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This is like 3.5 stars rounded up.

I rounded up because this was a fun read and easy to get through. I enjoyed the historical aspect of it, but I am in no way knowledgeable about ancient Mesopotamian history or culture so I have no idea whether or not this is historically or culturally accurate or well-researched. This is probably why I enjoyed this novel as much as I did, as I didn't need to nitpick for accuracy.

I have to admit, I am a sucker for fictional reinterpretations of history and historical figures, and I thought for the most part, that Marek Halter did a pretty decent job of re-imagining the history of Sarai and Abram from Biblical Genesis. As there is no recorded history of either of these two figures other than what is recorded in a few chapters of Genesis, the author had to fictionalize large portions of this story.

Sarai is a beautiful daughter of a rich man, and the novel opens with her preparing for an arranged marriage to a complete stranger. The willful Sarai escapes the wall of her father's city and meets Abram, a darker-skinned young man who is travelling with his family of nomads. She and Abram have an instant connection, and though she spends the night with him, decides ultimately to return to her father's house the next morning. Sarai decides to visit a medicine woman in the village who gives her a potion to make her temporarily barren so that she will be unfit to marry the man her father has chosen for her. The young and foolish Sarai doesn't follow the woman's directions properly, and the poison has affected her womb indefinitely.

Declared unfit for marriage due to her barrenness, Sarai becomes a high priestess to one of the goddesses of the city. However, she continues to be haunted by thoughts and dreams of the handsome and enigmatic young man who showed kindness and hospitality to her years earlier. When Abram re-enters Sarai's life again, she leaves her privileged life behind to follow him and his family of nomadic herdsmen.

The descriptions of the culture of the times and the landscape are probably what I loved best about this novel. Sarai and Abram finally make their journey all the way to ancient Egypt, and I, being a lover of all things Egyptian, found this plotline to be the highlight of the novel. Sarah also presents a beautiful portrait of marriage, though I wouldn't call this book a romance at all. Sarai and Abram's union is not at all perfect, and her barrenness presents more than a few problems, insecurities, and resentments to come to light. In those days, a man's worth was dependent on how many sons a wife could produce, and for Abram, the leader of his tribe, to have none was a very big deal. The portrayal of their marriage in this novel is at times tender and beautiful, but also at times ugly and tumultuous. Abram sometimes comes off as a loving husband and competent ruler, and at times comes off as a tremendous ass. However, it is this dual nature of their relationship that I find refreshing, as I believe it is realistic and believable, and suffered from a lot of the problems married couples face in real life. I liked that this author inserted some realism into the romantic plot, and was relieved that he didn't make this almighty biblical couple larger than life and cliche.

Another theme that I enjoyed is the idea of beauty, and what being beautiful means. Sarai is described as being the most beautiful woman in the tribe. Her beauty is so intense that it is at times described as being almost unnatural, or divine. She also does not age at the same rate as the other ladies, and her youth seems to be with her always, even as her husband ages and becomes slower. Her beauty becomes a source of resentment for Abram, as she cannot bear children. Sarai also catches the eyes of many men, including Abram's nephew Lot. Sarai also resents her beauty, and believes her youth to be a curse. She believes it is her punishment for taking the poison in her youth to always be young and beautiful, but to never receive the gift of children. She is stuck in this state most of the way through the book, and I thought it was interesting to hear her thoughts about the subject, particularly when Abram's attentions begin to shift toward her younger handmaid, Hagar, who is able to bear Abram a son.

All in all, I liked the historical plot, and though this isn't the best historical novel I've ever read, I found it enjoyable and different. I will be interested in reading the rest of this trilogy sometime in the future.