someone else's words.  She has ideas and thoughts of her own. Ideas that she hopes are worthy of a discourse with Spinoza - except that she is a woman and not likely to be taken seriously.  Helen Watt's story is of a contemporary British academic struggling with failing health.  She has a love of Jewish history and a determination to find a crowning achievement to tbalance he struggle she has faced finding respect in her male dominated world.  What brings them together is the discovery of a set of ancient documents hidden in the staircase of an old London home.  They are signed "Aleph" but as Helen and her mostly annoying assistant, American grad student Aaron Levy, search for Aleph's identity, they discover something much more profound.  And then there is the plague and Shakespeare and multiple backstories of loves lost and strengths found.  I guess 600 pages is what is needed.