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A review by dennisfischman
The Secret Book of Kings by Yochi Brandes
2.0
Have you heard this story before? A young girl is engaged to a decent man, whom she even loves, but she turns her back on him to marry an incredibly magnetic but brutal man instead. That's a romance novel. That's [b:Wuthering Heights|6185|Wuthering Heights|Emily Brontë|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388212715l/6185._SY75_.jpg|1565818], which I have always loathed. And that's what this novel makes of Michal, daughter of Saul, princess of Israel.
How about this story? A young man is raised by common people and spends his time among wastrels and thieves, only to discover he is the rightful heir to the throne. That's a mash-up of most of the folk tales we've ever heard and Prince Hal in Shakespeare. It's also what this novel makes of Yerovam ben Nebat, the man who tore the northern ten tribes of Israel away from the descendants of King David.
I admire the idea of this book: to retell the story of the Saul-David-Solomon cycle in the Hebrew Bible right down to the split between Israel and Judah, but from the point of view of the "lost tribes," and especially, of the women. But the execution makes a mockery of the fine idea.
* Besides the hackneyed plotlines which prompted my friend Ian to compare this to a YA novel, the writing is poor, and it's not just the translation, because Brandes apparently never heard of "show, don't tell."
*Characters also change without adequate background or motivation, just because they have to in order to fit the plot.
*The author is very clever about including obscure bits of the biblical text that help the reimagined version make sense, but when she needs to depart from the text, she makes things up out of whole cloth. If they contradict the text, it's because the Judean scribes falsified history--a convenient excuse.
Besides the writing, the concept is anti-feminist. Despite making women central characters, Brandes repeats some of the worst canards about women. One falsely accuses a man of rape, for political purposes. (I nearly didn't finish the book after that.) Another's voice says no, but her body says yes. How can anyone write such retrograde and dangerous stereotypes in the 21st century?
The best thing about the book is the ending, with its vision of an alternative history in which religious pluralism and economic justice could be enacted three thousand years ago. But that's exactly why the author has to end the book with Yerovam's coronation: because there's no way to imagine that actually came to pass, no matter how much the history is rewritten by the victors.
I read this book as a companion to studying I and II Kings in the 929 Tanach B'Yachad program. (The Hebrew title of this novel translates to "III Kings.") It did help bring some of the characters to life and reminded me of people I'd forgotten. Now, though, I want to go back and read what I'm told is a better book on the same theme, [b:The Secret Chord|24611425|The Secret Chord|Geraldine Brooks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1428406962l/24611425._SY75_.jpg|44222605].
How about this story? A young man is raised by common people and spends his time among wastrels and thieves, only to discover he is the rightful heir to the throne. That's a mash-up of most of the folk tales we've ever heard and Prince Hal in Shakespeare. It's also what this novel makes of Yerovam ben Nebat, the man who tore the northern ten tribes of Israel away from the descendants of King David.
I admire the idea of this book: to retell the story of the Saul-David-Solomon cycle in the Hebrew Bible right down to the split between Israel and Judah, but from the point of view of the "lost tribes," and especially, of the women. But the execution makes a mockery of the fine idea.
* Besides the hackneyed plotlines which prompted my friend Ian to compare this to a YA novel, the writing is poor, and it's not just the translation, because Brandes apparently never heard of "show, don't tell."
*Characters also change without adequate background or motivation, just because they have to in order to fit the plot.
*The author is very clever about including obscure bits of the biblical text that help the reimagined version make sense, but when she needs to depart from the text, she makes things up out of whole cloth. If they contradict the text, it's because the Judean scribes falsified history--a convenient excuse.
Besides the writing, the concept is anti-feminist. Despite making women central characters, Brandes repeats some of the worst canards about women. One falsely accuses a man of rape, for political purposes. (I nearly didn't finish the book after that.) Another's voice says no, but her body says yes. How can anyone write such retrograde and dangerous stereotypes in the 21st century?
The best thing about the book is the ending, with its vision of an alternative history in which religious pluralism and economic justice could be enacted three thousand years ago. But that's exactly why the author has to end the book with Yerovam's coronation: because there's no way to imagine that actually came to pass, no matter how much the history is rewritten by the victors.
I read this book as a companion to studying I and II Kings in the 929 Tanach B'Yachad program. (The Hebrew title of this novel translates to "III Kings.") It did help bring some of the characters to life and reminded me of people I'd forgotten. Now, though, I want to go back and read what I'm told is a better book on the same theme, [b:The Secret Chord|24611425|The Secret Chord|Geraldine Brooks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1428406962l/24611425._SY75_.jpg|44222605].