Rebekah

Nov 08, 2007 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Get to know the women of the Bible. It is a historical fiction but leaves an impression on your heart. You will always remember the scripture story from now on because you feel like you personally know Rebekah.

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Jul 05, 2008 Nola rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Christians, Old Testament readers, mothers, wives, sons

Recommended to Nola by: Orson Scott Card

Shelves: fiction-inspirational, best-loved-favorites

When it comes to scriptures, we tend to endow the people in them with clear-cut shades of black or white. “Isaiah was a prophet, ergo he must be perfect.” That is why some of the humanizing stories from the Old Testament can be so confusing, the story of Isaac, Jacob, and Esau surely chief among them. Did Jacob really buy the birthright for a mess of pottage? And what’s up with the trickery involved in the actual blessing of the birthright? In Rebekah, Orson Scott Card writes an insightful stor...more When it comes to scriptures, we tend to endow the people in them with clear-cut shades of black or white. “Isaiah was a prophet, ergo he must be perfect.” That is why some of the humanizing stories from the Old Testament can be so confusing, the story of Isaac, Jacob, and Esau surely chief among them. Did Jacob really buy the birthright for a mess of pottage? And what’s up with the trickery involved in the actual blessing of the birthright? In Rebekah, Orson Scott Card writes an insightful story that makes the reader nod and say, yes, that could happen.

Rebekah is the story of the wife of Isaac and mother of Esau and Jacob (later known as Israel; guess that makes her the mother of Israel). The story begins with Rebekah’s childhood, telling a story of a girl who grows up without a mother and with a father made deaf by injury in the prime of his life. She lives also with her brother, Laban, who (in another book) tricks her son into marrying the wrong daughter. Although the story of her childhood is spun almost completely from Card’s imagination, he sets the stage for some of her later decisions. Not surprisingly, young Rebekah vows that she will never deceive anyone in her family, least of all her spouse, setting the stage for some irony.

What I found most enjoyable about the novel, however, was the way it treated Isaac and Abraham. As Card tells it, Isaac is a righteous man who knows that his father chose God over him. Despite the fact that he agrees it was the right thing to do, he still lives with that decision. Furthermore, he knows that, because of him, Ishmael his brother was sent away. These two things have a serious effect on his relationship with his father, and he feels as though he can never measure up to the son that was lost – and Ishmael is the ideal “manly” son, compared to the quiet bookish shepherd. And so, when his sons are born, it is no surprise that Isaac strongly supports the manly man he wished he could have been, while spurning the son most like him. It sounds so trite as I write it, but Card manages to make these characters three-dimensional and realistic, so the reader finds themselves nodding and saying, “yes, I understand.”

While Rebekah draws more from fiction than from fact, it is interesting to see the story that Card creates to explain what we have read. He did a wonderful job of researching the time period and the scriptural account, and I found nothing that seemed to be dramatically off-putting. Non-Latter-day Saints may struggle a bit with some of the details – for instance, with the fact that the prophet of God knew that the sun was one of many stars – but overall, I think they will enjoy it and find it based on much of what they know and believe. Another fantastic weave of fact and fiction by Card!
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Mar 04, 2009 Allison rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: en12

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. March 4, 2009

Plot Summary
Rebekah is the story of Rebekah from Genesis. It begins with her as a young child, telling how her mother died and she grew up without her. One day when she is ten, her father, Bethuel, goes deaf. Rebekah and her brother Laban know that Bethuel’s uncle Abraham knows how to write, so they try to make up their own writing for their father. Bethuel teaches them as much of the holy writings as he can remember, once they give him the idea, and in this way their father can r...more March 4, 2009

