Book Nook Club: The Triumph of Deborah, by Eva Etzioni-Halevy

May 22, 2010

The Triumph of Deborah, by Eva Etzioni-Halevy

I received a copy of The Triumph of Deborah to review.

This novel is a biblical/historical fiction set in ancient Israel during the era of the Judges. Deborah, only briefly mentioned in The Bible, is the mighty judge beloved by her people.

The book chronicles her orchestration of a war with the Canaanites under the leadership of the mighty warrior, Barak. In addition to being a story of war and the struggle for peace for the Israelites, it's also a love story of Barak and the many women he favors, including Deborah and two women he captures in his battle with the Canaanites -- Asherah, a Canaanite princess and Nogah, an enslaved Israelite.

Plot: I found the plot easy to follow and intriguing. Based on the title, I thought it would focus mainly on Deborah and her life. However, she really ended up being the umbrella under which the rest of the story unfolds. It's her that approaches Barak about the need for war, but once Barak goes into battle, the story really becomes his as he struggles with lust and love and all the juicy things good stories are made of.

Characters: The author made the characters easy to fall in love with, or hate, depending on their role. I found myself rooting for Nogah early on and was never disappointed with the twists Etzioni-Halevy took with each character.

Structure: Short chapters made it simple to put down and return to later, which is always big for me because I have trouble finding large blocks of time to devote to a book. The language was also easy to follow and the author didn't dwell too much on the religion and other historical facts. Instead, she peppered them in to give the book a sense of historical credibility but not overwhelm it.

I'd say this is a lighter historical fiction than others I've read, but still enjoyable. 4 stars.

Disclaimer: While I received a free copy to review, the thoughts are all my own!