Rating: 
Summary: A biblical tale, well told
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Artful Storytelling
Review: No matter what genre he chooses, Orson Scott Card can't seem to write a bad novel. Biblical fiction isn't a "hot" topic, but after reading "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamont, I was curious as to how one of my favorite sci-fi authors would approach such a story. The story of Sarah and her husband Abraham is one I half-heard about in Sunday school as a child. Orson Scott Card brings it vividly to life so that the characters become more than just biblical figures, but real people with real lives, real doubts, and real faith. The book does start slow, but as I read on I found myself appreciating Card's ability to take time with the everyday aspects of Sarah and Abraham's lives rather than focusing entirely on the dramas and miracles of biblical proportion. Regardless of whether or not you agree with Card's basic religious assumptions or his interpretation of Sarah and Abraham's story, this book is still a great example of Card's artful storytelling at its best.
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Summary: Fantastic! give me more!
Review: What a fantastic way to learn about the wonderful women of the Bible. I hope Orson continues, beyond Genisis!
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Summary: Can a male writer convincingly write a female character?
Review: While reading Sarah the above question kept occurring to me. Sometimes I thought Card created a female character that was convincing, appealing, and heroic. Other times I found Card's depiction of Sarah unbelievable. Many times while reading this novel, I thought to myself: "No woman I've ever known would act that way . . ." However, I really did enjoy this novel. It is an easy read. I would highly recommend this book as a young adult book. Adults will enjoy it but it is not as engaging as I expected it to be. Card does play with Biblical stories in order to make the novel more interesting. For example, Lot's wife is Sarah's sister, which creates several subplots including the destruction of Sodom. I also thought Abraham was a little two-dimensional. And the treatment of the other female characters in the novel was stereotypical. Every female was "evil" or bad except for Sarah, who oftentimes lacked a certain depth and complexity. Sarah is not a book I would reread again but I think it is worthwhile reading material.
Rating: 
Summary: Tiresome
Review: Orson Scott Card, whose Ender and Shadow books stand as some of the most inovative science fiction of recent time, here tries his hand at biblical fiction. While his prose remain reasonable and crisp, his characters here become rather flat. Card's novel rendition of the first matriarch Sarah falls short for the reason much biblical fiction fails, the desire to turn the characters into paragons. Here Abraham is allways the perfect husband and the perfect servant of the Lord. Sarah's faith strays, but never for more than a sentence before it whips back into a state of spiritual perfection. Even the character's who serve as antagoinists, Hagar for example, never come to life. The result is unfortunate. The novel becomes deadly dull as we read how varrious saintly characters interact, except when a character is not a saint, in which case they are quickly forgiven. Conflict and genunie doubt are, at all times, here kept at a minimum. The most interesting thing about this book is the way it presents the Mormon perspective on the story of Genesis. Here Abraham, far from the first monotheist, is the carrier of ancient wisdom handed down along a direct line form Noah. This non-textual take is common among Mormon readings. However, it hardly makes this rather dull read worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Book
Review: I love this type of book, and Orson Scott Card does it so well! I read "Rachel" after I read this one, and I plan on reading "Rachel and Leah" as soon as it is released in paperback. Both "Sarah" and "Rachel" cover the lives of their respective biblical characters in such depth and understanding. For a man to penetrate so deeply into a woman's mind who lived so long ago is truly inspiring. I really enjoy Card's interpretation of events. It seems to match my own fairly well. He sticks to what's in the Bible, but adds and interprets based upon his knowlege of human behavior. Buy this book and read it over and over! Prepare to go on a journey into the characters, with the characters, and outside of the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet Sarai
Review: This was an interesting account of the wife of "Father Abraham." I love that, at the end of the book, Card explains why he made certain decisions about the story and where he did his research. I don't always agree with his interpretation of the story, but (as has most Biblical fiction) the book has made me anxious to open my Bible and read its account of Sarah, digesting every word like precious wine (excepting that I don't actually like wine, but you get the picture). My favorite part of the book was his interpretations of Lot's wife and Hagar, the handmaid who bore Ishmael. If those women truly were how they are portrayed in this novel, then it would explain a lot about why their lives turned out how they did.
Rating:
Summary: Sarah
Review: I have often considered the Bible as a whole to be the greatest and long-lived piece of Science Fiction ever written. That being said, who better to write an accessible and entertaining retelling of one of it's most beloved tales from the Old Testament then Orson Scott Card himself? It is obvious that Orson Scott Card believes in the lives and deeds of the characters of which he writes in "Sarah." He approaches the subject matter in "Sarah" with a delicate, simple and reasoned approach. I can't imagine anyone taking offense to this book. The appearances of God throughout the book are subtle and take place for the most part out of view of the reader, with the exception of the arrival of angels in and destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. My views on the Bible aside, one must give Orson Scott Card the proper credit for the effort of writing this book, developing biblical characters into mainstream popular fiction cannot be an easy task. I would recommend this novel to anyone who seeks clarification of the story of Sarah as told in the Bible. This is a good retelling of it.
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Summary: One of my all time favorites!
Review: Excellent combination of historical fact and fiction. Card has a vivid imagination that allows readers to go back in time and feel as if they were a part of Biblical history. Just be careful to remember that truth and fiction are craftfully interwined here and not to lose sight of the important messages behind the story. As one of my all time favorite books, I had to read Rebekah and Stone Tablets immediately thereafter. I'm still waiting for the 3rd installment of the Women of Genesis trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: This ones a keeper!
Review: I couldn't put this book down and was sad when it ended. I can't wait to read the next one! This is also a book I would want to keep in my bookshelf so I can read it again! Enjoy!
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