Rachel & Leah
Third in Card’s Women of Genesis series, Rachel & Leah is the story of the four women who become the wives and concubines of Jacob of the biblical House of Abraham. Through the viewpoints of Laban’s daughters, Rachel and Leah, and their handmaidens, Zilpah and Bilhah, the ancient world is opened to the reader. As they mature, the blind jealousies and insecurities that motivate their actions are slowly replaced with self awareness and acceptance of their lot with the help of God’s words.
Orson Scott Card’s biblical novels are strong in detail of the culture, beliefs and customs of ancient times, yet they are never sermonizing or overbearing in the religious sense. The women who vie for Jacob’s attention are very human, and even if they seem whiny at times, one can empathize with their supposed injustices, especially self-pitying “tender-eyed” Leah. Readers can expect the author’s fourth book in the Women of Genesis series to be just as well written.
