King David is revered by more than half the population of the planet, yet he has never been more real and knowable than he is in Boorstin's breathtaking novel. Here the man God called "Beloved" is utterly, unforgettably human. I couldn't put this book down.
Description
Nara is a young Philistine woman who has given up hope of ever finding a husband. No man will take a wife who towers head and shoulders above him. She lives in isolation with her father, until she is discovered by the Philistine priests. They betroth her to Goliath, to give him warrior sons. What happens when Nara’s fate collides with that of David, who is destined to face Goliath in combat, will forever transform how you experience this pivotal moment in the Bible...
Boorstin reimagines David’s dangerous path from shepherd to charismatic leader, interweaving his life not only with Nara’s, but with key Biblical characters including King Saul, and Saul’s daughter Michal, who will later become David’s wife. While faithful to the spirit of the Bible, Boorstin reads between the lines of the ancient narrative to bring immediacy, relevance and even greater meaning to the life of the young Israelite who would become the most beloved character in the Old Testament. David and the Philistine Woman combines exciting storytelling and rich characters to fashion an unforgettable epic.
Pages336
Released2017
LanguageEnglish
PublisherTop Hat Books
ISBN9781785355387
SellerSimon & Schuster
Reviews
A powerful and inspirational novel that remains faithful to the spirit of the Biblical original, yet reads like a thriller.
Jim Calio
In David and the Philistine Woman, Paul Boorstin creates a remarkable new kind of narrative voice, at once mythic and insightful. His radiant David is a rare hero who feels as relevant as tomorrow.
Bill Blakemore, ABC News Middle East Correspondent
Boorstin dazzles with razor-sharp insight as he focuses on characters who leap from the pages of history with rich and newly defined clarity. Be prepared for surprises at every turn.
Lionel Friedberg, New York Times bestselling author
This is a lovely and loving take on David's early story.Paul Boorstin's David and the Philistine Woman fleshes out the David and Goliath story as never before,populating it with complex personalities from both sides of the divide who raise fresh questions of religiosity, faith, andnation.While elements of the novel will be familiar to those versed in King David's story—the boyhood as ashepherd, spent filling the air with music from his lyre; the affection between David and King Saul's children, Michaland Jonathan; the contention that followed his anointing—much of its power comes from the gaps it fills in. Goliath ishere, fearsome in his presence; paranoid King Saul does what he can to trip the shepherd up. But it's the personalitiesaround them that make their stories shine.This is particularly true when it comes to Goliath's bride—a towering woman, Nara, whose strength led her toforge weapons for the Philistines in secret, and whose safety depends on her ability to give the warrior sons. She isdutiful at first—but life with a vicious hero reveals cracks in her society. The warrior god, Dagon, does not provide. Aforbidden goddess, Ashdoda, might—but trust in her might come at a great expense, too.David's turns inspire. He is written in as a humble and patriotic young man, committed to the role that Israel'sGod has chosen for him, and determined to honor Saul's line all the same. He risks much to push Israel back to arighteous path, and his brave decisions throughout the novel make for engrossing fare. His faith leads to great acts;yet the novel respects the beliefs of his enemies as well, with goddesses beyond Israel given full and honoredtreatment.This is a lovely and loving take on David's early story—seeing him only through the showdown, yes, butawakening cravings for more after the giant is felled. If Boorstin gives the complicated King David the same thoughtfultreatment in future novels as he has given to the young shepherd here, it will be all the better.
Michelle Anne Schingler
With vibrant color, Paul Boorstin paints a wholly new portrait of one of the Bible's most enigmatic figures. David and the Philistine Woman is a welcome addition to the rich tradition of Jewish historical fiction.
Emily K. Alhadeff, editor of Jewish in Seattle Magazine
Paul Boorstin's David and the Philistine Woman is an exciting rendering of the Biblical story with compelling relevance for today. The dialogue sparkles with wit, and the ingeniously constructed plot leads to an unexpected and inspiring climax.
Joseph Schraibman, Professor of Jewish Studies, Washington University in St. Louis
Leave it to this documentary filmmaker to conceive this richly imagined story. Boorstin has created the page-turner that book clubs have been waiting for since The Red Tent. Storytelling at its best.
Judy Kancigor, Orange County Register columnist, author of Cooking Jewish
A page-turning, action-filled novel that is both harrowing and fulfilling. Boorstin's poetic prose reimagines a world so long ago it might as well be mythical, but which resonates with eternal human truths.
Mary F. Burns, author of Isaac and Ishmael
A stunning expansion of the Biblical tale of David. Boorstin vividly imagines an archaic world of ritual, intrigue and sacrifice. The writing is so gripping and intense you can smell the ancient cities of Gath and Gibeah.
Stephen Kitsakos, author of The Accidental Pilgrim
A compelling account of the fierce struggle of rival gods and their followers. A major achievement, gripping and finely wrought.
Nicholas Clapp, author of Sheba: Through the Desert in search of the Legendary Queen
In David and the Philistine Woman, Paul Boorstin creates a remarkable new kind of narrative voice, at once mythic and insightful. His radiant David is a rare hero who feels as relevant as tomorrow.
Bill Blakemore, ABC News Middle East Correspondent
This novel reimagines tales of King David and his contemporaries, including the fearsome Goliath. Boorstin conjures up a new female character: Goliath's wife, Nara, who in this telling exerts considerable influence on the outcome of one of the most famous biblical battles.
Both a wise reading and a wild reimagining of the Bible's most fascinating personalities and most memorable single clash. Philistines and the Israelites, their gods and loves and struggles, spring to dramatic life in David and the Philistine Woman.
Rabbi David Wolpe, Newsweek has called “the most influential rabbi in America," author of David: the Divided Heart,
Boorstin deserves praise for writing a novel so full of adventure, intrigue and passion that it stands entirely on its own as a great yarn.
Like a filmmaker using a wide-angle lens, Boorstin captures the epic panorama of a struggle that changed history. At the same time, as if with a close-up lens, he zooms in between the lines of the Bible to discover the mysteries and revelations he sees hidden in the hearts of the characters.
In the tradition of The Red Tent, David and the Philistine Woman (Top Hat Books; due Aug. 2017) is award-winning documentary filmmaker Paul Boorstin's inspired reimagining of the ultimate narrative of good triumphing over evil — the clash of David and Goliath.
With the pace of a thriller, Boorstin, a longtime screenwriter, vividly reimagines the struggles of the characters he's borrowed from the Bible. David and the Philistine Woman (Top Hat Books) carries with it a message of humanity, sacrifice, and the importance of compassion.
In his entertaining David and the Philistine Woman...Boorstin creates a twisting, imaginative journey and brings his multiple strands together nicely.
