I read the paperback version: 336 pages
This is the first historical / bibilical novel I have read in awhile. I think the last one that I really read was "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamante about Dinah and I had loved that one novel so much that I actually dug up a copy of the bible to find that one small passage where Dinah is mentioned.
This book was similar to that one in so many ways. Sarah (Sarai) is quite a major character in the Old Testament but is portrayed as quite a shallow character. This novel by Marek Halter takes a little artistic licensing and delves into her character. We see a probable history of her life in Ur, an account of her decisions, the hows and whys she did things the way that we see her doing them in the Bible.
Mr. Halter fills in the gaps in her life with rich period details and made me empathize completely with the character I used to feel apathetic about. After all, most of us probably only remember the bad things about Sarah: sleeping with Pharaoh, casting off her handmaid Hagar, and doubting Abraham and God when he tells her she will finally have a son. Yes those things happened in the Bible but like so much else in life there is always a reason and most people don't set out to do wrong intentionally.
This is an excellent book for those who want to dig a little deeper in the Bible and that era.
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