Plot Summary
Rebekah is the story of Rebekah from Genesis. It begins with her as a young child, telling how her mother died and she grew up without her. One day when she is ten, her father, Bethuel, goes deaf. Rebekah and her brother Laban know that Bethuel’s uncle Abraham knows how to write, so they try to make up their own writing for their father. Bethuel teaches them as much of the holy writings as he can remember, once they give him the idea, and in this way their father can run his camp again. However, many of the children in the camp learn to write as well, and notes are scrawled everywhere about Rebekah. When Bethuel finds out, and he finds out who did it, he is terribly angry and punishes the boy. Rebekah comes to his rescue, asking why he did it, and he tells her it was because she was beautiful and he wanted her but he couldn’t have her, because she was daughter to the master of the camp. Rebekah finds out this way that she is beautiful, but she hates it, and she takes to wearing a veil to hide her face whenever she leaves her tent.
Rebekah lives as mistress of the camp for years, but begins to worry she will have to leave as she becomes of marriageable age and suitors begin visiting. One particular suitor, Ezbaal, comes with his mother, grandmother, and sister. He hopes that since she will not allow him to see her face, she will allow the women to see and judge. She cannot refuse him and she meets with the women, who approve. She does not want to marry Ezbaal, however, because she fears that he will teach their children to follow Ba’al and Asherah. Instead she plans for the sister, Akyas (meaning “rejected”) to wed Bethuel instead. Akyas agrees, but also hides her face until the day of the wedding.
When the wedding arrives and Akyas’ face is revealed, she is found to be the exact image of Rebekah – her mother, sent away by her father when Rebekah was still a baby. She had tried to dedicate Rebekah to Asherah when she was expressly forbidden by Bethuel. Rebekah throws a fit and Laban cries over the loss of their years with her. Ezbaal leaves soon after and her mother stays.
One day Rebekah goes down to the well, as in the Bible story, and meets a man who turns out to be a messenger of Abraham. She ends up going with him to marry Isaac at Kirjath-arba. From there it takes on the story from the Bible, with the author of course expanding on everything with his own works of fiction.

Personal Response
I thought the book was fantastic. I never really thought about reading it – I just started reading every time I sat alone in my room. It was easy to believe it was all real. Some people would say that Isaac growing up feeling insignificant and unloved is unrealistic, but I agree with the author that the odds of Isaac growing up unaffected by his father nearly sacrificing him for God are low. I liked how each character was believable and real. I want to read the other book in the series, Sarah. I particularly liked that Rebekah had a good reason for helping Jacob trick Isaac, other than “I like Jacob better”, but also that Isaac was not entirely blamed. Both of them had good intentions but acted badly upon them. I just wish that the series wasn’t “Women of Genesis” because I wanted to follow Jacob when he fled to Laban.

Quotes
When Rebekah finds out that her mother is in fact Akyas, she turns on everybody. She is angry with everybody: with her father and his household, for lying; with her mother, for not telling her when she arrived; with Ezbaal, for embarrassing her family in such a way. The only person she spares is Laban, until he tells her she’s being a big baby for being so angry. They didn’t do it to hurt her, he says. She responds in a way I know I probably would have, and it is something I would regret saying so much.
“I’m the big selfish baby? Go dry your eyes, Laban, and tell me who the baby is.”

Rebekah tries to teach her mother to read, but her mother continually tries to talk about other things with her. Finally they have an argument about it, and Rebekah finds out that her mother was just trying to gossip with her – something she never learned because she grew up around men, and was only with the men when they were giving direct orders, never just talking. When she begins gossiping with her mother, she learns to do so with the women of the household and they easily accept her into their circles. I like how this quote is phrased.
“They hadn’t shut her out of their conversations. She simply hadn’t known how to join in.”

