Romantic Books:
The Song of Hannah: A Novel
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In the tradition of the international bestseller The Red Tent comes a beautiful, sexy novel featuring Hannah, one of the most well-known and beloved heroines of the Old Testament.
Hannah and Pninah, once close childhood friends, become rivals for the attention of Elkanah, the man who has married them both. Pninah, passionate and independent, easily bears Elkanah many children, but bitter that he has taken her friend as a second wife, seeks fulfillment with her own secret lover. Hannah, the epitome of goodness and grace, remains completely devoted to her husband, but remains childless for many years, until a promise to God brings her the son she has yearned for.
Despite their differences, these two women must learn to live together, protecting their own interests as well as each other’s, while sharing not only the love of their husband, but that of Hannah’s son Samuel, who will become one of the great prophets of the Jewish people.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS:
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.92
EAN: 9780452286726
ISBN: 0452286727
Label: Plume
Manufacturer: Plume
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: 2005-08-30
Publisher: Plume
Studio: Plume
SIMILAR ITEMS:
• The Garden of Ruth
• The Triumph of Deborah
• Rashi's Daughters, Book I: Joheved: A Novel of Love and the Talmud in Medieval France (Rashi's Daughters)
• Rebekah (Women of Genesis)
• Rashi's Daughters, Book II: Miriam: A Novel of Love and the Talmud in Medieval France
CUSTOMER REVIEWS:
The Bookschlepper Recommends -
The Song of Hannah by Eva Etzioni-Halevy: There is a sizeable subgenre of women's novels retelling Old Testament stories from the heroine's point of view; The Red Tent was an excellent example. Some are little more than chick-lit. The best of them document daily life in ancient Israel adding depth and understanding to Bible stories; they correct the male-centric nature of the original. The savvy authors walk a fine line: can they convey the Biblical icons from 4,000 years ago in a manner that today's reader can identify and respect without moving Sarah and Leah too far ahead of their own time? Fourth century B.C.E. women did not have 21st century C.E. mindsets. The Song of Hannah is the story of Samuel's mother, a traditional woman, her struggles as the second wife, and her anxieties as a mother. It is also the story of Pninah, the first wife, a passionate, intelligent woman who loves two men and chafes at restrictions. Their lives shadow that of Israel's at a time of prosperity as well as war. Etzioni-Halevy, a retired professor of political sociology at Tel Aviv uses her insights to illuminate the turbulent emotions and turbulent times with much emphasis on the sexual.
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Etzioni-Halevy weaves a clever tale based on the Biblical account of Hannah. However, considering that Hannah is one of the primary sources of Biblical comfort for those struggling with infertility, it's disappointing that the author infers that Hannah's barrenness was punishment for her fictional betrayal of Pninah. It's too bad that, in this book, Hannah couldn't just be infertile without it being retribution for her crime. It's a slap in the face for anyone struggling with infertility to suggest that it's their own fault. If you are looking for comfort through the story of Hannah in this book, don't bother.
"Desperate Housewives" meets the Old Testament -
This novel, one of a trilogy written by Etzioni-Halevy about prominent women in the Old Testament, is an enjoyable, easy read. The author, who reportedly wrote these novels after "rediscovering" her Judaic heritage, has done a good job of making the often bland ciphers of Biblical accounts come to life. The only problem I have with this book (and the rest of the trilogy) is that it sacrifices a great deal of character development for steamy sex scenes. Of course, many readers won't have a problem with this, but many others buy Biblical or historical fiction to learn more about a character, and get their NC-17 thrills elsewhere. If you're looking for a somewhat jarring blend of history and bamp-chicka-WAH wah, this is your lucky day.
I was transported! -
For the short time it took me to read this book (I couldn't put it down), I was totally transported in time and place. Was this what life was really like for these Biblical characters? Etzioni-Halevy certainly gives us some food for thought and she does it in such a perfectly composed manner that you feel their joy, their sadness, their anger. I loved The Garden of Ruth and can't wait to read the author's most recent book - The Triumph of Deborah. You go Eva!
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I liked this book--in theory. The author starts with a great premise and an imaginative angle on a familiar tale (familiar to some, anyway). Having the two wives begin as best friends was sure to spark drama, and giving voice to Pninah and her pain was an exciting move. That the women were educated and literate was a plus, as well. But considering that she worked with such great material and ideas, I was disappointed by the final manifestation. Pninah was honestly the only character I could connect with emotionally, and while I understand the desire to reverse the way we usually align our sympathies, I found it problematic that Hannah--whom I'd expected to be the "epitome of goodness and grace" as described on the back cover--was so flat and unlikeable. She seemed to live in an invented little bubble that revolved around herself, and I was put off by her self-centeredness. She married her best friend's husband because of her insistent (and true) belief that he was inextricably tied to some great unknown destiny of hers, but she felt so little remorse or pain over this decision that I was tempted to shut the book at that point--I had little desire to hear the rest of the "song" of someone so irritating. Indeed, Pninah's sections were the only ones that kept me reading. (And to be fair, Hannah gets more tolerable in her old age.)
Elkanah, too, was so selfish and abusive that his supposed deep love for Hannah, and those moving words taken straight from the Bible--"am I not better for you than 10 sons"--were hard to believe or take seriously. I understand the idea of making him imperfect, but to make him so awful that the reader must question why anyone, let alone these 2 educated and beautiful women, would love him, seems to be a mistake.
Furthermore, I found the language of the book to be a little too artificial and stilted. While I understood what the author was trying to do with the formal style of narration, I just didn't think she worked all the kinks out of it. I did think the book got a little better as it went on, but ultimately, it failed to live up to a great amount of potential. That said, the author is a talented and imaginative writer, and I am more than willing to read another of her books with the hopes that it works a little better than this one.
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