Library's review
David's story is told through the voice of Nathan, the
I was familiar only with the barest sketch of the story of David, so I'm not qualified to judge how much or in what ways Brooks took fictional liberties with the accepted narrative from the Old Testament. And I suspect there are elements here that someone who believes in the infallibility of the Bible would find troubling, if not blasphemous. But for me, it was an extraordinary story of an extraordinary man, told in the most lyrical way possible.
I read this book for the Reading Through Time group's themed read for the second quarter of 2016: Ancient and Biblical Times.
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Fiction. Literature. HTML:â??A page turner. . .Brooks is a master at bringing the past alive. . .in her skillful hands the issues of the past echo our own deepest concerns: love and loss, drama and tragedy, chaos and brutality.â?ť â?? Alice Hoffman, The Washington PostA rich and utterly absorbing novel about the life of King David, from the Pulitzer Prizeâ??winning author of People of the Book and March. With more than two million copies of her novels sold, New York Times bestselling author Geraldine Brooks has achieved both popular and critical acclaim. Now, Brooks takes on one of literatureâ??s richest and most enigmatic figures: a man who shimmers between history and legend. Peeling away the myth to bring David to life in Second Iron Age Israel, Brooks traces the arc of his journey from obscurity to fame, from shepherd to soldier, from hero to traitor, from beloved king to murderous despot and into his remorseful and diminished dotage. The Secret Chord provides new context for some of the best-known episodes of Davidâ??s life while also focusing on others, even more remarkable and emotionally intense, that have been neglected. We see David through the eyes of those who love him or fear himâ??from the prophet Natan, voice of his conscience, to his wives Mikhal, Avigail, and Batsheva, and finally to Solomon, the late-born son who redeems his Lear-like old age. Brooks has an uncanny ability to hear and transform characters from history, and this beautifully written, unvarnished saga of faith, desire, family, ambition, betrayal, and power will en… (more)