Isaac is portrayed as insecure and unsure of his father’s love. Abraham’s near sacrifice of him played a major role in the book. In this scene Isaac and Rebekah are arguing about Abraham’s influence over Esau, heir to the birthright. Rebekah wants both of the boys to grow up like Isaac, while Isaac wants Esau to grow up to be like Abraham. Rebekah counters him, asking why he can’t grow up to be a prophet like Isaac. I like the quote because it shows that not everyone will experience God the same way, and we shouldn’t expect others to experience God the same way we might have.
“Suddenly tears appeared in Isaac’s eyes. ‘Because I’m not like my father. Great visions of the stars, the creation of the world. The inspiration I get is more along the lines of where to camp, and which of two quarrelling shepherds is lying to me.’
“‘But, Isaac,’ she said, ‘God speaks to all of us in different voices and tells us what he needs us to know. He doesn’t have to show you what your father saw, because Abraham wrote it down and so you have it.’”
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Feb 16, 2009 Kimberly rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those who want to read the book before & after this part in the trilogy

Recommended to Kimberly by: Mike & Cami Ashby

Shelves: fiction, historical, lds-books

This is the 2nd book in the "women of the covenant" series Card wrote, and yes, I got this book for Christmas, too.
This book was quite a bit too drawn out for me. The first book, Sarah, got a little slow near the end, but Rebekah could have had a much better pace than what was given. I appreciated the details put into the characters and relationships, how Card tried to be authentic & give the best interpretation with the research he had. He put the plot together seamlessly. I got really s...more

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Nov 25, 2008 Alia rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

Recommended to Alia by: sister-in-law

Shelves: books-i-read-in-2008, five-stars

The sequel to Sarah: Women of Genesis. SO GOOD. This book is about the life of Rebekah from the time she is 15 years old. It begins with her and her brother Laban inventing their own language in a way to speak to their deaf father. Their father then teaches them how to really write and they spend their lives communicating with their father through scratches in the dirt until the day comes that their mother (who they thought was dead) comes back to the camp. Turns out their mother was sent away b...more

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Nov 22, 2008 Mommywest rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have always loved historical novels, and so I was excited to find this book, which is part of a series called "Women of Genesis." It is written by Orson Scott Card, best known for his sci-fi hit "Ender's Game," who is an excellent writer.

The book follows Rebekah, the eventual mother of Jacob and Esau, from her childhood through the events of her life. The things that Rebekah experienced helped her to become the woman she was, and to make the decisions she did, especially the famed "brother-swi...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Rachel Crooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Does anyone else find it interesting that Orson Scott Card wrote these three books about the women of Genesis after writing so many successful sci-fi novels? That was primarily the reason I picked this book up.

I loved this interpretation of Rebekah, mostly because she is always so sure of herself and her convictions. She calls her parents out on things when they get it wrong, pointing to the ideals of their faith in the God of Abraham. She is filled with zeal,sure that everyone else must see i...more Does anyone else find it interesting that Orson Scott Card wrote these three books about the women of Genesis after writing so many successful sci-fi novels? That was primarily the reason I picked this book up.

I loved this interpretation of Rebekah, mostly because she is always so sure of herself and her convictions. She calls her parents out on things when they get it wrong, pointing to the ideals of their faith in the God of Abraham. She is filled with zeal,sure that everyone else must see it exactly the same way she does, and if they don't, it is just a matter of time before she can convince them.

And then - lo and behold - Rebekah herself fails...and learns that she, too, is prone to the same struggles as her parents, of trying to do the right thing and getting it wrong.

I've always wondered a little, why the people of Genesis weren't more perfect - after all, God spoke directly to them! And yet Abraham doubted and ended up trying to get an heir the practical way instead of the way God had told him, and Sarah laughed when God told her she would have a baby, and Rebekah achieved Jacob's reception of the birthright through trickery. I have wondered why, if Jacob really was the right person to receive the birthright, Rebekah had to deceive her husband in order to do God's will. That doesn't seem like the story I would have picked out to show God's ways...

And yet, Card shows that while these people were led by God, they were also incredibly woven into their natures and habits too. The Abrahahm in his story was cranky and headstrong, and Isaac doubted himself to the point of often being blind to how God wanted to work in him. Rebekah, while courageous and faithful, was filled with religious pride too. What I loved was seeing how, even in their faults, God was able to write a story that would point to Himself, and His faithulness, which I think Card showed well.

