My Review

I recently had a conversation with Lisa of Books on the Brain about my taste in books. I was stating aloud in our Book Club Meeting that I didn’t like historical fiction. I did, however, mention to a member that I liked The Lost Diary of Don Juan, which I read as a part of a book tour. I relayed that I was surprised that I liked that book as much as I had and recommended it. Lisa, however, took the opportunity to gently correct me. She told, albeit this may not be verbatim, “Sheri, I think you do like historical fiction and you just don’t realize that what you are reading is historical fiction.” HUH? She explained to me that she reads my book reviews and that many of the books that I claimed to enjoy actually were historical fiction books. She gave me a few examples, like Snow Flower & The Secret Fan. So, I put some thought to it. She was right; there are many books that I’ve read of late that I really liked that would fall under that category. Perhaps I am a fan.

When I agreed to review this book for the author, who contacted me directly, I wasn’t 100% sure that this book would be “up my alley.” When I started to read it, I worried that this may not be the right book for me. But, I was determined to find out. As I read on, I did discover that I really liked this story. It was rich with history, especially biblical. I found myself craving it and loving the knowledge that I discovered in the story. What’s more, I very much enjoyed getting to know the characters. I picked out my favorites almost immediately and found myself pulling for their happiness in this long, winding tale.

What did I enjoy about the book? The characters come to mind first. Well, Deborah is quite the strong prophetess. She was a fair and insightful judge who craved glorification to the Lord. In this story, Deborah was revealed as this strong leader, but also one with a woman’s heart. I also enjoyed Nogah, the daughter of a Canaanite King and Israelite slave. Nogah is my type of gal and I most related with her in this book. I admired the brashness and devotion of Barak, Deborah’s appointed military leader of Israel’s tribes. I became endeared to Uriel, the elderly scribe who became a grandfather in heart to Nogah.

The book was a lengthy, detailed story that held my attention the entire time. However, there were times that I hoped it would move faster because I wanted certain outcomes to occur sooner than they did. This is of no fault of the author; rather it was my impatience that good things happen to my favorite characters. This story also held some “sauciness” (is that a word?) that I think spiced up the story. This book also prompted me to call my best friend, Lori, and get her opinion on the biblical background of the story. She referred me to the book of Judges, Chapter 4. Secretly, I wished that there was more information in the Bible than there was on this story… but, it is a short story that I found. The author does take the time at the end of the book to explain how she gathered up her background to develop this story.

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale”:

Personally, I liked this book. It gave me a different “flavor” from my standard reading. As mentioned above, I liked the storyline and the characters and that is my recipe for a good read. I enjoyed the biblical infusion and learning about customs in this period in history. Therefore, strictly from my PERSONAL viewpoint, I am awarding this book for the genre Fiction: Historical/Biblical a 8.75 out of 10. Almost a 9… really, it was good. If you like the content of this type book, I would definitely recommend it! ( )

Deborah is a woman who rises above the deep sadness in her life, that her husband just decided to dissolve their marriage, and gives all she has within her to protect her people, the Israelites. The Israelites are God's chosen people, but because of their lack of faith and obedience they are forced to wander throughout the desert and hope that they will be provided for, for rulers during this time they had a series of judges, Deborah being one of those judges.

It was her duty to make the major decisions for her people as well as to resolve conflicts and make settlements amongst them. In a society where women were not educated, her father believed that she deserved the education just as much as her brothers did and she was taught the Torah at an early age. Even as a youth people would come to her from far away places after having heard of her wisdom and fair hand.The Triumph of Deborah is about love and war and most everything in between. Deborah suffers from the choice of her husband and is torn when a young dashing warrior beckons to her. It would be acceptable by law, but she still feels tied emotionally to her husband.

I ended up enjoying this read more than I thought. I fell in love with Deborah, and I think if I had been a little older I would have loved her even more, she is strong and true and really gets things done. Of course, like all women she is riddled with emotion, but who can count that as a fault since we are all plagued by it!? I felt that Eva Etzioni-Halevy did a pretty good job with the writing, it isn't dazzling in its artistic appeal but it is still alive and fresh to read. The storyline had me intregued and involved. This is certainly a great book for any reader, but I specifically recommend it to those who enjoy a good Historical Fiction read. The Triumph of Deborah will be sure to please! ( )

The Triumph of Deborah is the fictionalized story of Deborah, the much adored and highly respected prophetess from the Old Testament. It centers around Deborah, who helped lead the Israelites into war with the Canaanites and what she sacrificed in order to help her people. It also introduces us to Ashera a Canaanite princess and Nogah, the illigitimate daughter of the Canaanite King Jabin and an Israelite slave. It's a fascinating story both educational and entertaining. If you haven't read biblical fiction before, I encourage you to try The Triumph of Deborah by Eva Etzioni-Halevy. For my complete review, visit my blog at www.southerngal-lisa.blogspot.com ( )

