Customer Reviews

Adara

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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The soldier heaved me over his shoulder as if i were a spring lamb - I screamed - I beat his back, hurting my hands. "Let me go."

Adara was in the wrong place at the wrong time and before she knew it she was a slave. Brought up in the weathest family in her village she was now lower than the sevants that had looked after her all her life. This is the story of how she was brought thousands of kilometers from her home and family as a slave to a new and unknown world. It is a story of faith and trust in God and in what her can do.
The book is aimed at teens and relates to the bible passage 2 Kings chapter 5 and the healing of Naaman in the Jordan river.
This is a great book and certainly a worth-while read!

I really enjoyed this historical-fictional novel for teens, which tells a tale of a slave girl who changed the life of Naaman, Commander of the Syrian army. Based on the Old Testament account in Kings 2, chapter 5, the story begins in Biblical Ramoth-Gilead, where the spirited young Adara lives with her family. Soon she will be old enough to be given away in marriage to some unknown husband, but Adara yearns for more from her life -- to be able to read, and to see other lands. As a battle rages outside her village, between the Syrians and the Israelites, Adara impulsively sneaks out to watch the battle. She becomes stuck outside the city walls, and ends up a captive. Taken to Damascus in the land of Syria, Adara starts as the lowest slave girl in the pecking order in the house of Commander Naaman. But after some time has passed, Adara becomes a storyteller for Naaman's wife, and tells tales of the holy prophet Elisha, that Adara's foster mother had told to her. And so, when Naaman has leprousy, and no physician can give him any help, it is Adara who plants the idea that Elisha could heal him. Naaman, desperate to try anything, follows her suggestion, and travels to find the prophet, only to be told by the prophet's servant to simply "go and wash in the Jordan River seven times." Naaman is angry at this answer, since he was hoping for an answer that would be much more grand, and more grandly given. Adara fears that her master will not heed the prophet's advice. Though anyone who knows the Biblical tale knows how this turns out, this novel lets you travel with the emotions of the characters, and to see, in this land and time of many confusing concepts of different gods, that there is a God who heals, and who has compassion on the great and on the lowly alike.

When it comes to finding historical fiction for this time period, I understand that pickings are slim. That said, my advice is to just skip it. The writing is sub-par, the plot is passable.

My bigger concern was that the story contains not-so-subtle feminist and anti-marriage themes throughout. If you choose to assign this as part of your homeschool curriculum (we use TOG), I recommend discussing these aspects with your children.

Adara, is a mistreated slave girl. In this story, she convinces her master, the mighty Syrian general, Naaman,who captured her from her homeland, to seek a cure from his leprosy from the prophet Elisha.
I like this story because it's about a young girl, who finds herself special, in this retelling of the origonal story.

Adara, set within the biblical context of the period of the Kings, can really shed light on the time period. Like much historical fiction it helps to add personal detail to a short portion of scripture. It brings issues to life for a younger reader. Spolier alert: It isn't overwhelmingly obvious at first that Adara turns out the be the same "Hebrew slave girl" who sends Naaman to inquire of the prophet, which makes a nice Aha! moment. The book is a quick read. I think it might be too easy for a the 9-12 age bracket if the student is a reader, It offers a great opportunity to discuss why it is dangerous to be impulsive and disobedient, but also how God redeems even those poor decisions for His glory.

Adara is a young adult, historical fiction novel that takes place during the ninth century B.C. in ancient Israel. It is a story about the fictional character, Adara, and the part she plays in the story from the Bible of Naaman the leper. She is a wealthy land-owner's daughter who seeks for adventure and something beyond the life she has. She dislikes her role as a woman in her society, wanting very much to play the more important or exciting role of a man. A battle occurs outside her town, so Adara sneaks out to watch the combat. The battle is more than she realizes and she tries to run back into the safety of her town's walls, only to be captured and taken hostage by a man who sells her into slavery. She experiences the life of a slave, eventually taking part in helping her master as she never thought possible.

I liked the novel and the part Adara played in the famous Bible story of Naaman. The plot was well thought-out and kept the reader enthralled in the story. Adara is a passionate girl who sees the world one way, but through her experiences changes and develops into a mature woman. I give it a higher rating because it was a good story looped with the story from the Bible. But it also doesn't get 5 stars because I felt the ending, in particular, was a little lacking and weak. I felt the writing style was a little weak in transitions of events in the plot, but overall, a good young adult book. The relationship between Adara and her family, especially the choices she makes pertaining to them, surprised me a little bit. Her actions towards them seemed a little cold and unnatural to me.

Overall, the book was just an okay read to me, but definitely worth a quick read if you are familiar with the stories of the Bible or wish to be so. It is a fun and enlightening read of another culture and time for girls between 9-12 years old. It does well to bring an old Bible story to life for young people. I give it four stars.

Found it exciting and captivating. My daughter and I read historical fiction for homeschooling and we would agree this book was one of our favorites.