I am especially glad I read the forward to the book, where the author explained that, now that he himself had grown children, he had come to recognize the ways that he had often done the wrong things even when he thought he was doing right, and how this theme greatly played into his envisioning of Rebekah. I thought he was incredibly humble to share this insight, which has probably been a comfort to many parents who have read the book.(less)

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Jul 18, 2012 Cheryl Gatling added it

It seems kind of silly to worry about spoilers with a book whose plot has been known for millennia. You know exactly what's going to happen. True, you don't know Card's take on how it's going to happen. And Card invents a lot, turning what takes a few pages in my Bible into 400 pages of novel. The biggest thing he invents is the nature of the "birthright" that Jacob buys from Esau for a mess of pottage. In this book the birthright is the holy scriptures. The owner of the birthright kept the scri...more It seems kind of silly to worry about spoilers with a book whose plot has been known for millennia. You know exactly what's going to happen. True, you don't know Card's take on how it's going to happen. And Card invents a lot, turning what takes a few pages in my Bible into 400 pages of novel. The biggest thing he invents is the nature of the "birthright" that Jacob buys from Esau for a mess of pottage. In this book the birthright is the holy scriptures. The owner of the birthright kept the scriptures, studied them, added to them, and preserved them for the next generation. I have always heard (and still believe) that the stories of the patriarchs were passed down as oral history, and not written down until much later. Card has Abraham himself writing down the events of his life. When Isaac receives a dream from God, Rebekah tells him, "Write it down." He will add to the scriptures as things happens. Because the birthright means custody of the sacred writings, that is why Esau the hunter is not worthy, and Jacob the studious is the obvious choice. Except that that whole premise rings false for me. I also thought it was ironic, in one scene where Rebekah has taught little boy Jacob to write, and he has written down the Bible stories she has told him (Rebekah herself, as a woman, was not allowed to read the holy writings, but only to hear the stories), with some childish inventions included. Abraham burns the boy's writings, saying they are "false scripture." The scriptures must be copied word for word, and not added to. Funny, because one could say that that is what Card is doing, imaginatively adding to scripture.

I liked the book despite that major quibble. Most of it is, as other reviewers have said, "plausible." Yes, it might have happened that way. I found all of it interesting. I have rarely read a book with so much talking that I found so gripping. The first half, when Rebekah is living in her childhood home, moves right along. Her father is deaf. She learns to communicate with him by writing. Suitors come to ask her hand in marriage. Instead, her father is married. Along the way there are discussions on the nature of God, the correct worship of God, and the right relationship to people who worship other gods. Once Rebekah goes to marry Isaac, and has the twins Jabob and Esau, the talking gets really deep and heavy. Rebekah and Isaac are devoted to each other. Rebekah admires Isaac as a simple good man who is kind and thoughtful, devoted to God. Isaac thinks Rebekah is strong and capable, beautiful, and also devoted to God. But they spend almost their entire marriage arguing. Mostly they argue about the children, but along the way they argue about the right worship of God, how to interpret the signs from God, what makes a man worthy in the eyes of God. If there is one lesson in the book, it is that we human beings mess up. We try really hard, but we still mess up, and God is able to fix things so that they come out right anyway. And that is a pretty nice lesson. (less)

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Jul 15, 2012 Stan Crowe rated it 3 of 5 stars

I actually read "Rachel and Leah" before this one. Having read both that book at this back-to-back, however, it was easy to notice many similarities between the stories, characters, and, to a lesser extent, the plots.

That's understandable, really--the book of Genesis doesn't give one much to go on, and Card really does a fantastic job, in my opinion, in plausibly filling in a great many gaps in the biblical account.

Also, I think we need to account for the fact that the time periods of the story...more I actually read "Rachel and Leah" before this one. Having read both that book at this back-to-back, however, it was easy to notice many similarities between the stories, characters, and, to a lesser extent, the plots.

That's understandable, really--the book of Genesis doesn't give one much to go on, and Card really does a fantastic job, in my opinion, in plausibly filling in a great many gaps in the biblical account.

