Customer Reviews

Queenmaker: A Novel of King David's Queen

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

For those of you who may be tempted to believe that you are reading a historically accurate re-telling of the life of a much beloved biblical figure - beware! King David is reduced to a selfish, greedy villain in this travesty of unfounded outright lies and the little known Queen Michel is accredited with many of his good deeds (for instance: she is reported to have been the inspiration for Solomon's temple).
India Edgehill may have a flair for putting lovely lyrical sentences together but the context is offensive to those of us who love our Old Testament characters well. This book should not be compared to "The Red Tent" which treated its characters with the love and respect due them.
Some of the gross inaccuracies:
David and Bathsheba's first child died and was not saved by Michal. Solomon was Bathsheba's second child of their union. So much for David disgarding her after his "use" of her as India paints in the book. Aparently they enjoyed continued relations enough to have another child.
Abner never traded his alliances to serve David.
Amnon raped Tamar and refused to ask for her hand. Shame on you India - Tamar was a real person and you have defiled her all over again.
I could go on and on but space will not allow it.
My suggestion is that, in the future, this author weave her craft around her own invented fictional characters where she will do no harm to the memory of real people.

I had never heard of this book till several of my friends recommended it to me. I wasn't going to buy it either till I got a second copy of another book, so I went to the bookstore and The Queenmaker was just in front of my eyes ~~ the best impulse buy I ever had done!

This book is about David's first wife, Michal, the daughter of Saul whom David bested and became the second king of Israel. Little is known about Michal in the contemporary world. However Edghill brings out all of her qualities and made her a living being full of blood and passion. And what a wonderful story she has woven among the verses of scriptures. Don't get me wrong, this is NOT a biography, it's a wonderful written novel of fiction ~~ of what might have been. And it's so fast-paced too ~~ I couldn't put the book down and hated to go to work! It seems to interfere with my reading time!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about the women of the Bible. I found it fascinating and witty and fun ~~ Edghill makes history breathe again. I am anxiously awaiting her next book!

1-17-02

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. This author deserves high praise for this Biblical tale of King David's Queen Michal, daughter of King Saul. Starting from childhood Michal tells us of her love and obsession for David as it blossoms after his famous slaying of the giant Goliath. David has a silver tongue and a beguiling way that soon has the people enthralled with him.

Michal learns the hard way that men will have their way and power is the game they play. It is in David's court that she learns to manipulate, while using her wits and beauty to play a game that is just as intricate and winning.

This is a captivating story that will have you eager for more conspiracy and intrigue. This first book by India Edgehill will soon be followed by a sequel that will bring the reader into the court of King Solomon. ... 1/02/02

For those who have read and loved The Red Tent and are searching for the next great Biblical fiction novel, look no further than Queenmaker. With vivid writing and spectacular, engrossing scenes, Queenmaker can be considered no less than a shining jewel in Queen Michal's crown. And while this novel does have similarities to The Red Tent, I must say that Queenmaker truly is a sparkling effort of its own individuality.

The story begins when the prophet Samuel crowns Saul of Gibeah Israel's first king. Once King Saul is established, many changes come for Israel. One change comes in the form of a lowly shepherd's boy, David, who is employed to play sweet harp music for the king. As the years pass, King Saul and David's friendship becomes stronger and soon the King gives his daughter Michal as David's bride.

Young Michal is truly a lovesick princess and David a brave warrior and hero to all. Their marriage is an event worthy of celebration, but come morning, everything changes. There are many twists and turns to the story, and all the scheming and manipulating had me turning pages quickly. India Edghill has taken a story from the Bible and created another side -- the woman's voice -- and left me wondering what could have been. Queen Michal is a true heroine -- full of wisdom and heart, strength and passion, a woman who dealt with life as it was given. Thank you, India, for this beautiful novel. Your next book has a reserved spot on my bookshelf.

To read this for purely entertainment I loved it.
I wanted to keep reading and wanted to know what was next.
But I don't know much about the biblical facts. But the book bashed King David and Queen Michal had a mind of her own, very independent. I don't really think that biblically that she would of. She would have been thrown to the wolves .if she contradicted the court. But, if you read this. Read it for the entertainment value and then get your tanank out.
King David was too big for his britches many woman loved him and he had gold coming out of his ears. He had other kill for him at least 4 that are named in the book. He had many wives and comcubines. including Batsheva. But he really loved Michal. But Michal grew bitter of him. She had no love for him but just went through the motions.
King David saw Batsheva and had Batsheva's husband sent in battle knowing full well he would be killed. Since Batsheva was pregnant he could explain this away having him killed. The king was then free to marry batsheva and having a son. Michal became very found of Batsheva when she came into the kingdom, and took them under her wing.
Michal, became found of Batsheva and her son ,Solomon who would become the next king. Michal thought of Soloman as her son. As she was barren and would not have any children.
King David will never build the great temple for Hashem it will have to wait til Solomon becomes king.
Queen Michal never asked anything from king David only 2 things to help Batsheva when whe was pregnant. And for Solomon to be the next king. Very interesting ending a bit contrived. This book was never rushed. Well paced through out. I would give this 5 stars for the entertainment value only. I did love the writting, based on other biblical fiction I have read this was written like the bible very poetic.

