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A review by lykkes_laeserier
Listen to Me: The Women of the Bible Speak Out by Cordelia Frances Biddle
5.0
The subtitle to “Listen to Me” is “The Women of the Bible Speak Out”, which is a perfect description of a novel where a number of Old Testament women such as Eve, Ruth and Bathsheba among others are given voice and allowed to tell their sides of the stories told in the Bible and thus exclusively by men. As such it fits perfectly with the current popular literary trend of mythological retellings through the eyes of lesser and often female characters from - mostly Greek - mythology.
I have enjoyed a lot of these mythological retellings in the past. One of my favourites is “The Penelopiad” (2005) by Margaret Atwood which tells the story of “The Odyssey” from Odysseus’ wife Penelope’s point of view. “Listen to Me” gives off some of the same vibes as “The Penelopiad” in terms of not only the contents but also, and possibly especially, by playing and experimenting with form to a certain extent. For instance, most chapters in “Listen to Me” start with a few lines of almost set directions that often encourage the readers to decide some of the particulars for themselves. I found this both efficient and conducive to the points the book was seeking to make and generally speaking enjoyed Biddle’s tone and storytelling throughout.
My only criticism would be that I’m not entirely sure about the ending. Not enough to let the last page or two detract from the book as a whole, but still, I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. I’m not going to spoil the book by giving anything away but would, at some point, love to hear what other readers – or indeed the author herself - make of it.
I have enjoyed a lot of these mythological retellings in the past. One of my favourites is “The Penelopiad” (2005) by Margaret Atwood which tells the story of “The Odyssey” from Odysseus’ wife Penelope’s point of view. “Listen to Me” gives off some of the same vibes as “The Penelopiad” in terms of not only the contents but also, and possibly especially, by playing and experimenting with form to a certain extent. For instance, most chapters in “Listen to Me” start with a few lines of almost set directions that often encourage the readers to decide some of the particulars for themselves. I found this both efficient and conducive to the points the book was seeking to make and generally speaking enjoyed Biddle’s tone and storytelling throughout.
My only criticism would be that I’m not entirely sure about the ending. Not enough to let the last page or two detract from the book as a whole, but still, I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. I’m not going to spoil the book by giving anything away but would, at some point, love to hear what other readers – or indeed the author herself - make of it.