Caleb's Daughter

Rating:
Summary: Biblical History from the Distaff Side
Review: Books like THE RED TENT have sparked an interest in works based in Biblical settings that focus on women rather than their famous male leaders. Kay Flowers has chosen to focus her novella on the years just before and those that followed the entry of the Children of Israel into their land of milk and honey. Her protagonist, Achsah, is the only daughter of Caleb, one of Moses's greatest generals.

The child of Caleb's middle age, Achsah is not surprisingly more than a little spoiled. Throughout many of her early years, she is determined to have her own way, by manipulation and stealth when direct means fail-those direct means usually entailing a tantrum of one degree or another.

As time and life take their toll, however, Achsah comes not just to maturity but to a deep faith in the god of Israel, a faith that sustains her when tragedy and danger impinge.

Although clearly the work of a talented storyteller and likely to appeal greatly to younger readers, the unfortunate brevity of Ms. Flowers's work leaves the reader, especially one who has an interest in the historical and cultural background, feeling unsatisfied. One closes the book with the sense it was meant more as a morality tale than an historical one, a lesson in the importance of faith and in caring for others. The plot evolves as a series of episodes in Achsah's life, beginning with her as a young child and ending with her in the twilight years. Once she has had her moment of epiphany, what follows is little more than a denouement that goes on too long.

The author's attempt to justify the slaughter of innocents-according to the messages delivered from God via Moses and Joshua, the Israelites were to exterminate everyone living in their "promised land"-also lacks force. No matter how perverse the Canaanites' religious and social practices may have been, the killing of children simply doesn't quite fit with the concept of an all-loving god, and one senses the author wrestling with that issue, unable to avoid it yet unable to adequately deal with it, either.

Nevertheless, CALEB'S DAUGHTER is an excellent choice for young readers both for its nicely drawn details of the Israelite culture and the subtle lesson it contains. Christian parents looking for first-class reading material for their older middle-schoolers and younger teens will find it an excellent addition to their libraries.

Rating:
Summary: MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
Review: It is not very often you find a book that combines the history of the Jewish people with a story of tender love, for family and for God. This is such a book. The story is of a young Israelite girl named Achsah, who is the only daughter of a high leader of the tribe of Judah, Caleb.We are told at the beginning of the story some of the traditions of the Jewish people, such as the Father always chooses a husband for his daughter, this does not set well with young Achsah.

Achsah is a strong willed girl, not wanting to be told whom she will spend the rest of her life with, as is the custom. The author takes you into the heart of young Achsah as she battles with her emotions of loyalty to her father, her God and the traditions of their faith. Will she be able to submit to these traditions and still find the happiness she believes belongs to her? You become entwined in her mind as she comes to terms with her destiny. It is a tender story, carefully written with respect for the history it is based on, yet full of adventure and drama. A taste of the past flavored with emotions felt in the present, very good mix.

Unveiling during the conquest of Canaan, the work allows you to experience the victories and defeats of these chosen people, taste a little of their rebellion and understand a great deal of their faith, as young Achsah blooms into a woman and takes her place in the land of promise.
A very good read! Thumbs up on this one!

Rating:
Summary: MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
Review: It is not very often you find a book that combines the history of the Jewish people with a story of tender love, for family and for God. This is such a book. The story is of a young Israelite girl named Achsah, who is the only daughter of a high leader of the tribe of Judah, Caleb.We are told at the beginning of the story some of the traditions of the Jewish people, such as the Father always chooses a husband for his daughter, this does not set well with young Achsah.

Achsah is a strong willed girl, not wanting to be told whom she will spend the rest of her life with, as is the custom. The author takes you into the heart of young Achsah as she battles with her emotions of loyalty to her father, her God and the traditions of their faith. Will she be able to submit to these traditions and still find the happiness she believes belongs to her? You become entwined in her mind as she comes to terms with her destiny. It is a tender story, carefully written with respect for the history it is based on, yet full of adventure and drama. A taste of the past flavored with emotions felt in the present, very good mix.

Unveiling during the conquest of Canaan, the work allows you to experience the victories and defeats of these chosen people, taste a little of their rebellion and understand a great deal of their faith, as young Achsah blooms into a woman and takes her place in the land of promise.
A very good read! Thumbs up on this one!

Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Completion
Review: The Bible tells us that "Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? Who answered, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs." (Joshua 15:116-19)

This is all we know of Caleb's daughter. But in the long and recently re-popularized tradition of Midrash, Kay Flowers has taken it upon herself to tell the rest of the story. Her novel begins in the days before the Hebrews entered the Promised Land, and it spans many years until the death of Othniel, judge of Israel. The book focuses on Caleb's daughter Achsah, a headstrong young woman who finds herself the center of a romantic conflict.

The work has several good descriptions, and it is certainly more true to the spirit of the Bible than, say, a novel like The Red Tent. Flowers fills in the empty spaces in the biblical narrative without insisting on contradicting its central teachings. The narrative method of the author, however, is at times didactic, and there is on the whole too much telling and not enough showing. Consequently, the book is occasionally uninteresting. The work, however, does address important themes, such as romantic vs. mature love and personal vs. communal/traditional faith.