Sarah: Women of Genesis

I was disappointed that the author did not follow biblical facts. I'm all for adding characters and fiction to develop the story, but I'm turned off by facts that don't match biblical truths. The author tried to address some of the issues in the afterword but also admitted "I'm not above flat out manipulation for fictional purposes." The timeline was also off, some characters aged while others didn't at nearly the same rate, eg: Sarah and Qira, or her children. I prefer Francine Rivers books, Lineage of Grace or Sons of Encouragement that are also fiction and about biblical characters, but are based on biblical facts. He did make Sarah real, and gave a plausible setting for the decisions she made, where she clearly shines as the heroine. Other than the biblical contradictions, I enjoyed it and can see Sarah in a different light.

I was familiar with the Abraham/Sarah story from long ago, but the depth that Mr. Card gives to these characters in this novel truly brings them to life in the mind's eye. Abraham is shown by his faith in God and how it never wavers. Sarah, with all the insecurity of being new to Abraham's faith, often wonders if she made the right decisions or if she is being punished for disobeying her father's wishes. Sarah's relationships with her sister and Hagar show how outward appearances often mask what is really going on. Hagar seemed to be Sarah's friend, but that masked the true feelings of hatred because of the master/slave relationship. I would recommend this book to anyone, and can't wait until I can get my hands on "Rebekah."

The Bible seems to bring out hypersensitivity in people today (either they want to hear nothing from it, or it can't be touched as it is too sacred.) While the Bible is sacred scripture, the stories from the Bible are wonderful material for creating living, vivid stories. This book reminds me of the out-of-print and rare Joseph and his Brothers by Thomas Mann, although much smaller in scope. Both books tried to put ancient life in the light of human behavior that is timeless. This is the novelistic trick that makes the characters come alive with drama and realism. Sarah is a Bible figure with many sides that are hinted at in scripture; the conflict with Hagar, her long and difficult period of infertility (a total tragedy in her society) and her marriage to the powerful Abraham. The side story of Lot is also wonderfully fleshed out. Orson Scott Card always creates memorable characters, especially woment characters, and this book is immensely enjoyable.

Unlike what one other reviewer has written here, I believe this book is very much in keeping with almost all other novels Card has written: characters of strength and integrity committed to some grand cause, sometimes misunderstanding each other, coming to equality in relationships by the end. Of course, a little politicking/social maneuvering is thrown in as well, as well as historicity of customs and action (oooh, how racy =were= those Egyptians, anyway? One wonders if today's fashions of tight Tshirts and bun-hugging jeans, though not as translucent as the Egyptian linens, would have been found objectionable by the modest desert nomads?)While Card adds details not found in the original Biblical source (and he also admits to adding some details that are not found in the Old Testament, but are in Mormon scripture), he also edits the story to sew up some plot holes - not unreasonable, considering, as with many of the Genesis stories, there is more than one source (checking my Bible, it mentions that both the Eloist and Yahwist sources both contribute (so named because of their words for God - either Eloi or Yahweh)). One sees the repitition of the device of the man claiming his wife to be his sister in the Bible - not only twice in the case of Abraham and Sarah, but also in Isaac's story. Many of these plot changes may irritate a Biblical fundamentalist, but they are not too glaring. I had to go back to the Bible to figure out what was changed -- the story pretty much agreed with the tale I remember hearing as a child.However, the best part of this book was Sarah herself. Like most women in Card's fiction, she gets to be a strong person in her own right - not pretending to be less intelligent or skilled than she is, not bowing under men's authority or words simply because they are men. People might complain about the less attractive female characters Qira and Hagar, but he also gives these women autonomous characters. They do not blend into the background, but are shown as captains of their own souls, even if they turn out to have made poor choices.Most importantly with Sarah, Card shows how a person of faith lives when they do not get to hear God's voice directly. Abraham gets to hear God speak, so he is sure in knowing that he shall be the ancestor of a great people, he is sure that he shall win military conflict, he is sure of eventual success. Sarah must hear the words of God through others, and in a world that offers many gods, she doubts and is hurt by the conflict between her doubt and her faith. I see this book as being popular among people of faith, whatever their religions, for it mirrors some of their own conflicts (If there is a benevolent God, why is there so much suffering? Am I being punished by God for something?) in their souls.

If you think that Card is just a science-fiction or fantasy writer, this book will set you straight. He takes the story of Sarah, wife of Abraham, and give it fictional, but balanced treatment; that is, all the heroes and heroines are still heroes and heroines, and miracles do happen. But, Card is no Biblical Literalist; he assumes that stories can be garbled or told twice (for example, it is only once, in this book, that Abraham claims that Sarah is his sister.)It is like reading Genesis with new eyes; as if an old dirty picture had been cleaned, and you see details you never saw before. Give it a try, and prepare to be delighted. This is Card's best, up to now.