Customer Reviews

Rahab's Story: A Novel (Women of the Bible)

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I was really surprised at what a great book this was! It wasn't written to make Rahab look like a sweet church lady. She was a real person in the Bible, a prostitute. There were no soft frilly illistrations to describe her life. The author did a great job describing her profession without being too revealing or leaving out important details. These women lived hard lives. When I read about the walls of Jehrico comming down I will never think of it the same way again. I am fascinated too how God uses not so perfect people to carry out his perfect plans. And Rahab! what can I say? I'm so glad to know that God loved her and used her to bring his plans to fruition.

This is the second Ann Burton Women of the Bible books that I've read and it didn't disappoint. Rahab's story was compelling. The fact that Rahab became a prostitute and yet was able to overcome her adversity made for a wonderful tale. The description of the House of Palms and the women who live there was facinating. It was also interesting to discover that the stigma of protitution was not always general. We come to understand how the women in the House of Palms came to be there, how they have made a home for themselves and how they become a close knit family that helps each other. Through Rahab's integration into the group, we understand and have compassion for these women. They each have their own stories to tell. Rabab's integrity and courage as well as her compassion and understanding for her father who disowned her shines through in Burton's strong narrative voice. Rahab becomes a heroine to admire in this wonderful story. An added bonus to me is the explanation within the story of how the walls of Jericho came down.

I have been trying to learn more of the Biblical character Rahab so I purchased this novel. Although it had some interesting historical detail, it did not use the known details of Rahab's life given in the Biblical account so I was disappointed.
It is not a bad read...but not a Biblically based novel. The cover art is beautiful.

Ann Burton writes this novel about Rahab, one of the lesser mentioned heroines of the Bible, as it might have happened.
Rahab is the daughter of a rugseller, and her mother was a secret Israelite,Jezere. Rahab secretly cherishes her mother's Judaism, that she taught her, together with her little sister, Tezi.
But Rahab is driven from her home, by the evil stepmother, Helzbah, on false charges.
She must try to survive on the merciless streets of Jericho, and must become a prostitute, in The House of Palms, in order to survive.
Here we learn about the other prostitutes who live here, all of whom have had hard and brutal lives, and we come to understand something of their plight.
Rahab always keeps her faith alive in the G-D of Israel, in a city where the worship of the Death god Moloch, and the cruel mass sacrifice of children is the order of the day.
She must always hide the fact that she is an Israelite, due to the deep hatred of Jews by the Canaanite population.
When she comes across two Jewish spies, for Joshuah, her life is changed, as it were.
Here she must take her role in the destiny of the reclaiming of the Nation of Israel of their ancient land.
Some things clash with different interpretations of the Biblical account, for example here she marries Salme, whereas in some Jewish accounts she marries Joshuah himself.
Also an interesting touch is, how the other prostitutes in the House of Palms, are saved as her family, together with her father and sister.
The essence of the novel remains true however to the basic spirit of the Biblical account.

The discussion guide at the end of the book reveals some interesting points for thought, such as the existence of prostitution, and the fact that many such women or girls are driven into prostitution to survive, or because of other harsh circumstances.
The return of the Israelites to their homeland in Canaan, is also compared to the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland of Israel, after centuries of exile.

An interesting detail involves Rahab's Jewish maternity. History has revealed that Jewish enclaves remained in Canaan, during the centuries of Egyptian enslavement, and these people later rejoined their brethren returning from Egypt.

It's very obvious that Ann Burton did a great deal of research before she wrote Rahab's Story. I LOVED it from beginning to end! She takes an already wonderful story and expands it through her imagination without ruining its Biblical credibility. After finishing, I read Joshua 2 in the Bible and Ann Burton helped me "flesh out" some of the details which could have been entirely possible. Now I can't wait to read more of Burton's Women of the Bible series! I HIGHLY recommend Rehab's Story!

I read this book in less than 48 hours. I read the first one and can not wait for the next in the series.

No doubt, this story is a pageturner, from the time Rahab is thrown out of the house by her evil stepmother and wussy father, to her triumphant heroic end.

But the story is rather modernistic, from a justification for running a brothel to some of Rahab's motivations. I found this took away from my impression of this being set in ancient Jericho. In fact, I had to remind myself that this was based on the Bible story of Rahab, the harlot who saved two Israelite spies from Joshua's camp and helped them defeat the battlement-girded town of Jericho, a major obstacle in their reaching the Promised Land.

Even with the fact this did not have an aura of ancient Canaan (not a whole lot of archaeological background) and the characters were right out of a soap opera, this is still a pageturner, and I couldn't put it down. But it is very "modern" so if you are looking for a re-telling of a Bible story, with the tone of a Bible story made living, this isn't that kind of book. But it is a gripping novel.

Ann Burton clearly researches each story before she writes it. She doesn't gloss over any details of Rahab's life or the fact she was a prostitute but she makes it easy to like and root for Rahab. You can't help but feel sorry for her when she's cast out of her father's home because of her stepmother and has no where else to go. Wonderfully done Ann!

This book was so good. I usually read on my way to and from work but this book I could not put down.

I had to return the book. I was not what I had expected in that I paid $15.99 and it was a small (andused paperback book with the price of $6.99 on the back! I purchased it for a gift and would have been ashamed to give it to anyone! Beverly St. John