Sarah: A Novel (Canaan Trilogy) | Marek Halter

Sarah: A Novel (Canaan Trilogy) | Marek Halter | A New Empathy for an Old Character

books:

Sarah: A Novel (Ca...

	Sarah: A Novel (Canaan Trilogy) Marek Halter Three Rivers Press, 2005 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 50 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

Sarah?s story begins in the cradle of civilization: the Sumerian city-state of Ur, a land of desert heat, towering gardens, and immense wealth. The daughter of a powerful lord, Sarah balks at the marriage her father has planned for her. On her wedding day, she impulsively ?ees to the vast, empty marshes outside the city walls, where she meets a young man named Abram, son of a tribe of outsiders. Drawn to this exotic stranger, Sarah spends one night with him and reluctantly returns to her father?s house. But on her return, she secretly drinks a poisonous potion that will make her barren and thus un?t for marriage.

Many years later, Abram returns to Ur and discovers that the lost, rebellious girl from the marsh has been transformed into a splendid woman?the high priestess of the goddess Ishtar. But Sarah gives up her exalted life to join Abram?s tribe and follow the one true God, an invisible deity who speaks only to Abram. It is then that her journey truly begins.

From the great ziggurat of Ishtar to the fertile valleys of Canaan to the bedchamber of the mighty Pharaoh himself, Sarah?s story reveals an ancient world full of beauty, intrigue, and miracles.

for more information click here

Great read

This book is a great piece of historical fiction. Some reviewers seem concerned about possible historical inaccuracies, but historical fiction is just that - fiction! The author did a great job of telling his interpretation of the story behind the woman in the Bible. I found it entertaining, heart-wrenching, and very real. Side note: as a Christian, I wasn't offended by way the author treated the Biblical story of Sarah. There's a lot we don't know about Sarah from the Bible, so his story is as good as any other as far as I'm concerned. But I would echo some of the reader's concerns about some graphic passages in the book; the sexual nature of some of the chapters makes this book inappropriate for young readers and may offend some Christian readers.

for more information click here

A New Empathy for an Old Character

This is the first historical / bibilical novel I have read in awhile. I think the last one that I really read was "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamante about Dinah and I had loved that one novel so much that I actually dug up a copy of the bible to find that one small passage where Dinah is mentioned.

This book was similar to that one in so many ways. Sarah (Sarai) is quite a major character in the Old Testament but is portrayed as quite a shallow character. This novel by Marek Halter takes a little artistic licensing and delves into her character. We see a probable history of her life in Ur, an account of her decisions, the hows and whys she did things the way that we see her doing them in the Bible.

Mr. Halter fills in the gaps in her life with rich period details and made me empathize completely with the character I used to feel apathetic about. After all, most of us probably only remember the bad things about Sarah: sleeping with Pharaoh, casting off her handmaid Hagar, and doubting Abraham and God when he tells her she will finally have a son. Yes those things happened in the Bible but like so much else in life there is always a reason and most people don't set out to do wrong intentionally.

This is an excellent book for those who want to dig a little deeper in the Bible and that era.

for more information click here

Historical

This was a great woman perspective. I was amazed to find out that the author was a man. I really enjoyed Sarah's version.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

products you might be interested in