A surprisingly fresh take on an ancient tale delivered with lively style.
A detailed, literary rendering of the story of Moses’ miraculous survival as a child and the political tumult in Egypt into which he was born.
Meisheid’s (Teach Yourself Indexing for RoboHELP Classic, 2000) fiction debut ambitiously retells a tale familiar to most, both from well-known historical sources, including biblical Scripture, and from its depiction in popular movie productions. This interpretation hews closely to the beginning of the famous narrative, focusing on the infant Moses’ narrow escape from an Egyptian edict that all newborn Hebrew males die, a savagely vindictive measure meant to stymie what was seen as their pernicious influence, especially regarding the spread of monotheism. Also, more than most accounts, this perspective provides a deep account of the political context, fleshing out the tumult that had plagued Egypt for over a half-century, pitting an increasingly disenfranchised priestly class against a pharaoh intent on consolidating his power at their expense. Filling in the historical blanks with impressive literary flair, the author enlivens a plot that could easily go stale from overuse. The book is based on available “speculative history,” especially the evidence marshaled by first-century scholar Titus Flavius Josephus, who contends, contrary to most versions of Moses’ life, that his status as a Hebrew was known from the very beginning by those who found him. In trying to explain how Moses survived despite the edict against his kind, Meisheid manages to construct a drama that is factually rigorous, artistically inventive and even thrilling.
A surprisingly fresh take on an ancient tale delivered with lively style.Pub Date: April 11, 2014
ISBN: 978-1931936002
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Sherwood Monastery Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.
Life lessons.
Angie Malone, the youngest of a big, warm Italian-American family, returns to her Pacific Northwest hometown to wrestle with various midlife disappointments: her divorce, Papa’s death, a downturn in business at the family restaurant, and, above all, her childlessness. After several miscarriages, she, a successful ad exec, and husband Conlan, a reporter, befriended a pregnant young girl and planned to adopt her baby—and then the birth mother changed her mind. Angie and Conlan drifted apart and soon found they just didn’t love each other anymore. Metaphorically speaking, “her need for a child had been a high tide, an overwhelming force that drowned them. A year ago, she could have kicked to the surface but not now.” Sadder but wiser, Angie goes to work in the struggling family restaurant, bickering with Mama over updating the menu and replacing the ancient waitress. Soon, Angie befriends another young girl, Lauren Ribido, who’s eager to learn and desperately needs a job. Lauren’s family lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and her mother is a promiscuous alcoholic, but Angie knows nothing of this sad story and welcomes Lauren into the DeSaria family circle. The girl listens in, wide-eyed, as the sisters argue and make wisecracks and—gee-whiz—are actually nice to each other. Nothing at all like her relationship with her sluttish mother, who throws Lauren out when boyfriend David, en route to Stanford, gets her pregnant. Will Lauren, who’s just been accepted to USC, let Angie adopt her baby? Well, a bit of a twist at the end keeps things from becoming too predictable.
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-345-46750-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004
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