The first audiobook in bestselling author Orson Scott Card's Women of Genesis series—a unique re-imagining of the biblical tale Sarai was a child of ten years, wise for her age but not yet a woman, when she first met Abram. He appeared before her in her father's house, filthy from the desert, tired and thirsty. But as the dirt of travel was washed from his body, the sight of him filled her heart. And when Abram promises Sarai to return in ten years to take her for his wife, her fate was sealed. Abram kept his promise, and Sarai kept hers. They were wed, and so joined the royal house of Ur with the high priesthood of the Hebrews. So began a lifetime of great joy together, and greater peril: and with the blessing of their God, a great nation would be built around the core of their love. Bestselling author Orson Scott Card uses his fertile imagination, and uncanny insight into human nature, to tell the story of a unique woman—one who is beautiful, tough, smart, and resourceful in an era when women had little power, and are scarce in the historical record. Sarah, child of the desert, wife of Abraham, takes on vivid reality as a woman desirable to kings, a devoted wife, and a faithful follower of the God of Abraham, chosen to experience an incomparable miracle. Women of Genesis Sarah Rebekah Rachel and Leah
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"I chose this book because I have a daughter named Sarah and thought it would be good to understand the woman who first bore her name. I loved the book and am glad that we chose that name for our daughter. I am so impressed with Card's ability to write a book from a female perspective and be genuine. Other books by male authors with a female main characters haven't seemed as authentic to me as this book did."
— Nicole (5 out of 5 stars)
"This series is definitely for those interested in women in the Bible, and in such novels as The Red Tent (by New York Times bestseller Anita Diamant).
— KliattThe story moves swiftly, climaxing at several points, such as Abram and Sarai’s stay in Egypt when the pharaoh wants to take Sarai as his wife. It is a quick and interesting read….This is an intriguing story .
— Pittsburg Post-GazetteThis playfully speculative novel succeeds in bringing Sarah's soft-overlooked character into vivid relief.
— Publishers WeeklyThis is an inventive and engaging telling of the life of Sarah, the woman who laughed at God’s news (that so old a woman wouldnow bear a child)—and who gives as good as she gets throughout both the book of Genesis and Card’s novel.
— Historical Novel Society" I enjoyed the whole series. "
— Michele, 2/12/2014" All right, So I need to take some thoughts back. Before, I have been known to not like using sacred characters in fiction. I like this book. I need to admit, isn' that step one?... Mr. Card has used very good references. I truly hope that this would bring someone to actually read the scriptural stories the book was based on. "
— Allison, 2/12/2014" I love this Women of Genesis series! Thanks, T! It felt authentic and I thought it was well-researched culturally and scriptorally. It provided more of a LDS Christian perspective. I liked Scott-Card's explanations or possible motives people might have had in navigating through the more confusing elements of this record in the Bible. "
— Jacqueline, 2/8/2014" I loved this book. I especially liked being able to envision the setting of this scriptural account. I had never really thought about what a nomadic life might have been like. It was a great story to have fleshed out into a novel. "
— Ily, 2/6/2014" Card's a great story teller, and this, more than most of his other works, proves it. He literally takes a story that has been told and retold and makes it seem new and fresh. The characters are flawed, fabulous and fully robust; the story flows in a way that makes the reader want to flow with the story. Great rhythm, well-written, and an interesting conversation-starter. "
— Amberlee, 2/4/2014" Loved this book. It was wonderfully written and gave great insight into the life of this amazing woman. I know it is fiction, but I loved how Card explored Sarah's different relationships and life experiences. "
— Elaine, 2/4/2014" I enjoyed it, and it made me want to go back to Genesis. However, I read the next two and was annoyed at how similar the characters were in every one. All of the females are a beautiful, strong character who somehow comes up with a reason to learn to read. I know, I know--education is the key! But I think given the time period that it was a little over the top. I would suggest reading just one and you might not end up annoyed with it like I did. In memory of my first reading I'm giving it 3 stars instead of 1 after reading Rebekah and Rachel and Leah. "
— Melissa, 1/31/2014" Wow! Orson Scott Card has an amazing imagination. He filled in a lot of blanks in the scriptural accounts with his own ideas but it is amazing how he tried to reconstruct everything. The accounts of Abraham and Sarah's time in Egypt and Abraham and Hagar and Ishmael.....interesting to think of how hard that must have been for everybody involved. This was really good. Take it with a grain of salt though. "
— Emy, 1/30/2014" This was a good book about Sarah and Abraham from the book of Genesis. I liked it a lot but I think the next 2 books in the series (Rebekah and Rachel and Leah) are much better. I still give it 4 stars though. "
— Alia, 1/19/2014" Interesting and perhaps the story went something like this. "
— Tammy, 1/13/2014" Have read this one twice - so good. You really get to know Sarah and what she went through as the wife of Abraham "
— Ather, 1/9/2014" I sure like the way Orson Scott Card makes his characters believeable instead of putting them on a pedestal of perfection like we so often do when talking about Father Abraham. I bought the entire series I liked these so much. I'll definitely read them again. "
