I haven't had access to the internet, nor the time recently to rack up those pages read while sailing through the heart of Europe. I did, however, have some good company along for the ride!
Geraldine Brooks' latest novel, The Secret Chord (#529), is the story of King David, told through the eyes of the prophet Nathan, his close companion. The picture that emerges is not necessarily pretty, but it is compelling, warts and all. Brooks has laid flesh on the bare bones tale taken from the Bible, but she hasn't hesitated to put a different spin on the events recorded there. Bathsheba's story, for instance, takes on an entirely new perspective here.
It's often violent and bloody. There's much to admire in David, but his faults and flaws make him believably human. I must admit that I was glad that I had recently read the David story in Kings and Chronicles, and you might find that useful as well. It helped me put events in the proper context. Ms. Brooks also used alternatives spellings for people and places than we are used to from the Bible, so sometimes it was a challenge pinning down just who or where she was talking about.
If you're already a fan of Geraldine Brooks, you know the magic she is capable of weaving in her books. I don't think you'll be disappointed here, especially if she makes you think about things differently than you've always accepted.
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