Rebekah

Rating:
Summary: Woman Takes the Lead
Review: I'd been waiting for Orson Scott Card to come out with a book that really has a woman at its center instead of a man. For all that he has chapters in many books from a womanly point of view, only Hart's Hope went so far as to push a female into full-force narrative, but that story centered on a male nonetheless.
With this new "Women of Genesis" series, Card explores the heroines of the earliest parts of the Bible. Begun with Sarah and continued with this book (Rachel is forthcoming), the stories are told in third person limited, with the titular characters as the narrators. Written with his typical clarity, Card does well to bring out difficult aspects of the tale clearly so that a modern audience may understand better. Card's notions of family dynamics are especially strong in this book, and that may be why I considered it a more rewarding read than Sarah.
Christians reading Rebekah ought to be warned that there are non-Biblical Mormon elements in it, but these are generally few and don't inhibit the narrative in the slightest. It's a mind-building challenge to go back to the Bible and compare stories, in any case.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasingly Human
Review: It was a good read. I wanted to flip the pages. It was also a fairly easy read. Though I was not alive in that time period and have not done a whole lot of study about it, I was able to easily adjust to the new surroundings. Rebekah was, at once, a likable character, and we had a lot in common. I was a little disappointed in how disrespectful she sometimes was towards her husband and Abraham as the story moved along, but it also made her more human. Can I honestly say I have never spoken a harsh word to my own husband? No. Not many people can, I am sure. I will have to re-read what is said about Rebekah in the Bible. I always do after reading such a book. I want to know God's view, no matter how intriguing the author's was. Of course, I KNEW how it would end. I may not know everything written about Isaac and Rebekah, but I do know the basics, so I knew about Jacob and Esau. I knew Rebekah would screw up big time, even if it worked out for the best (all things work for the good of those who love Him correct?). I didn't want her to. Even knowing that she would do it, that it was already written in history, I found myself begging her to just trust God to speak to Isaac. She once rebuked Ishmael recalling how he was the result of trying to do it one's own way instead of God's. But she did the same thing. Card wrote very well and I am now excited to read Sarah.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasingly Human
Review: It was a good read. I wanted to flip the pages. It was also a fairly easy read. Though I was not alive in that time period and have not done a whole lot of study about it, I was able to easily adjust to the new surroundings. Rebekah was, at once, a likable character, and we had a lot in common. I was a little disappointed in how disrespectful she sometimes was towards her husband and Abraham as the story moved along, but it also made her more human. Can I honestly say I have never spoken a harsh word to my own husband? No. Not many people can, I am sure. I will have to re-read what is said about Rebekah in the Bible. I always do after reading such a book. I want to know God's view, no matter how intriguing the author's was. Of course, I KNEW how it would end. I may not know everything written about Isaac and Rebekah, but I do know the basics, so I knew about Jacob and Esau. I knew Rebekah would screw up big time, even if it worked out for the best (all things work for the good of those who love Him correct?). I didn't want her to. Even knowing that she would do it, that it was already written in history, I found myself begging her to just trust God to speak to Isaac. She once rebuked Ishmael recalling how he was the result of trying to do it one's own way instead of God's. But she did the same thing. Card wrote very well and I am now excited to read Sarah.

Rating:
Summary: Enlightening and enjoyable
Review: This book gives an interesting view of how women lived in Biblical times, as well as a possible view of the character of Rebekah. Rebekah is a strong women with strong beliefs. The book provides an explanation for the deception of Issac when Rebekah encourages Jacob to steal Esau's blessing. The book is easy to read and Rebekah's faith is inspiring.

Rating:
Summary: Enlightening and enjoyable
Review: This book gives an interesting view of how women lived in Biblical times, as well as a possible view of the character of Rebekah. Rebekah is a strong women with strong beliefs. The book provides an explanation for the deception of Issac when Rebekah encourages Jacob to steal Esau's blessing. The book is easy to read and Rebekah's faith is inspiring.

Rating:
Summary: Rebekah (Women of Genesis)
Review: This is a great quick read. It was easy to imagine life in this period by the descriptions and references to Bible versus and stories. Since most of the books in the Bible talk about men and their perspectives, it was nice to read about a woman. I would recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing and Well Written
Review: This is a very intriguing novel. I was raised roughly as a Christian and I knew the story of Rebekah and Isaac. I, however, never even thought what may have been going through the mind of the woman at the center of the story.

Card once again writes an insightful yet entertaining novel. I think Christains will find it quite enlightening (especially women) but I think non-Christains would find a lot to talk about after reading the story whether or not they have read that portion of the bible.

I highly recommend this novel and the rest of the series.