Friday, February 13, 2009

Sarah: Women of Genesis. By Orson Scott Card

I finished the book this morning, and wanted to open a thread for discussion.

My first blush thought on this book was that I was left feeling like the first half was incredibly detailed and the second half was rushed. In fact, this morning I re-read Genesis to discover if Sarah died (spoiler alert) before Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac due to the fact that the book didn't address it at all other than to hint at it.

I also was curious, after reading Card's afterward, about the additional information about Abraham that is in the Pearl of Great Price, and I look forward to the LDS ladies in this discussion to expand on this topic, if you'd like.

What did you think about Card's decision to make Qira and Sarai sisters, and to make Qira Lot's wife? What did you think about his treatment of the destruction of Sodom?

All in all, what did you think about the book?

I look foward to hearing your thoughts, and to discussing it further.

3 comments:

  1. I'm about half way through the book. It has sparked my curiosity about certain events - making me want to re-read the account of Sarai in Genesis to see how the book compares. Example: According to the book, Hagar became Sarai's handmaid in Egypt - I need to read up on this....

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  2. I've never understood the whole Pillar of Salt thing that was supposed to have happened to Lot's wife...and was intrigued by Card's suggestion of how that story came to be. I wish Card would have spent a little more development on the people of Sodom who were not necessarily caught up in the evil and sin, but those who saw it and did nothing to stand up for truth and righteousness.

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  3. I was looking for a discussion on this book and came to your blog.
    I was disappointed also in the "rushed" ending. I also thought that Sarah seemed very insecure at times then she was portrayed at strong and brave with many people looking up to her. Her personality was repeatedly contradicted by OSC in the book. She was a great women but was she so perfect and all the other women around her so bad?
    The book also didn't have a real sense of the middle east and the time period. It didn't quite go deep enough. I like to read a book about a particular place and time and come away having learned something new.
    It is interesting to think about polygamy and how women could share their husband with another women legally and without hiding. Did they really get as jealous as OSC made them out to be? Or because it was common back then would they have thought differently about the whole thing? I personally would be very jealous but is that because I live in a time when it is weird and repulsive or would all women think this way no matter if god commanded it or what???
    I think I will go read the POGO and see what it says about the Isaac sacrifice part.

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