Once I got a handle on the characters though and the story moved from battle scenes to family and political intrigue, I enjoyed the story much more. I’m not well versed in the stories of the bible and have a scant knowledge of ancient history. I initially found reading The Secret Chord heavy going. Finally, we see David name his youngest son, Shlomo (Soloman) heir. We see him in his old age, as his sons run riot and vie for their own power. We follow him on his rise to power as he establishes an empire and a dynasty. We learn of his rise from a humble shepherd boy to heir to a kingdom. We learn of David’s childhood, a boy unloved by his father and taunted by his older brothers. The tale is recited by the prophet Natan, sometimes through prophecy, sometimes through his own eyewitness account and sometimes through his conversation with other characters. Brooks reimagines the story of King David, something she says she was able to piece together by rummaging through several books of the bible. The Secret Chord is set in 1000 BC, the Second Iron Age. When I started reading her latest novel, The Secret Chord, however, I had an awful feeling it wasn’t going to live up to my very high expectations.
I’ve read all four of her previous novels and thoroughly enjoyed each of them. Full of drama and richly drawn detail, THE SECRET CHORD is a vivid story of faith, family, desire and power that brings David magnificently alive.Geraldine Brooks would have to be one of my all time favourite authors. With stunning originality, acclaimed author Geraldine Brooks offers us a compelling portrait of a morally complex hero from this strange age - part legend, part history. It falls to Natan, the courtier and prophet who both counsels and castigates David, to tell the truth about the path he must take. His wives love and fear him, his sons will betray him. In a life that arcs from obscurity to fame, he is by turns hero and traitor, glamorous young tyrant and beloved king, murderous despot and remorseful, diminished patriarch. But his journey is a tumultuous one and the consequences of his choices will resound for generations. The time of King David.Īnointed as the chosen one when just a young shepherd boy, David will rise to be king, grasping the throne and establishing his empire.
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