Also, I think we need to account for the fact that the time periods of the story are only a generation removed, and during a time when technology and lifestyles weren't quite a rapidly changing as they seem to be in the 21st Century.

Really, though, the women of the two books are definitely individuals, and Rebekah's tale is not that of her nieces. Nor are her ways their ways, as Rebekah is unflaggingly painted as very devoted to the God of Abraham, even if it hurts her relationship with her own husband. In fact--and the Bible at least hints at this--this ends up being a source of tension between Isaac and Rebekah.

Rest assured, however, that she receives her just desserts in the end, and, the ending is a happy one, even if the happiness occurs rather abruptly at the end. But it does make sense. In fact, that's one of Card's hallmarks, is that everything that happens in his book makes sense, and the stories are chock-full of very believable cause-and-effect scenarios.

He's said that he focuses on plausibility, and it certainly shows.

I also enjoyed the perspectives on God that were offered not only in "Rebekah" but in the follow up volume, "Rachel and Leah." Card really weaves his philosophy into the story in a nice, non-preachy way. I've seen him do that with pretty much every one of his books that I've read to date.

In any case, it's a good read, and while it wasn't my favourite book ever, I'd still recommend it--especially to the ladies. Women really are very special, and it's nice to have some novels that pay some homage to them; especially the ancient greats. (less)

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Feb 04, 2010 Trish rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've known the bible story of Rebekah since I was little and I never understood how she could lie and still be serving the Lord. We know that Jacob is supposed to get the birthright, but it's still wrong to lie, right? Now that I'm older, I can see how Card's treatment of the story is entirely plausible. No one, save Jesus Christ, is perfect. Prophets are still men, not gods. The wives of prophets are still women and human. What sets them apart is how well they hear and follow the Holy Ghost. Ju...more

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Aug 02, 2009 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-historical-fiction

Listened to the book on CD read by Emily Card. I really enjoyed the reading by her. I would give this 3 1/2 stars. The first part of the book was my favorite. I liked Rebekah a lot and I enjoyed her characterization as a smart, strong young woman. There is quite a bit of humor woven in throughout the book. The story of her mother was a fun twist. I really liked Rebekah and Isaac meeting each other and their struggle with having children. I found the relationship with Esau and Jacob very well don...more

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Jul 22, 2009 Stan rated it 3 of 5 stars

I actually read "Rachel and Leah" before this one. Having read both that book at this back-to-back, however, it was easy to notice many similarities between the stories, characters, and, to a lesser extent, the plots.

That's understandable, really--the book of Genesis doesn't give one much to go on, and Card really does a fantastic job, in my opinion, in plausibly filling in a great many gaps in the biblical account.

Also, I think we need to account for the fact that the time periods of the story...more I actually read "Rachel and Leah" before this one. Having read both that book at this back-to-back, however, it was easy to notice many similarities between the stories, characters, and, to a lesser extent, the plots.

That's understandable, really--the book of Genesis doesn't give one much to go on, and Card really does a fantastic job, in my opinion, in plausibly filling in a great many gaps in the biblical account.

Also, I think we need to account for the fact that the time periods of the story are only a generation removed, and during a time when technology and lifestyles weren't quite a rapidly changing as they seem to be in the 21st Century.

Really, though, the women of the two books are definitely individuals, and Rebekah's tale is not that of her nieces. Nor are her ways their ways, as Rebekah is unflaggingly painted as very devoted to the God of Abraham, even if it hurts her relationship with her own husband. In fact--and the Bible at least hints at this--this ends up being a source of tension between Isaac and Rebekah.

Rest assured, however, that she receives her just desserts in the end, and, the ending is a happy one, even if the happiness occurs rather abruptly at the end. But it does make sense. In fact, that's one of Card's hallmarks, is that everything that happens in his book makes sense, and the stories are chock-full of very believable cause-and-effect scenarios.

He's said that he focuses on plausibility, and it certainly shows.