This is the first book that an author has asked me to review on my blog and I will admit that I really enjoyed this one. If you read the book of Judges in the Bible, you can understand how this story is believable, even though it is a work of fiction. I enjoyed how the author was true to the language at the time. The dialogue and sentence structures had an ancient familiarity to them, yet kept me intrigued and wanting to read more. Here is just a small excerpt that showcases the writing and how this novel followed the biblical story:
Yet Deborah was left with a vague feeling that the celebration she had arranged did not elicit favor from the Lord. Perhaps this was because, though it had been planned for his glorification, it had aggrandized her and Barak as well. Or perhaps it was because the Lord was not pleased at the people's celebrating the downfall of their enemies. This was strictly forbidden by Torah law, which states:
When Your enemy falls you shall not rejoice.
pg. 188
A war is imminent between Israel and Canaan and the prophetess Deborah is charged with the task of leading Israel in this battle. Deborah seeks assistance from the powerful warrior Barak, in leading this mission. Little does Deborah know that Barak's only requirement for serving his country is to receive a reward that only Deborah can provide! This creates so much tension in Deborah's marriage that her husband divorces her.

Upon the defeat of the Canaanite's, Barak decided that if any women were to his liking he would take them home to possibly serve as a wife to him. Since the end of the battle also released many individuals out of slavery, he offered his home as shelter to these people until they found a permanent resident. Asherah, the Canaanite King's daughter, instantly caught Barak's eye as the woman that he would take for his own and marry. But little did he realize that Nogah, an illigitimate daughter of the King, would also spark a desire within his heart.

It was interesting to learn bits and peices of the Torah law. As an example, Barak kept Asherah in his home but would not have his way with her until she was given her 30 days of mourning after losing her family in the battle. Although this man was quite a player for his time, he was never known to force himself upon any woman. To help him bade the time during Asherah's 30 days of mourning, he would entertain himself with the company of various maids throughout his home. Since Nogah was living in his home as a maid after being freed from her slavery, Barak found himself spending more time with this plain, but not unattractive young lady.
This novel is abundant with Israelite customs that are very interesting to read and compare to today's society. It is also a very passionate book that has you hoping that the characters get what they are looking for in their relationships. What I really loved about this book is that although I could feel the passion bouncing off of the pages, there really were not any sexually explicit scenes or obscene language throughout. I found myself liking almost all of the main characters at one point or another, whether they were Israelite or Canaanite.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it would also make an interesting discussion for a book club. ( )

Deborah was an amazing woman. She is a beloved and honored Hebrew prophet, judge, and leader. She loves God and His people and wants to live in peace with those living around them. Unfortunately, the Hebrew people were seen as intruders. After a shaming encounter with Sisra, the military leader of the Canaanites, where she was attempting to obtain a peace treaty, she determines that not all people are as open to having women participate in politics. It is then that she decides to send the Hebrew army to war with Barak, a young soldier with new ideas. She made the right decision for her people, but at the cost of her marriage. Deborah had to learn to live and lead on her own with only her God as her guide.

I really loved the way in which this novel opened. Deborah, anxiously awaiting the outcome of the war she sanctioned, was juxtaposed against, Asherah, the young wife of Sisra. Both women wanted their commanders to be successful, but only one would get what she wanted. It set the tone of the novel and got me interested immediately. Given the title, the outcome of the war was not shocking to me, but that war wasn’t the end. Asherah and Deborah continue to be linked through Barak and both of their lives are impacted by Nogah, a Hebrew slave who was freed from King Jabin after the Hebrew defeat of the Canaanites.

The Triumph of Deborah is not what I would consider a typical of biblical fiction. In this novel, all of the characters were portrayed as true human beings, not superhuman beings powered by God. It is not tame and it does not show always show the biblical characters in the most positive, read moral light. The characters in this novel are sensual beings who find ways to rationalize their sexual behavior. The writing is as uninhibited as the characters, making this a novel that I could not recommend to my mother who would otherwise be interested in fiction with a biblical twist. In that way, however, it may open up the world of the Bible to others.

I was very pleased with my first experience in Eva Etzioni-Halevy’s rich early Hebrew world. If I had one complaint about the novel, it was that there wasn’t enough of Deborah in it. I loved her character and would have liked to have gotten to know her even more. The action within the story most definitely followed Barak, but I missed Deborah when she wasn’t front and center. I would have liked to have been with Deborah more as she planned her victory dance with Barak and felt her regret with her afterwards. That being said, I enjoyed Nogah and her story as well. I would highly recommend The Triumph of Deborah and look forward to reading more of Etzioni-Halevy’s fiction.

http://literatehousewife.com/2009/02/... ( )