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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
The book has a lot of graphic depictions of weird things that I found disturbing.
I get that it is historical fiction but there was just a lot of sexism, pedophilia, incest, bioessentialism, and overall bad vibes.
I get that it is historical fiction but there was just a lot of sexism, pedophilia, incest, bioessentialism, and overall bad vibes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Pregnancy
I cannot believe that I have only just read this book. All of the years of “instruction” about Old Testament stories left me longing to understand the women in the Bible. Who were these women? They had to be more than the marginalized caricatures whose only worth was contingent upon their conception of or marriage to or service to a patriarch. Diamant made Dinah unforgettable. Yes, parts of her story were fictionalized. The Bible canon is the history of his story. Eve, Zipporah, Micah, Abigail, Bathsheba, Delilah, Elizabeth, Priscilla… These women deserved to be more than footnotes in the Judo-Christian tradition. I hope Anita Diamant writes the stories of many more Biblical women.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved it! Besides the interesting story the language was just beautiful!
This book was really heavy and not a quick read for me. However, it was incredible, eye opening and so creative. I also found it a fresh perspective on biblical times and the role of women, even if not completely historically accurate. I highly recommend
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first half of the book was good but once Dinah went to Egypt it felt a lot more difficult to read. The amount of names made it tricky to keep track of all the characters.
Kathryn wrote: "I could probably finish this and be able appreciate the good writing but I am disgusted enough to not finish. I have not read a book that depresses me so in awhile. The polygamy, bestiality, and incest may even have been bearable if presented in a way that did not make the behavior seem acceptable."
I understand where you're coming from, but I don't agree. To me it is fascinating, not depressing. Frankly, I appreciate the brutal honesty, it puts things in perspective. The polygamy, for example, was the only family structure those people knew of and understood (and it's not like monogamy is ideal and devoid of problems of it's own, think divorces and adultery). Now, incest, I haven't got to yet... I'm not saying reading about all this is easy but I can take a little tormenting, it puts thing in perspective.
I understand where you're coming from, but I don't agree. To me it is fascinating, not depressing. Frankly, I appreciate the brutal honesty, it puts things in perspective. The polygamy, for example, was the only family structure those people knew of and understood (and it's not like monogamy is ideal and devoid of problems of it's own, think divorces and adultery). Now, incest, I haven't got to yet... I'm not saying reading about all this is easy but I can take a little tormenting, it puts thing in perspective.
This was a decently-written book with a great premise that wore down in the end. Towards the end, the plot was a little ridiculous. A certain reunion in particular.