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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Biblical stories in novel form, August 14, 2004
This is the third book in Card's "Women of Genesis" series, which began with " Sarah" and " Rebekah." (Each book can be read independently of the others.) Card, who's a Mormon, uses the biblical story of Rachel and Leah and their handmaids, Bilhah and Zilpah, as a framework and creatively fills in the details. As in the other two books, he does a clever job of spinning a tale that makes some sense of the odder parts of the biblical story. Also as in the other books, the characters never felt entirely like real people to me. I've enjoyed the books in this series more as spiritual literature than as novels. (If you're a fan of Card's science fiction and fantasy but aren't interested in religion, I wouldn't recommend this series.) Card explains in an afterword that he had intended to tell the story of these women in one volume, but there was too much to tell, so the story will be continued in another volume. This book, which ends with Leah's and Rachel's marriages, doesn't feel incomplete, so I was glad rather than annoyed that there will be a sequel. This is my favorite of the "Women of Genesis" books, but I liked Card's " Stone Tables," a novelization of the life of Moses, even better. I also recommend his " Saints," about one of the wives of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormons. P.S. Seven years later, still no sequel. Oh well.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Compellingly drawn lives - no preaching for those worried!, November 10, 2004
Rachel and Leah is not a preachy book - although Card has never tried to hide his personal faith, these well-written books on the lives of the women of Genesis have no ulterior motive to "convert" anyone. So set any fears aside and get ready to just enjoy. Readers should know upfront that this is only half of the story - Card thought he'd finish in one novel, but had to split Rachel and Leah into two. I didn't know this, and as the pages moved toward the end, I wondered how on earth he was going to finish this up to a reader's satisfaction. This volume will take you to the wedding night (I won't say whose, for those unfamiliar with the biblical tale!) Rachel and Leah are very well-drawn characters - quite real and fleshed out when we meet them at the ages of 11 and 14. Leah grows and changes, but Rachel very little. Both women, I feel, needed some more "development" as they grew - after all, by the time of the wedding, Rachel is 19 years old (quite old to be unmarried in biblical times, I believe) and Leah 22 - well toward spinsterhood. And yet I don't feel these women have "grown up" very much; they seem very innocent still, as if their natural, sexual selves had never woken up. I'm not suggesting they'd be overcome by sexual urges that would "titillate" the story, but surely they would come into their womanhood somehow - in a way appropriate to the story and culture. This seems to me to be the novel's only flaw, and it is easy to forgive because the reader still feels as if they have deep understanding of both characters, as well as for Bilhah and Zilpah, their handmaidens. Jacob and Laban are not fully explored, but certainly enough for us - after all, the novel is about the women, not the men. In the end, there is enough for readers to hope Mr. Card is not sidetracked in the publication of the sequel, as he was in getting this first half out. A good, solid read for all.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't let religion scare you..., August 20, 2004
I had quite an opposite experience as k_b. I found I appreciated Rachel & Leah, as well as other Women of Genesis books, greater as a novel than as a piece of spiritual literature. Moreover, as compared to Saints, I didn't feel the pressure of religion overshadowing the shining characters and very real plot. I have always been a firm believer in extensive characterization. No matter how awesome and intricate a plot is, if you don't love the characters you won't care what kind of situations they get into. Card's talent isn't simply his ability to weave a good story, it is his ability to create characters so vivid we cannot help but think of them as real people and empathize with their exploits. I knew the story of Jacob and his four wives very well, but it always sat uneasy with me; they and their actions were too detached, too foreign. All the characters in R&L feel real, and I found myself strongly empathizing with them (well, not so much Rachel, but that's probably the older sister in me talking). I am not spiritual AT ALL, but I love the Women of Genesis series (Rebekah has since become, in my opinion, on of the most kick-butt women in literature). Religion in the books feel more like a background or a means through which the REAL story can be told, neither offensive or distracting in its persistant function (see Saints). This is a remarkable book that evokes true emotion and paints very real portraits from fuzzy biblical sketches, transforming obscure literary references into human beings. I actually read Red Tent after finishing R&L. While I enjoyed it for the style and imagination, Card's protrayal of these characters was far more complete and I would revert back to his interpretation when the stories diverged. The spiritual should pick up Rachel & Leah (as well as Sarah and Rebekah) for the full-circle understanding of characters without characterization in the Bible, and non-believers shouldn't be deterred from a wonderful read for fear of religious orientation.
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