The Secret Chord

Peeling away the myth to bring the Old Testament s King David to life in Second Iron Age Israel, Brooks traces the arc of his journey from obscurity to fame, from shepherd to soldier, from hero to traitor, from beloved king to murderous despot and into his remorseful and diminished dotage The Secret Chord provides new context for some of the best known episodes of David s life while also focusing on others, even remarkable and emotionally intense, that have been neglected We see David through the eyes of those who love him or fear him from the prophet Natan, voice of his conscience, to his wives Mikhal, Avigail, and Batsheva, and finally to Solomon, the late born son who redeems his Lear like old age Brooks has an uncanny ability to hear and transform characters from history, and this beautifully written, unvarnished saga of faith, desire, family, ambition, betrayal, and power will enthrall her many fans. Download The Secret Chord – kino-fada.fr Two and a half stars Having enjoyed all the novels by Geraldine Brooks I have read, and adored some of them, I was desperate to read this one and so excited to receive a copy from The Reading Room and Hachette Australia to read and review I couldn t wait to dive into it and started immediately it arrived Maybe part of the problem was that I had such high expectations, but in the end I was disappointed in this book The writing is beautiful in some places as you would expect from Geraldine Bro Two and a half stars Having enjoyed all the novels by Geraldine Brooks I have read, and adored some of them, I was desperate to read this one and so excited to receive a copy from The Reading Room and Hachette Australia to read and review I couldn t wait to dive into it and started immediately it arrived Maybe part of the problem was that I had such high expectations, but in the end I was disappointed in this book The writing is beautiful in some places as you would expect from Geraldine Brooks The opening about almond blossoms had me expecting I would love this book Later, a few lines about David s singing voice were striking The writing was also crude in parts and the battle and rape scenes are very graphic The story was one familiar to me from Biblical accounts of David, the shepherd boy who ultimately was chosen by God and went on to be king over Israel It is told from the point of view of Natan Nathan, the Proph...I didn t remember much about the biblical story of David except that he was a young man who outwitted a giant and killed him with a stone and a sling shot and that he became King of Israel I also remembered an illicit love affair with Bathsheba Because I didn t know a lotthan that , I was very surprised and taken by the story that Geraldine Brooks has created where I learned about his multiple wives , and other relationships, his children , the wars, and what a complex man he was The I didn t remember much about the biblical story of David except that he was a young man who outwitted a giant and killed him with a stone and a sling shot and that he became King of Israel I also remembered an illicit love affair with Bathsheba Because I didn t know a lotthan that , I was very surprised and taken by the story that Geraldine Brooks has created where I learned about his multiple wives , and other relationships, his children , the wars, and what a complex man he was The story begins with David who as an aging King sends Natan, his friend and prophet to talk to peo...As a boy Natan was a shepherd, caring for his family s flock He lived a happy life with his mother and father, and younger sister in a small village The day he was approached by the leader of a group of rebels was to be the turning point in his young life his future was destined David had also been a shepherd, but his upbringing was different to Natan s cast aside by his father, David was only six years old when he was thrust into the role of shepherd He had to learn how to look after him As a boy Natan was a shepherd, caring for his family s flock He lived a happy life with his mother and father, and younger sister in a small village The day he was approached by the leader of a group of rebels was to be the turning point in his young life his future was destined David had also been a shepherd, but his upbringing was different to Natan s cast aside by his father, David was only six years old when he was thrust into the role of shepherd He had to learn how to look after himself, and ...This account of the life of David as told by his seer and advisor Nathan reads like a Shakespearean tragedy He comes off as so monstrous in his path to consolidating his kingdom, yet so human in his joys in life and admirable in his ambitions At a point when David has made Jerusalem the capital of his kingdom, Nathan is tasked to write a truthful history of his life, starting with interviews of people from David s past What he learns moves him toward a judgement that the bad outweighs good, t This account of the life of David as told by his seer and advisor Nathan reads like a Shakespearean tragedy He comes off as so monstrous in his path to consolidating his kingdom, yet so human in his joys in life and admirable in his ambitions At a point when David has made Jerusalem the capital of his kingdom, Nathan is tasked to write a truthful history of his life, starting with interviews of people from David s past What he learns moves him toward a judgement that the bad outweighs good, that the murders and cruel acts he commits are not all just a means to a noble end Brooks breathes life into the sketchy account of David we have from the Old Testament, mainly the Book of