J - The Woman Who Wrote the Bible - Softcover

Mary Burns

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846943248 ISBN 13: 9781846943249

Publisher: O Books, 2010

Synopsis

Like the women of the Red Tent, even the daughter of King David lived in a world ruled by men. But this woman was born to break the rules of both men and God in order to learn the art of writing, and with it, a power that could reveal the hidden truth, or slay a man with a single word. When Janaia, eldest daughter of King David of Judah, is secretly initiated into the art and magic of writing, she finds she must master the sublime powers and visions that come with this new kind of knowledge in order to take her place in history and before God. We follow her life from the caves of Judah to the glory of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, a journey which reveals the secrets of life and death. The first Israelite woman to learn the secrets of writing, Janaia discovers through heartbreak and sacrifice that this knowledge of good and evil brings with it both frightening power and jubilant freedom from the rules of men and God.

About this title

Review

In her captivating debut novel, Burns has crafted a lush and poetical story of how the Hebrew Bible came to be. Quick-paced and full of intrigue, rife with unexpected twists and turns, J will keep you turning the pages, whether or not you're familiar with the age-old tales. --Elissa Elliott, author of Eve: A Novel of the First Woman

The novel presents a wondrous and entirely convincing account of how significant parts of the Bible came into being through the good offices of one scholarly and strong woman. It is full of suspense, mystery, and tragedy as well as delightful surprises. I was immediately caught up in its magic and could not put it down from the first page, until the dramatic and wholly unexpected ending. The tale of the heroine and that of King David and the Israelites are skillfully and seamlessly interwoven to form a sparkling, colorful tapestry. The novel is enchantingly told, full of beautiful poetic language and magnificent imagery. This is a book in which love and friendship, jealousy and strife, forgiveness and heartache, wisdom and devotion rapidly overtake each other, to form an enthralling whole. Steeped in deep understanding of the Bible, it makes the world of ancient Israel come vibrantly alive, while also building bridges across cultures and civilizations. --Eva Etzioni-Halevy,author of the Song of Hannah, The Garden of Ruth and The Triumph of Deborah

A fascinating debut challenging the tradition that men wrote the Bible, this richly imagined novel is vivid and complex; an engrossing story with a strong-minded, strong-hearted heroine. --India Edghill, author of Queenmaker and Wisdom's Daughter

About the Author

Writer, teacher, hippie, artist, entrepreneur and communications consultant. Mary Burns lives in San Francisco but has never let go of her Irish Chicago roots.

About this edition

• Publisher: O Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1846943248
• ISBN 13: 9781846943249
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 343