Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Prospect Park Books (2015), 288 pages
Description
Finalist, 2015 National Jewish Book Award Honorable Mention, Sophie Brody Medal, American Library Association One of the Jewish Book Council's "15 fiction books that shaped Jewish literature in 2015" "Lemberger imbues her characters with a consciousness that, although taking place in ancient times, seems contemporary, because she brings such empathy to her characters... It is this act of empathy that shines through.... an alternative dialogue that reminds us that it is the stories that we tell that are civilization's true heritage." --FORBES Eve considers motherhood. Miriam tends Moses. Lot's wife looks back. Vividly reimagined with startling contemporary clarity, Michal Lemberger's debut collection of short stories gives voice to silent, oft-marginalized biblical women: their ambitions, their love for their children, their values, their tremendous struggles and challenges. Informed by Lemberger's deep knowledge of the Bible, each of these nine stories recasts a biblical saga from the perspective of a pivotal woman.… (more)
Awards
National Jewish Book Award (Finalist — Debut Fiction — 2015)
Sophie Brody Medal (Honorable Mention — 2016)
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member TadAD
The Bible is largely a book of the men, by the men, and for the men. The women in it are largely there to: a) bear children, b) provide financial or sexual benefits, c) obey and admire, d) illustrate some negative moral or legal point, e) all of the above.
Lemberger has offered nine tales written
The thing that struck me most was how much the biblical stories are still presented to us...not in the Bible itself, but in other sources...in that limited, male-centric manner. The second of Lemberger's tales is about Lot's wife. Not sure if I remembered the story well, I did a search and the first hit told me that she is found in Genesis 19:16-26 when she was turned into salt for looking back at the burning town of Sodom, and again in Luke 17:32 as a reminder of the penalty for disobedience. Every reference seemed to limit her to just that: Gen. 19:26, killed for looking back at a burning city, everything you need to know right there.
Really? What they failed to mention is Genesis 19:6 when Lot offers a hostile crowd of men unlimited rape of his two youngest daughters if the men just won't embarrass him by hassling his guests. Honestly, after reading that, I don't think Mrs. Lot was looking back wistfully toward a dissolute life. I think she was looking back to make sure those bastards burned and wondering if there was any way to include her husband in the catastrophe. (By the way, the author's version is quite different, so that isn't a spoiler.)
She has taken nine women—some, like Eve, that everyone knows and some, like Yael, that are relatively obscure—and made them come alive beyond the one or two sentences they receive in the Old Testament. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and eminently readable book.
Lemberger has offered nine tales written
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with the women as the central figures in their own life stories. They are excellently imagined and beautifully written, and each is different: some are heartbreaking, some not; in some we like the protagonist, some not so much. What unites them is a sense that these are real people facing real situations in their biblical world, not cutouts perceived dimly through religious archetypes.The thing that struck me most was how much the biblical stories are still presented to us...not in the Bible itself, but in other sources...in that limited, male-centric manner. The second of Lemberger's tales is about Lot's wife. Not sure if I remembered the story well, I did a search and the first hit told me that she is found in Genesis 19:16-26 when she was turned into salt for looking back at the burning town of Sodom, and again in Luke 17:32 as a reminder of the penalty for disobedience. Every reference seemed to limit her to just that: Gen. 19:26, killed for looking back at a burning city, everything you need to know right there.
Really? What they failed to mention is Genesis 19:6 when Lot offers a hostile crowd of men unlimited rape of his two youngest daughters if the men just won't embarrass him by hassling his guests. Honestly, after reading that, I don't think Mrs. Lot was looking back wistfully toward a dissolute life. I think she was looking back to make sure those bastards burned and wondering if there was any way to include her husband in the catastrophe. (By the way, the author's version is quite different, so that isn't a spoiler.)
She has taken nine women—some, like Eve, that everyone knows and some, like Yael, that are relatively obscure—and made them come alive beyond the one or two sentences they receive in the Old Testament. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and eminently readable book.
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LibraryThing member Pmaurer
Excellent book, describing the choices that our biblical mothers had to make. The voice of each of the women comes through load and clear, reminding us that these women of the bible lived by different rules and were forced into making hard choices no longer being faced by contemporary women.
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Thought provoking book, that could lead to an interesting discussion by a book club, religious based or not. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tamara_Da_Hunt
This book was an interesting read. Beautifully written. The author did a great job of showing these women in a contemporary light. I'd recommend this work.