Samuel In the 9th century BC, some four centuries after Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, King Saul of Judah gets impres... The Secret Chord is the story of King David, as told through the eyes of his prophet and counselor, Natan David desires a written record of his life and tasks Natan with interviewing those who knew David as a young man As Natan digs into David s past, he gives account of his own experiences with the King, such that David s past and present converge to depict a man both ruthless and kind, sacred and yet flawed Because of me, he will live in death as he did in life a man who dwelt in the seari The Secret Chord is the story of King David, as told through the eyes of his prophet and counselor, Natan David desires a written record of his life and tasks Natan with interviewing those who knew David as a young man As Natan digs into David s past, he gives account of his own experiences with the King, such that David s past and present converge to depict a man both ruthless and kind, sacred and yet flawed Because of me, he will live in death as he did in life a man who dwelt in the searing glance of the divine, but who sweated and stank, rutted...I started this with some trepidation having read too many reviews from disappointed readers Geraldine Brooks is one of my favourite authors and Caleb s Crossing one of my favourite all time books so no pressure As it turned out I loved it At the beginning I faltered a bit as we moved backwards and forwards in time but then, in the second half, it settled down and moved strongly to what I thought was a wonderful and uplifting conclusion I had to read the coronation of King Solomon twice becaus I started this with some trepidation having read too many reviews from disappointed readers Geraldine Brooks is one of my favourite authors and Caleb s Crossing one of my favourite all time books so no pressure As it turned out I loved it At the beginning I faltered a bit as we moved backwards and forwards in time but then, in the second half, it settled down and moved strongly to what I thought was a wonderful and upliftin...This is one of those books that improves the further you get into it Halfway through I still considered dumping it The names used for biblical characters are in Hebrew, and although they sound similar to thefamiliar English names, this adds an element of confusion Dates are rarely told Places are often unrecognizable because they too are in Hebrew or ancient and no longer exist The tribal names are difficult to keep track of There are many tribes We are told King David s life story This is one of those books that improves the further you get into it Halfway through I still considered dumping it The names used for biblical characters are in Hebrew, and although they sound similar to thefamiliar English names, this adds an element of confusion Dates are rarely told Places are often unrecognizable because they too are in Hebrew or ancient and no longer exist The tribal names are difficult to keep track of There are many tribes We are told King David s life story by the prophet Nathan Nathan is instructed by David whom he should speak to to getinformation Nathan is to record David s life history, and this is the story we are reading Nathan gathers information from several individuals and presents what each one says separately As a result the events are not presented chronologically This too makes the reading confusing Another consequence is that the events are told rather than experienced or shown This...Fascinating Account of King David s Life, Through the Eyes of the Prophet NathanA Period of History about which I ve Read LittleThis novel gave me a look at an historical period about which I ve read little outside of my weekend Hebrew school lessons as a child So I was fascinated by this look at the life of the legendary Old Testament ruler of Israel, King David.Nathan the Prophet and NarratorThe narrator of this tale is the King s faithful servant, the Prophet Nathan a.k.a Nathaniel Nat Fascinating Account of King David s Life, Through the Eyes of the Prophet NathanA Period of History about which I ve Read LittleThis novel gave me a look at an historical period about which I ve read little outside of my weekend Hebrew school lessons as a child So I was fascinated by this look at the life of the legendary Old Testament ruler of Israel, King David.Nathan the Prophet and NarratorThe narrator of this tale is the King s faithful servant, the Prophet Nathan a.k.a Nathaniel Nathan was the author of one of the lost books of the Bible, the Book of Nathan the Prophet also known...This book was exactly what I expected NOT MY CUP OF TEA I had no intention on requesting this book from Netgalley last yearbut worried my Jewish Book club might choose it for this year I LOVED People of The Book , by Geraldine Brooks, but I was pretty sure if the blurb for The Secret Chord , didnt sound great to me, why kid myself Butsince last yearI read other reviews positives and negatives So, I recently downloaded this book from the library thinking maybe the audi This book was exactly what I expected NOT MY CUP OF TEA I had no intention on requesting this ...You don t have to believe that God exists, or that the bible is the true Word, to thoroughly enjoy Brooks latest novel, this story reaching back in history to Old Testament times I am a secular Jew, and think of the bible as the original written allegory and metaphor of humanity s struggles I gambled that Brooks storytelling skills and h...

• English
• 01 August 2018
Geraldine Brooks
• Hardcover
• 302 pages
• 0670025771
• Geraldine Brooks
• The Secret Chord