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Sarah: A Novel (Canaan Trilogy) Book 1 by…
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Sarah: A Novel (Canaan Trilogy) Book 1 (original 2004; edition 2005)

by Marek Halter

Series: Canaan Trilogy (1)

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1,0321819,849 (3.48)14
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:The first novel in a dazzling new trilogy about the women of the Old Testament by internationally bestselling author Marek Halter.
The story of Sarahâ??and of history itselfâ??begins in the cradle of civilization: the Sumerian city-state of Ur, a land of desert heat, towering gardens, and immense wealth. The daughter of a powerful lord, Sarah is raised in great luxury, but balks at the arranged marriage her father has planned for her. The groom is handsome and a nobleman, but on their wedding day, Sarah panics and impulsively flees to the vast, empty marshes outside the city walls. There she meets a young man, Abram, a member of a nomadic tribe of outsiders. Drawn to this exotic stranger, Sarah spends the night with him, but reluctantly returns to her fatherâ??s house. But on her return, still desperate to avoid another wedding, she drinks a poisonous potion that will make her barren and thus unfit for marriage.
Many years later, Abramâ??s people return to Ur, and he discovers that the lost, rebellious girl from the marsh has been transformed into the most splendid and revered woman in Sumeriaâ??the high priestess of the goddess Ishtar. But the memory of their night together has always haunted Sarah, and she gives up her exalted life to join Abram's tribe and follow the one true God, an invisible deity who speaks only to Abram. It is then that her journey truly beginsâ??a journey that holds the key to her remarkable destiny as the mother of nations.
From the great ziggurat of Ishtar and the fertile valleys of Canaan to the bedchamber of the mighty Pharaoh himself, Sarahâ??s story reveals an ancient world full of beauty, in
… (more)
Member:AddictedToMorphemes
Title:Sarah: A Novel (Canaan Trilogy) Book 1
Authors:Marek Halter
Info:Broadway (2005), Paperback, 336 pages
Collections:Your library, To read
Rating:
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Sarah by Marek Halter (2004)

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» See also 14 mentions

English (16)  French (1)  All languages (17)
Showing 1-5 of 16 (next | show all)
Inspirational , historical, biblical, feminist!

I love books about ancient Israel. Mark Halter tells the story of Sarah, wise of Abraham, not as a bystander, but as a co-founder of Judaism. This book may make you reflect on the interrelationships between Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Also it is so well written. Sarah's thoughts and feelings are believable and understandable to the reader. In the author's words, " This is why literature exists, to maintain the permanence of human nature, expressions, feelings... "
( )
  Chrissylou62 | Aug 1, 2020 |
The first in his "Canaan Trilogy" about Biblical women, author Marek Halter takes the wife of Abraham and primarily weaves a backstory for her.  He ignores the possibility that Sarah was actually Abraham's half-sister, and instead makes her the daughter of a lord of Ur.  He comes up with an interesting premise for her infertility and her lasting beauty.

I very much enjoyed this novel.  It is fiction, so it does not bother me at all that Halter took "liberties" with Sarah's story.  Her story (as well as that of Abraham, his father Terah, and so on) is slightly different in the Biblical book of Genesis, in rabbinic tradition, and in Islam, and there is no other historical source material, so she is a perfect character for fiction.

I was surprised to learn Halter is a man, as the book has a somewhat feminist tone, and the female voice rings true.  I felt he depicted life at that time - especially for women - quite well.

The audiobook was an abridgment; nevertheless, there was still plenty of description of the settings of the story.  Kate Burton (daughter of Richard Burton) was the narrator.  Her deeper voice was fitting, but I felt the book was read too quickly - or sped up to make it fit in just four discs.

© Amanda Pape - 2016

[This audiobook was borrowed from and returned to my university library.] ( )
1 vote riofriotex | Aug 20, 2016 |
This was the worst book I've ever read, or rather, listened to. I usually like bibical historical fiction and I kept hoping it would improve but it never did. Full of tedious rantings and far more discussion of menstrual blood than anyone would ever care to read. Furthermore, this sort of fiction should take the facts in the bible and embellish the story. This author couldn't even get the facts straight.


( )
  Oodles | Feb 16, 2016 |
Really, really good...until the end. It just ENDS. It goes to a prologue-type narrative where it sums up everything in Sarah's life after Hagar and Ishmael left the camp. And then it was just over. Feels like there should be a sequel. I liked it so much until the end. Then it turned into disappointment. ( )
  CarmenMilligan | Jan 18, 2016 |
This is the first book in the Canaan trilogy, I read the second one Zipporah a couple of years ago. I was more familiar with the story of Zipporah, having watched Prince of Egypt with the kids many times. I was not as familiar with the story of Sarah, wife of Abraham.

This is one of those books that starts with Sarah as an old woman telling us her story and then goes to Sarah as a young woman. Sarah is the daughter of a lord, and has just had her first blood and is therefore of a marriageable age. Her father has selected a husband for her. Sarah is frightened and runs away, beginning the chain of events that leads her to Abram and all that follows.

I found this book quite easy to read. I enjoyed the story of Sarah as a young woman and the trials she has to face. She had a lot of inner strength but still had character flaws that made her seem down to earth and realistic. ( )
  Roro8 | Mar 24, 2015 |
Showing 1-5 of 16 (next | show all)
Translated from French; first of a trilogy about Canaan. The Old Testament story of Sarah, beautiful wife of Abraham, covering her early life as daughter of the lord of Ur, first menstruation and attendant ceremonies, running away from Ur for marriage to Abram (later Abraham), the tribe's years in Canaan, her barrenness, the court and bed of Pharaoh, Abram's impregnation of Hagar, the births of his sons Ishmael (from Hagar) and Isaac (from the aged Sarah), and his near-sacrifice of Isaac, prevented in this version by Sarah's maternal prayer.
The book has no glossary, bibliography or Biblical references. The style is trite (e.g.: `He waited for her to go on, a severe expression in his eyes'; ); this is pop Biblical history.
added by KayCliff | editNewBooksmag, Hazel K. Bell (Jun 8, 2016)
 

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Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:The first novel in a dazzling new trilogy about the women of the Old Testament by internationally bestselling author Marek Halter.
The story of Sarahâ??and of history itselfâ??begins in the cradle of civilization: the Sumerian city-state of Ur, a land of desert heat, towering gardens, and immense wealth. The daughter of a powerful lord, Sarah is raised in great luxury, but balks at the arranged marriage her father has planned for her. The groom is handsome and a nobleman, but on their wedding day, Sarah panics and impulsively flees to the vast, empty marshes outside the city walls. There she meets a young man, Abram, a member of a nomadic tribe of outsiders. Drawn to this exotic stranger, Sarah spends the night with him, but reluctantly returns to her fatherâ??s house. But on her return, still desperate to avoid another wedding, she drinks a poisonous potion that will make her barren and thus unfit for marriage.
Many years later, Abramâ??s people return to Ur, and he discovers that the lost, rebellious girl from the marsh has been transformed into the most splendid and revered woman in Sumeriaâ??the high priestess of the goddess Ishtar. But the memory of their night together has always haunted Sarah, and she gives up her exalted life to join Abram's tribe and follow the one true God, an invisible deity who speaks only to Abram. It is then that her journey truly beginsâ??a journey that holds the key to her remarkable destiny as the mother of nations.
From the great ziggurat of Ishtar and the fertile valleys of Canaan to the bedchamber of the mighty Pharaoh himself, Sarahâ??s story reveals an ancient world full of beauty, in

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