The Shadow Women [Hardcover]

Angela Elwell Hunt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 21, 2002

Under the shadow of ancient Egypt, a baby boy is born to a peasant woman. His young sister leaves him in a basket in a river, hiding in the rushes to watch over him until a princess comes to claim the child as her own. She names him Moses, and he grows to become a man whose life is characterised by violence and terror, but equally by faith, and whose sacrifice ultimately leads to the redemption and liberation of his people from slavery. Told from the perspective of the women who loved him, from his mother and sister, who saved him by giving him up, to the Egyptian princess who adopted him, to the shepherd's daughter he married, this epic novel of passion and intrigue offers a fresh perspective on the man who received the 10 Commandments, parted the Red Sea and lead God's people out of Egypt: Moses, one of the most enigmatic figures in Biblical history.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Touted as rivaling Anita Diamant's The Red Tent, this novel by the prolific evangelical Christian author Hunt starts well, but falters toward the end. In a series of first-person narratives, the life of Moses unfolds through the eyes of three women: his sister Miryam, Egyptian foster mother Merytamon and young Midianite wife, Zipporah. Hunt's writing is at its most compelling as she recounts life in the Egyptian palace through Merytamon, capturing her fears of losing Moses if his Hebrew heritage is made known. Unfortunately, the novel suffers from glitches just as events are coming to a climax. When Moses kills an Egyptian overseer, the event seems contrived, and Hunt's recountings of the plagues God visits on the Egyptians range from spine-tingling to yawn-inducing. Chapters tend to be either too short (half a page) or too long (74 pages), and Hunt habitually tells rather than shows. Although there are brief revivals in the storytelling (as when Miryam sojourns in the wilderness while suffering from leprosy), the novel never quite regains its early momentum. Still, it's a much more CBA-friendly tale than Diamant's (a circumcision is described without the word "penis" being mentioned, for example), and Hunt's portrayal of Moses is more accessible and upbeat than Simone Zelitch's in Moses in Sinai. Hunt is one of the CBA's more polished novelists, and conservative Christian readers who dismissed The Red Tent for its edgy spirituality and frank sexuality will find little to quibble with here and much to enjoy.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The three main women in Moses's life narrate his dramatic story from their perspectives. Miryam, his seven-year-old sister, and Merytamon, his 14-year-old adoptive mother, cover his early years as an Egyptian prince. Nine-year-old Zipporah, his future wife, tells of Moses' time with her father, a priest, and their family. After God reveals himself to Moses, Miryam recounts the liberation of the Jewish people and their escape from Egypt, and Zipporah and Miryam recall the years in the wilderness. The animosity and jealousy Miryam feels for both Merytomon and Zipporah flood the narrative, poisoning their happiness, but Moses takes scant notice, focused as he is on his task of serving God. Hunt's (The Immortal; The Note) sure writing and attention to fascinating details, such as Egyptian make-up customs and the cooking techniques of nomadic desert dwellers, add new dimensions to an overly familiar tale. Give this deftly handled treatment of shadow women from the Bible to fans of Anita Diamant's The Red Tent and book discussion groups.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Warner Faith (November 21, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446530115
• ISBN-13: 978-0446530118
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,702,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who have learned to expect the unexpected in novels from this versatile author. With nearly four million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 100 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to novels.

Now that her two children have reached their twenties, Angie and her youth-pastor husband live in Florida with Very Big Dogs (a direct result of watching Sandlot too many times). This affinity for mastiffs has not been without its rewards--one of their dogs was featured on Live with Regis and Kelly as the second-largest canine in America. Their dog received this dubious honor after an all-expenses-paid trip to Manhattan for the dog and the Hunts, complete with VIP air travel and a stretch limo in which they toured New York City. Afterward, the dog gave out paw-tographs at the airport.

When she's not home writing, Angie often travels to teach writing workshops at schools and writers' conferences. And to talk about her dogs, of course.

Readers may visit her web site at www.angelahuntbooks.com and write her at [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reading here, March 18, 2003

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shadow Women (Hardcover)

When the name Moses is said, the image most likely that comes to mind is Charlton Heston parting the Red Sea or thundering down Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments in hand. Yet, there is much more to the character, and Ms. Hunt uses the women of his life to show modern readers that.

His sister Miryam sees Moses' (Moshe) life begin. Though under orders from their Egyptian overlords to kill all newborn males, her mother tries to hide her child, until it is absalutely neccessary to place him an in ark like Noah's, and put him in the Nile. There he is found by Pharoh's daughter - wife, Merytam, the child of Ramses most loved wife, Neferrtitti, and Pharoh's most recent wife. She is barren, and seeks an answer from her gods to hide the condition that would exile her to the harems for the rest of her life. Finding the baby solves her problem, though keeping him alive in the face of coniving, jealous court advisors will not be easy. Perhaps it is only her desperate prayer to the unknown God of the Hebrews that saves her "son's" life.

Moses grows to adulthood, never dreaming that he is one of the "mud people" that his people have enslaved. Learning the truth triggers an incident that sets off his rage and reveals his secret. Exiled and outcast, Moses flees to the lands far from Egypt, and makes a new life as a shepherd, until he is sent back to Egypt by God, with the mission of freeing his people.

Moses is a man without a people, though. He is rejected by Egyptian and Hebrew alike, but he is determined in his quest, and through God's power, he is able to bring his people into the wilderness. As they travel towards the Promised Land, the way is hard, and the people rebellious. On the way, he suffers great loss and many trials. Through them all, his wife and sister watch and support him, despite their resentments and misgivings.

**** If you have ever thought a historical novel would be boring, then read this one and change your mind. It is fascinating and true to the Biblical account, though more detailed and sheds light on things that may mystify readers of the Bible. Like the MISTS OF AVALON, the story is told by varied perspectives, but in this case, it is a true story, and one that will increase your faith.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss this book!, November 8, 2002

By 

Susan Richardson (Jackson, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Shadow Women (Hardcover)

Most of us know the story of Moses through movies like The Ten Commandments and Prince of Egypt. The Shadow Women gives you a new way to see the story: through the eyes of the women who loved him. From the Egyptian princess who adopted him, to the Canaanite woman he married, and his sister, Miryam, you'll see the story in a whole new way.

Angela Elwell Hunt expertly weaves together Biblical fact and thorough research into a compelling tapestry. Nuggets of information mined through her research illuminate puzzling parts of the Biblical account and give the story freshness.

You won't be disappointed whether you approach The Shadow Women as inspiration or entertainment. You'll find richly detailed settings, intriguing characters, and storytelling at its best. The Shadow Women is a book you can come back to again and again, gleaning fresh insight and inspiration each time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Kristine Wilson, December 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shadow Women (Hardcover)

Hebrew slave baby, prince of Egypt, wandering shepherd, Israelite leader, friend of God-Moses is certainly one of the most complex, intriguing characters in the Judeo-Christian faith. In this imaginative epic, his story is told by three extraordinary women who inhabited the shadows of his life. There are Merytamon, the Egyptian princess who rescues Moses from the bulrushes and her father's dreadful edict and perpetuates a lie that will haunt her life; Miryam, who's never quite able to relinquish her big-sister role; and Zipporah, Moses' Midianite wife, who struggles to understand the God Who has first claim on her husband's life. Together they give us a unique portrait of Moses as son, brother, husband, and man.
Hunt's meticulous research and superb storytelling have created a masterpiece. This poignant story breathes life into the historical figure of Moses. It's also a vivid portrayal of a holy God Who is always just, but seldom safe.
-Kristine Wilson