Sarah: Women of Genesis (A Novel)

by Orson Scott Card Narrated by Gabrielle de Cuir

Overview

The first audiobook in bestselling author Orson Scott Card's Women of Genesis series-a unique re-imagining of the biblical tale

Sarai was a child of ten years, wise for her age but not yet a woman, when she first met Abram. He appeared before her in her father's house, filthy from the desert, tired and thirsty. But as the dirt of travel was washed from his body, the sight of him filled her heart. And when Abram promises Sarai to return in ten years to take her for his wife, her fate was sealed.

Abram kept his promise, and Sarai kept hers. They were wed, and so joined the royal house of Ur with the high priesthood of the Hebrews. So began a lifetime of great joy together, and greater peril: and with the blessing of their God, a great nation would be built around the core of their love.

Bestselling author Orson Scott Card uses his fertile imagination, and uncanny insight into human nature, to tell the story of a unique woman-one who is beautiful, tough, smart, and resourceful in an era when women had little power, and are scarce in the historical record. Sarah, child of the desert, wife of Abraham, takes on vivid reality as a woman desirable to kings, a devoted wife, and a faithful follower of the God of Abraham, chosen to experience an incomparable miracle.

Women of Genesis
Sarah
Rebekah
Rachel and Leah

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Although Card's popular science fiction and fantasy have always been permeated with religious themes, this version of the life of Sarah, Abraham's wife, is more in keeping with his lesser known Stone Tables, a reconstruction of the life of Moses. In his afterword, Card explains that here he is not an apologist for the Bible, but rather "an apologist for Sarah, a tough, smart, strong, bright woman in an era when women did not show up much in historical records." He takes the tantalizingly rich references to Sarah in the book of Genesis and determines to bring her to life for his readers. This novel is not an epic volume rich in cultural and historical detail about ancient Mesopotamia, Canaan and Egypt. Its focus is more what Card does best: exploring human motives and relationships, and the role of faith in individual lives. The entire novel is told exclusively from the point of view of Sarah and her sister Qira, whom Card has created as Lot's wife. Qira is the blind, selfish materialist who cannot understand the kindness or self-sacrifice of the faithful who surround her and who chafes against her husband's authority. Sarah, by contrast, is a wise and virtuous figure who struggles to have the unflinching faith of Abraham, even though she glimpses God's presence in her life only rarely. The narrative is sometimes uneven, and the sprinkling of references to LDS theology may be awkward for the non-Mormon reader. Overall, however, this playfully speculative novel succeeds in bringing Sarah's oft-overlooked character into vivid relief. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

After retelling the story of Moses in Stone Tables, Hugo and Nebula award-winning fantasy and sf writer Card continues to reveal his spiritual side by focusing on the women of the Bible, starting with Sarah. The young Sarah is pledged to be a priestess of Asherah until a seemingly chance meeting with a man named Abram changes her goals. Instead, Sarah convinces her family that her destiny lies in being the wife of this desert wanderer, and she waits eight years for his promised return. Waiting becomes her life, however, when, despite happy years together, childlessness begins to disrupt her marriage and her faith in Abram's God. Following the traditional biblical story, Card adds depth, understanding, and human frailty to the woman who became known as Sarah. Traditionalists may take exception to Card's unique interpretation, but this will attract secular readers as well. For all collections.

From the Publisher

"This series is definitely for those interested in women in the Bible, and in such novels as The Red Tent (by New York Times bestseller Anita Diamant)." —Kliatt

“The story moves swiftly, climaxing at several points, such as Abram and Sarai’s stay in Egypt when the pharaoh wants to take Sarai as his wife. It is a quick and interesting read….This is an intriguing story .”—Pittsburg Post-Gazette

“This playfully speculative novel succeeds in bringing Sarah's soft-overlooked character into vivid relief.”—Publishers Weekly

“This is an inventive and engaging telling of the life of Sarah, the woman who laughed at God’s news (that so old a woman would now bear a child)—and who gives as good as she gets throughout both the book of Genesis and Card’s novel.” —Historical Novel Society

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169197419
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	05/22/2018
Series:	Women of Genesis , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos