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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book made me ugly cry. It probably didnt help that it is highly focused on mother daughter relationships and I lost my mom a few years ago, unexpectedly. In any case, I knew it would be touching from the first page. I have always known and loved the story of Joseph, but getting a different point of view, even if fictional, was very enlightening. I loved the character of Dinah and how so many stories intertwined. My favorite part was definitely the second half of the book, near the end when she asks Gera about the "sister who was loved by the prince" and she finds out, her name is not only remembered, but songs were even made about her. My heart was full of joy for her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Sexual content
This is the first time, at least from what I can remember, that I've read a novel based on a Biblical story where the author extended the story and gave us a picture of what may have really happened behind the scenes and what happened before and after what we've already read in the Bible. I'm currently reading "Women of the Bible" as well and although I studied Leah and Rachel (of course), the book does not devote much beyond a few sentences to Jacob's only daughter, Dinah, the subject of this book. The same goes for the Bible, in fact, the Bible paints Dinah in a relatively negative light and leaves us with the impression that she was disobedient, lustful, and merely a sinner not really worth mentioning. This novel gives us a clearer picture of who Dinah may have been. She, at times in her life, was in fact disobedient, lustful, and a sinner, but who isn't? There was so much more to her that we know from a single chapter in the Bible.
The depictions of ancient life in the Middle East are thrilling and some scenes are pretty barbaric. I thought the author tempered these scenes though with very moving and beautiful ones. Dinah's first-person accounts of her life are very honest, at times chilling, but at most times reflective and lovely. She gives us a picture of feminine life at the time. Females during this era and in this place had their own little world in which they expressed themselves in ways men did not understand and in most cases, they lived apart from their male counterparts. I thought learning about these dynamics in a narrative setting other than what I've read in the Bible was very interesting. This was a great read!!
The depictions of ancient life in the Middle East are thrilling and some scenes are pretty barbaric. I thought the author tempered these scenes though with very moving and beautiful ones. Dinah's first-person accounts of her life are very honest, at times chilling, but at most times reflective and lovely. She gives us a picture of feminine life at the time. Females during this era and in this place had their own little world in which they expressed themselves in ways men did not understand and in most cases, they lived apart from their male counterparts. I thought learning about these dynamics in a narrative setting other than what I've read in the Bible was very interesting. This was a great read!!
This sooo isn't my kind of book, but I truly loved it.
Favorite Quotes:
If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully.
The more a daughter knows the details of her mother's life without flinching- the stronger the daughter.
The world seemed so perfect, so complete, and yet so impermanent that I nearly wept.
When I was in the womb, you told me about the other side of the universe, where darkness and light are not separated. You were such good company, I hated to wake up.
Favorite Quotes:
If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully.
The more a daughter knows the details of her mother's life without flinching- the stronger the daughter.
The world seemed so perfect, so complete, and yet so impermanent that I nearly wept.
When I was in the womb, you told me about the other side of the universe, where darkness and light are not separated. You were such good company, I hated to wake up.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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:
No
Rated it a 3.5 for me but rounded up because I've really really enjoyed looking at good reads reviews from people being righteously horrified about the writer referencing a) menstruation and b) male characters from the bible being horny rather than holy.
Two things I really liked in this retelling of a bible story were a) references to menstruation and b) male characters from the bible being horny, petty and horrible rather than holy.
Big fan.
This is a really beautiful and well written book. There were moments I had a little tear and moments that were just beautiful to read. Expanding on the often overlooked story of Dinah the one sister of Joseph (of multicoloured dream coat fame) placed the bible story in a reality in keeping with the time the original story was set. The author has clearly spent a lot of time researching the period and did a huge amount of world building to really let you see what life might have been like for women then.
If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully
This isn't a book about the bible or about Jacob & Joseph. This is a book about mothers, daughters and women. Dinah has many mothers throughout her life and they all shape her in different ways. It's emotional to read and I can't imagine any woman not identifying with any element of one of the many mother/daughter relationships.
Would recommend.
Two things I really liked in this retelling of a bible story were a) references to menstruation and b) male characters from the bible being horny, petty and horrible rather than holy.
Big fan.
This is a really beautiful and well written book. There were moments I had a little tear and moments that were just beautiful to read. Expanding on the often overlooked story of Dinah the one sister of Joseph (of multicoloured dream coat fame) placed the bible story in a reality in keeping with the time the original story was set. The author has clearly spent a lot of time researching the period and did a huge amount of world building to really let you see what life might have been like for women then.
If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully
This isn't a book about the bible or about Jacob & Joseph. This is a book about mothers, daughters and women. Dinah has many mothers throughout her life and they all shape her in different ways. It's emotional to read and I can't imagine any woman not identifying with any element of one of the many mother/daughter relationships.
Would recommend.
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Violence
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
That was amazing. Loved every moment, even the ending. The preparation I took by reminiscing on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and reading the story of Jacob in the Old Testament enhanced my experience. God I just love biblical fiction. I need more