Later, a few lines about David’s singing voice were striking. The opening about almond blossoms had me expecting I would love this book. The writing is beautiful in some places as you would expect from Geraldine Brooks. Maybe part of the problem was that I had such high expectations, but in the end I was disappointed in this book. I couldn’t wait to dive into it and started immediately it arrived. Having enjoyed all the novels by Geraldine Brooks I have read, and adored some of them, I was desperate to read this one and so excited to receive a copy from The Reading Room and Hachette Australia to read and review. The writing is beautiful in some places as you would expect from Geraldine Bro Two and a half stars.
Brooks has an uncanny ability to hear and transform characters from history, and this beautifully written, unvarnished saga of faith, desire, family, ambition, betrayal, and power will enthrall her many fans.more
We see David through the eyes of those who love him or fear him-from the prophet Natan, voice of his conscience, to his wives Mikhal, Avigail, and Batsheva, and finally to Solomon, the late-born son who redeems his Lear-like old age. The Secret Chord provides new context for some of the best-known episodes of David’s life while also focusing on others, even more remarkable and emotionally intense, that have been neglected. The Secret Chord provides new context for some of the best-known episodes of David’s Peeling away the myth to bring the Old Testament's King David to life in Second Iron Age Israel, Brooks traces the arc of his journey from obscurity to fame, from shepherd to soldier, from hero to traitor, from beloved king to murderous despot and into his remorseful and diminished dotage. Peeling away the myth to bring the Old Testament's King David to life in Second Iron Age Israel, Brooks traces the arc of his journey from obscurity to fame, from shepherd to soldier, from hero to traitor, from beloved king to murderous despot and into his remorseful and diminished dotage.