Customer Reviews

Old Testament (SparkNotes Literature Guide)

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

 

 

This reference is surprisingly good. I know that Sparknotes markets itself to college undergrads and being 38 years old, I'm not the demographic. Nevertheless, the author put in a lot of hard work to create a thoughtful, well written review / refresher of the works of the Old Testament (from a literary perspective NOT a theological perspective)which I haven't really reviewed since 8th grade. Unlike the Sparknotes website (which tries to be trendy and unselfconsciously cool), the language in the ...more This reference is surprisingly good. I know that Sparknotes markets itself to college undergrads and being 38 years old, I'm not the demographic. Nevertheless, the author put in a lot of hard work to create a thoughtful, well written review / refresher of the works of the Old Testament (from a literary perspective NOT a theological perspective)which I haven't really reviewed since 8th grade. Unlike the Sparknotes website (which tries to be trendy and unselfconsciously cool), the language in the book is clear, does not speak down to the reader, and to the point.

A lot of solid stuff in here including major plot points in the story of the Bible, a review of the biggest characters, themes and also some nice historical info to put things in context and a clear and easy-to-understand review of old Hebrew poetic structure. A very handy reference.

I'm giving it four stars because not because it was a great work of literature but because it is an approachable, thoughtfully constructed reference for the non-expert(me)and a good tool for learning that has earned a place on my bookshelf.