I read this when it first came out and loved it. I just picked up this discarded hardcopy in order to pass it on to others that might enjoy it. This is going out as a bookring.

UnwrittenLibra
quinsmomma

home to Bluestocking88

Got it in the mail today. Not sure how soon I'll get to it, but thank you for sending it, Michael and Christine! It looks very tempting though.

4 stars - I usually don't rate a book this low, but there are a few things I feel need to be addressed. First off, let me say how much I enjoyed Diamant's endeavor to tackle a difficult subject and tell a story. Second, the writing was very accessible and not too elevated in style, especially in a more formal time period (see my review of the Poe Shadow for more on my position on this).

It was a quality work of fiction, which I why I feel that my criticisms may be unwarranted, but I'll say them anyway. My criticisms:

1) Much too long. Included too many details that I did not care about and introduced characters that added nothing to the plot.

2) Focused too much attention on a few, small isolated incidents and left out one very large one (the fact that Dinah was placed in a large wooden box and temporarily left on the side of the river as a young girl and later retrieved by Jacob along with some small glass jars.)

3) Continuity errors/biblical misinterpretations up the wazoo. Bilhah was in fact the mother of both Dan and Naphtali, not just Dan as written in the book. I didn't like how Rebecca and Jacob came off so terribly.

4) Unnecessary lewdness...as with much biblical fiction, the situations are highly sexualized. True, they reproduced more offspring back then but I picture it not being as erotic as the novel portrayed. And too much talk of breasts. I know it is a womens' novel, but I do not need to know every female character's bust proportions.

5) Page 30 alone made me recoil in embarrassment, especially since Jacob is my name as well.

Overall, while not my favorite book, it was not a complete waste of time either. I applaud Diamant's efforts and am looking forward to reading more by her to see what she can do with a more fictionalized topic - her skills in description and natural flair could be put to good use in a more general fiction book rather than historical fiction.

Mailed to quinsmomma in NJ today from the Amherst, Massachusetts post office.

Just received in the mail. I have another bookring to finish before I can start on this one, but I'm looking forward to it.

Back home again safely after its travels. I expect it to be rerelased here shortly. Thank you you both for moving it along.

I am sending this out in BunnyLady's Neverending bookbox. Enjoy!

book arrived in the neverending book box...will be passing along with the box