After the Apple: Women in the Bible: Women In the Bible - Timeless Stories of Love, Lust, and Longing [Hardcover]

Naomi H Rosenblatt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 2005

In a powerful blend of history, psychology, and storytelling, Naomi Rosenblatt reinterprets the stories of the women of the Old Testament. Through her lens, we view these women with a new understanding, marveling at the very modern dilemmas and problems they confronted. Women everywhere will recognize their own struggles to love, to mother, to succeed in relationships, and to survive their way through a complicated world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Revisiting the biblical tales surrounding some of the best-known women in Jewish lore, Rosenblatt dispels the pervasive notion many have that biblical matriarchs were weak and ineffective, demonstrating instead that these ancient dames took risks that often catapulted the struggling Jewish nation to survival and prominence. She infuses each chapter with her experience as a relationship therapist and brings timeless stories to life with a combination of personal and professional insight. Instead of viewing Eve as a temptress and sinner, Rosenblatt encourages readers to understand Eve's actions as a conscious rejection of "the stultifying monotony of her perfect paradisiacal life" and desire to transcend the limitations of the garden. Tamar's heroic act to right her situation as a beleaguered two-time widow results in the union from which King David would be born; Queen Esther's formidable courage in time of despair earns her people salvation and an opportunity for retribution; and Abigail, King David's second wife, saves her household from destruction with calm and confidence. Although parts of the book tend to overanalyze personalities and actions, and at times the author's expositions seem verbose, the overall flow is smooth and the stories engaging. Rosenblatt successfully places herself in the hearts and minds of ancient heroines and teaches her readers not just to study but to imagine. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Psychotherapist Rosenblatt, author of Wrestling with Angels (1995), retells the stories of 15 women from the Bible and offers the text of and commentary on the Song of Songs. All stories in the book examine the role that gender played in the lives of these women as well as how they affected the actions and motivations of husbands and sons. The complex style and structure of the book require a patient reader. Although Rosenblatt's digressions and asides demand attentive reading, they do provide insight into the original Hebrew origins of the Bible and the importance of ancient customs that remain in current practice today. Her knowledge of Hebrew and of biblical scholarship adds depth and clarity to obscurities that arise from the difficulties inherent in the process of translation. In addition to her early study of Judaism, Rosenblatt has a psychological background that flavors many of the commentaries and observations. This book will appeal to readers of popular religious writing and to readers of Rosenblatt's first book. Ellen Loughran
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Miramax (March 23, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786869089
• ISBN-13: 978-0786869084
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #659,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After the Apple provides lessons for today, July 27, 2005

By 

Patrice Fagnant-macarthur (Springfield, MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: After the Apple: Women in the Bible: Women In the Bible - Timeless Stories of Love, Lust, and Longing (Hardcover)

Naomi Harris Rosenblatt is a Jewish psychotherapist who has gained much of her understanding about people from the Bible. As she states, "by portraying life as it is, with all its contradictions and complexities, the Bible has guided me along the path of compassion, empathy, and understanding of others." In "After the Apple: Women in the Bible," she uses the Jewish technique of midrash, reinterpreting Biblical narratives in light of today's circumstances, to delve into the lives of several notable women of the Hebrew Scriptures.

In Rosenblatt's capable hands, these women are three-dimensional. They struggle with decisions and with odds stacked against them. Rosenblatt analyzes their motivation and their influences. None are purely good or purely evil (although Jezebel does come close!) Most of them are simply trying to survive and insure that the Jewish faith will continue to the next generation. Several, including Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel, conceive children late in life, having faced the difficulty of infertility in a world where much of a woman's value was the children she gave her husband. Some such as Leah, Jacob's first wife, and Michal, David's first wife, are stuck in unhappy marriages. While Leah creates her own identity as mother to her children, Michal becomes a bitter woman who seals her own fate when she humiliates the king in public. Later on, another wife of David's, Bathsheba, will exert her influence in having her son Solomon named to the throne to succeed his father.

Ruth and Esther are the two women for whom books of the Bible have been named. Both use seduction as a means of getting what they need. Ruth seduces Boaz so that he will take her as his wife and provide support for her and her mother-in-law Naomi. Their great-grandchild is King David. Esther is a member of the Persian king's harem. After one night with her, he decides to make her queen. Ultimately, she will use her influence to prevent the mass killing of all Jews living in Persia.

Rosenblatt acknowledges that the biblical scribes (most, if not all, of whom were men) were very sympathetic to women. "The risks they took, their heroism, and their resourcefulness" was recorded in detail. Exploring the lives of the women in "After the Apple" can help us understand our own lives and difficult circumstances more clearly.


Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur is editor of "The Spiritual Woman Newsletter" and author of "Letters to Mary from a Young Mother" (iUniverse, 2004). She has a Master of Arts Degree in Applied Theology from Elms College.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Empowering and fascinating, April 13, 2005

By 

B Wagner - See all my reviews

This review is from: After the Apple: Women in the Bible: Women In the Bible - Timeless Stories of Love, Lust, and Longing (Hardcover)

Truly inspirational, After The Apple reminded me of all the amazing women in the Bible I'd forgotten or never knew existed. Rosenblatt retells these ancient tales like gripping short stories. She infuses the text with just the right amount of analysis gleaned from her background as a psychotherapist to make the connection between the problems these women faced and those we face today as contemporary women. After the Apple will appeal to any age group. Recommended as a great Mother's Day gift too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Analysis of Analysis, May 13, 2011

By 

Joshua S. Grey "Grey" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: After the Apple: Women in the Bible: Women In the Bible - Timeless Stories of Love, Lust, and Longing (Hardcover)

Rosenblatt's After the Apple, is an in depth biblical analysis. The author makes readers look at the matriarchs of The Bible in new and intelligent ways. Her insights into biblical theology and history is exciting. It is pleasing also that Rosenblatt discusses the roles of women in the shaping of biblical history mainly. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for some interesting biblical study and new perceptions into the stories of old concerning the women of The Bible.