— Cynthia, 12/31/2013" Loved that this gave me a clearer perspective into life at this time. This was a great book. "
— Suzie, 12/7/2013" I don't know how he does it. This IS a woman's voice, fresh and real despite the thousands of years since her story began. Couldn't put it down, and I'm excited to share it with the book group! "
— Caroline, 12/4/2013" Nicely do I really like the last chapter. was a really not one I would normal pick up, but was in book group so I read it and liked it.It did not get five because I could put it down. "
— Maryaspencergmail.com, 9/20/2013" Although fiction, this book made the old testament come alive for me. I really enjoyed reading it. "
— Mandy, 9/12/2013" It was nice to learn more about the customs and history of that time. "
— Colleen, 9/2/2013" Excellent book! I learned so much about the characters and the author seemed to really make them come to life. I've since read about Abraham and Sarai in other books including the OT. "
— Jade, 8/22/2013" I liked Sarah probably the best of the Women of Genesis series. It makes her fairly believable and accessible. Some characterizations feel a little anachronistic, but that's kinda the point. "
— Hawkgrrrl, 4/6/2013" It took awhile for me to get into this book. But once I got into the fourth chapter I couldn't put it down. Ready to read the rest in the series! "
— Keira, 10/12/2012" I enjoyed this book very much. I love the stories of strong women from the bible. Though I know that this is a work of fiction based on the character of Sarah, as well as Abraham and others, Orson Scott Card did a nice job of writing an interesting and compelling narrative. "
— Ann, 6/19/2012" While reading this book, I felt there was something wrong about or with it, but I wasn't quite sure what it was. Then I read the afterword (in the book on Rachel) or about the author or something and found out Orson is a Mormon (I think). He should stick to writing about space. "
— Sarah, 4/17/2012" I have read a lot of Orson Scott Card's---fantasy and science fiction. So I am surprised to say, I absolutely love his ability to take a person from the bible and create a realistic view of their life. I recommend all of the books he has done on women of the bible. Each one is great! "
— Susan, 4/16/2012" For a fantasy and science fiction writer, Card really did a great job of making this Bible account come to life. I realize that Biblical fiction has to fill in many gaps. Nevertheless, even though fiction, this novel helped me to appreciate the Biblical narration. "
— Gerald, 9/7/2011" What a fun perspective this book gives of a life often told about but seldom appreciated. Definitely one I recommend. The last paragraph I LOVED and want to be part of my memoirs! "
— Crysi, 9/2/2011" loved it, but it uis fiction and the author did take a lot of liberties. i guess he had to because there is so little to work with from the book of genesis. "
— Marie, 7/12/2011" Another favorite! Captivating look at biblical events throught the eyes of women. Really makes you think it just might have all happened the way the author tells it. "
— Geri, 6/8/2011" OSC storytelling and character development really work for biblical historical fiction with his penchant for internal moral struggles. "
— Bla, 5/21/2011" Mormon fiction is not my favorite. They always seem so cheesy to me. I could not relate to these women at all. I'm starting to think I must be really strange! "
— Debbie, 5/10/2011" Card's characters live and breath. I'm hooked by the first page, I haven't yet read a rough beginning by him. The fact that he has written so many good books just blows me away. This book was wonderful. "
— AnnaMarie, 5/2/2011" Really Enjoyed this book as well. I've read Card's trilogy of the Genesis series, and really appreciate the time and work he put forth to make these women so real. Really enjoyed. "
— Carol, 3/22/2011" One of my favorite books I ever read. <br/>It was an interesting read and view on the life of one of the most mentioned females in the Old Testament. <br/>I need to read it again. "
— Twyla, 3/20/2011" A fresh, new reading of the Sarah story. Card is so very good & he's done a fine job with this familiar story. "
— Bev, 3/5/2011" I honestly loved this book. It took a few chapters to get into it, but I truly enjoyed the way Card gave life to Sarah's story. I highly recommend it! "
— Jane, 3/4/2011" Card took many liberties with the story since there are so few provable facts. I liked the way he put me in Sarah's time and mourned when I no longer had that connection to the time. I'm glad I don't live in that period, but I love reading about it. "
— Sally, 2/18/2011" I totally loved this book! "
— Alisha, 2/15/2011" I really enjoyed seeing life from Sarahs eyes!! "
— Susan, 2/3/2011" I enjoyed this book very much. I love the stories of strong women from the bible. Though I know that this is a work of fiction based on the character of Sarah, as well as Abraham and others, Orson Scott Card did a nice job of writing an interesting and compelling narrative. "
— Ann, 1/29/2011Orson Scott Card, the author of the New York Times bestseller Ender’s Game, has won several Hugo and Nebula awards for his works of speculative fiction. His Ender novels are widely read by adults and younger readers and are increasingly used in schools. Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy, American-frontier fantasy, biblical novels, poetry, plays, and scripts.
Gabrielle de Cuir, award-winning narrator, has narrated over three hundred titles and specializes in fantasy, humor, and titles requiring extensive foreign language and accent skills. She was a cowinner of the Audie Award for best narration in 2011 and a three-time finalist for the Audie and has garnered six AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her “velvet touch” as an actor’s director has earned her a special place in the audiobook world as the foremost producer for bestselling authors and celebrities.