I desperately wanted a book that explained the foundations of Israel in historical fiction terms snd this book does so wonderfully. But it is more propaganda than historical fiction. All Arabs are smelly, backward and dishonest. All Jews are heroic with God on their side. And there are some out and out lies. There was a ship Exodus filled with Jewish refugees that was not allowed to disembark in Israel but it was not filled solely with children who were holocaust victims who went on hunger strike. This exaggeration made me doubt other claims in the book. Were the Middle East leaders all Nazi sympathisers? Did Israel really have so few arms?

That said, I learnt a lot. It’s just I want to know even more.

It was written in the fifties when the narrative was more about why Israel should exist. Nowadays everyone but HAMAS and Corbynites believes it should but we want more about how it can do so peacefully. ( )

Epic is the word.
I haven't read a better novel on the formation of current day Israel.
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Good novel of the early Israeli nation. ( )

This book really kept my attention, even in high school. ( )

I read this at my father's urging at thirteen. Ripe with imagery, heroic in its stance and full of grand characters, it took my imagination on a rambling ride. A lovely read when you're young. ( )