LibraryThing member MomMom46
After Abel and other stories is a collection of stories of women from traditional Bible stories but told from the point of view of secondary female characters. For example, the story of Esther is told by Haman's wife Zeresh. The tales were beautifully written and fully imagined . I enjoyed them but
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ultimately I do not like short stories. There was not enough content to be memorable or satisfying for me.So sorry but thanks for giving me the chance to preview this work. Show Less
LibraryThing member caalynch
After Abel was a wonderful addition to my library. It tells compelling Biblical stories from the perspective of the women who were often regulated to secondary roles in the biblical text. The stories are beautifully written with enough depth and warmth to compel me to re-read the original stories
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in the Bible. Upon re-reading, the biblical stories were much more fuller and well rounded. The author uses her creative license to enrich and bring greater context to the original biblical stories without altering it. A great feat! Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member HippieLunatic
The Bible is filled with women in the background, unnamed and unassuming. Lamberger takes the inspiration of the Bible, in historical settings and in line with the conventions of the time period, to give a fuller view of some of these women. The story of Saul's Daughter (Michel, married to David
All in all, this was a great collection of short stories, and I would love to see Lamberger take on more.
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and then given to Palti) was perhaps the most touching for me, helping me to see truly what it meant to be a woman in Biblical times, giving up your own sense of self to be at the beck and call of men.All in all, this was a great collection of short stories, and I would love to see Lamberger take on more.
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LibraryThing member MarysGirl
This collection of literary short stories based on women in the Bible caught my imagination and sent me back to research the original passages that inspired the stories. I particularly enjoyed the effort Lemberger made to fully render the culture and practices of the times. The historical detail
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enhanced the poignancy of the women's lives. With collections of short stories, there are usually a couple of stand outs, a lot of good/ok and one or two "meh." I enjoyed all of these almost equally. Only one, "City of Refuge," rang a slightly false note in terms of character development, but I still enjoyed the story. A warning to those who have a nostalgic fondness for their childrens' Bible story books--the characters in these stories are adults dealing with adult issues and making decisions that are fully informed by their cultural norms. A couple of Biblical heroes come off not so much as heroic, but ruthless. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member terrylynn
I am so surprised that I loved these stories. Each chapter takes a verse that mentions a woman's name and the author invents a story that might fit into the larger picture. It gave me a better idea of how the woman of the bible might have lived. I want to share this with my rabbi so that we can
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talk about it and maybe use it for our temple book club. Show Less
LibraryThing member kykim
After Abel and other stories by Michal Lemerger was a book that I thought I would like based on advance praise I read. I'm sorry to say that after several attempts to read this I was unable to finish it.
When I read a book based on biblical stories I don't expect to see some of the language that was
The story of Lot's Wife doesn't mention God, and was totally different from what the Bible teaches.
I only rate this book one star, because I have to rate it. It is not one that I would recommend to anyone.
I received a free copy from Library Thing in exchange for my honest review, rather it be good or bad. Thank you.
When I read a book based on biblical stories I don't expect to see some of the language that was
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used in at least one story. As I could not bring myself to read the entire book, I can't say if it is only one story or more.The story of Lot's Wife doesn't mention God, and was totally different from what the Bible teaches.
I only rate this book one star, because I have to rate it. It is not one that I would recommend to anyone.
I received a free copy from Library Thing in exchange for my honest review, rather it be good or bad. Thank you.
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LibraryThing member MaryJensen
I don't usually go for short stories. Just not my normal genre.
But I find myself constantly fascinated by the role of women in the Bible. Such a rich and important history that has been glossed over and hidden in the corner for eons.
This well written and entertaining collection of short stories is
Well done.
But I find myself constantly fascinated by the role of women in the Bible. Such a rich and important history that has been glossed over and hidden in the corner for eons.
This well written and entertaining collection of short stories is
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a window into what that world might have been like, and it grabbed me very quickly.Well done.
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LibraryThing member corglacier7
I'm not usually a short story fan since I like my stories with a little more heft. But this collection did a nice job depicting the stories of Biblical women, all too often marginalized and forgotten (as the author points out, aside from Ruth, women are never the focus of a New Testament story, and
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often are depicted as bitter rivals in a polygynous marriage). The emphasis is off of faith and more onto the historical and social realities of the times, which makes for interesting reading, and all the women are distinct voices. Worth a read. Show Less
ISBN
1938849477 / 9781938849473