With an abundance of historical and biblical fact, a bit of speculation and a dash of supposition, India Edghill has created an exciting and admirable character in Michal, daughter of Saul (Israel's first King)
and first wife of David. We are introduced to Michal first as the naïve farmer's daughter who, through a prophetic event, realizes every young girls dream when she becomes a princess. She meets David, the handsome, charismatic young Shepard and slayer of giants (a man who her father views as a threat to his reign) and is besotted. She becomes David's wife and takes her first steps into a life fraught with equal measures of hope and despair, love and hate, jealousy and intrigue.

Caught up a series of events beyond her control, Michal makes the best of every bad situation. The David of Edghill's narrative is not the loving, kind warrior King we were introduced to in Sunday School, but a greedy, ruthless, conniving politician as well as an egotistical and demanding husband.

Survival on the throne of Israel is a major achievement, since the palace is a political hotbed of danger and dirty dealings. We watch as Michal slowly transforms into a strong, shrewd and perceptive Queen ........ an observer of human nature and a schemer of sorts who does her best to manipulate each situation then patiently waits for her opportunity to capitalizes on the outcome.

Rather than seeing a teenaged Bathsheba as a threat, she befriends the young girl. Later, when Bathsheba gives birth to Solomen, Michal is instrumental in his development offering her guidance and counsel and is ultimately the "Shepard" who guides the future King.

This is an epic novel about a determined, proud and resilient woman of destiny who would have done well even in today's competitive society. Michal is without doubt "The Ultimate Survivor".

India Edghill doesn't exactly strike out on her own, if you've read Diamante's "The Red Tent", but Edghill lays claim to an ability to weave a fascinating story around Biblical characters.
She adds terrific insight into the woman's role in Biblical times with all her women's characters, and gives us a heroine to believe in, King David's first wife, Queen Michal, daughter of King Saul. The comparison's of Saul's court experiences to the grandeur that was the chosen land in the time of David strike incredible contrasts.

It is easy to fall into the book in reading the first third, because David meets every expectation, and his relationships with Saul, his daughter, and his son Jonathan, are complex and somewhat ironic. Edghill goes too far in her characterization of David's "ruler mentality" and cunning in the mid and latter years of David's life. It is easy to see how someone from such humble beginnings could lose his humility when told for his lifetime that he is God's chosen. However, David's ruthlessness
and inability to love anyone that is not made over in his image
are too stark to be fully believable. Better of Edghill to have given us a David with moments throughout his life of wisdom, showing why Yahweh & Samuel anointed him.

Still, the jarring notes of court life,and the descriptions of people and places in Biblical times are approached with the skill of a great writer.

I'm anxious to see more of Edghill, and glad to have made Michal's acquaintance through her eyes.

The comparisons to Anita Diamante's Red Tent are inevitable, but India Edghill's Queenmaker is strong enough to escape derivation and reach its own level of popularity.

Not since Joseph Heller's God Knows has the biblical world of King David been so accessible; the sex, the politics, the humanity. Edghill's evocative prose takes the reader into David's time with effortless grace and flavour. The author's approach to the life of david is novel indeed. taking the POV of his queen, Michal.

Born of nobility and married, unwillingly, to David at the age of 13, Michal's life, according to Edghill's fictionalization, was full of hardship and sadness. Seing david through her eyes paints the Lion of Judah in a new light. We are exposed to his cruelty and callous behaviour towards his wives. But most importantly, Edghill brings us a look at the role of women in the bible.

Michal comes to life in this vivid and engaging work. Queenmaker is the perfect combination of the historiacl record and a woman's point of view. An excellent read.

The topic is interesting and has the potential for an exciting story. However, this author chose to completely ignore the primary text which contains the actual history of events. One can have a little flexibility with the thoughts and emotions of an individual. But the refusal to include known events makes this entire novel ring false and hollow.

It was a good read, so long as I kept one thing in mind: The King David of the book and the King David of the Bible are different characters. One, the Biblical one, existed. The one India writes about is only a figment of her imagination. I imagine she got a lot of him right. We know he was a harper, so I am sure he had a way with words. However, I simply cannot believe he was quite as bad as she makes him. Would God have continued to love and bless so selfish a creature? Not my Father. The real King David was human, of course. Aren't we all, but I refuse to believe he was 100% arrogant jerk without a godly selfless bone in his body.

So, I have began reading the book of Samuel. This way, I can learn the true story of the kings in Israel. If nothing else, Queenmaker got me to pick up my Bible, which I had not done in a bit and needed to.