I also enjoyed the perspectives on God that were offered not only in "Rebekah" but in the follow up volume, "Rachel and Leah." Card really weaves his philosophy into the story in a nice, non-preachy way. I've seen him do that with pretty much every one of his books that I've read to date.

In any case, it's a good read, and while it wasn't my favourite book ever, I'd still recommend it--especially to the ladies. Women really are very special, and it's nice to have some novels that pay some homage to them; especially the ancient greats.(less)

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Jun 01, 2008 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historicalfiction, introspective

Liked it, but not so much as Sarah. It's likely because there's so much information in the Bible about Sarah I felt Card was just filling in the blanks, rather than inventing the story. Rebecca is less-mentioned in scripture, so Card had to take more liberties creating her character, which made it a little less compelling to me, although still interesting. I did really like some of his insights on listening to the Spirit, and how impressions come.

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Apr 07, 2009 Kerry rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: everything, historic-fiction

Orson Scott Card's Rebekah is the second in his series of books based on the lives of the women in the Biblical book of Genesis. Like the first book, Sarah, this story is meant to be historic fiction, taking the few chapters of Genesis that dealt with the story of Issac and Rebekah and expanding on it to make a full length book. As such, there is a lot of things that are fictional as opposed to Biblical. If you compare the author's take on Sarah to this book, I think he changed less in the story...more

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Mar 16, 2011 Stephen Gallup rated it 4 of 5 stars

I forget what I saw that prompted me to check out this author. My selection of this among his many titles was almost random. However, the preface alone confirmed that here was the product of someone thinking through questions that are important in life (e.g., "...people doing the best they can often get it wrong, and all you can do afterward is try to ameliorate the damage and avoid the same mistakes in the future. Good people aren't good because they never cause harm to others. They're good bec...more I forget what I saw that prompted me to check out this author. My selection of this among his many titles was almost random. However, the preface alone confirmed that here was the product of someone thinking through questions that are important in life (e.g., "...people doing the best they can often get it wrong, and all you can do afterward is try to ameliorate the damage and avoid the same mistakes in the future. Good people aren't good because they never cause harm to others. They're good because they treat others the best way they know how, with the understanding that they have."). The first few pages (in which Rebekah, a niece of Abraham, tries to communicate with her now-deaf father via the radical notion of using written characters) also pulled me in.

Obviously, these 413 pages are an extrapolation from the Bible, specifically from Genesis chapters 24 to 27. (Incidentally, regardless of one's religious beliefs, I think knowing these stories is as important a part of cultural literacy as is knowing at least the plot lines of Hamlet and Macbeth.) Also obviously, the author brought in a huge amount of his own speculation regarding motivations and personal relationships among the people involved. I went back to the Bible to see how much basis it provides for the depiction of Isaac as being emotionally scarred by having almost been sacrificed by his father and by perceiving that his father preferred his older half-brother Ishmael, and for a similar sibling relationship to recur between Isaac's sons Jacob and Esau. I see no conflict between the accounts, so for all I know Card's depiction may be entirely accurate.

I did suspect, during many drawn-out dialogs in which Rebekah stands her ground in disputes with her husband and father-in-law, that this woman's place in the family was extremely unusual for the culture in which they lived. Her outspokenness and independence, and the men's very grudging acceptance, seem out of place. In wrestling with it, I even thought briefly of those execrable books by Jean Auel, in which Cro-Magnon people talk and act as if they lived in groovy California of the 1970s. That comparison is unworthy. Auel wrote trash and this is an earnest attempt at greater understanding. But I did have misgivings about that aspect of the story.

Aside from that, I enjoyed reading it very much.(less)

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Dec 19, 2011 Dany rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've always loved the way Orson Scott Card depicts sibling rivalries (especially between Nafai and Elemak in the Homecoming Saga) so I was looking forward to how he would present the story of Esau and Jacob in Rebekah: Women of Genesis. It was wonderful, like I expected. The reasonings behind Rebekah and Isaac each favoring one son over the other made so much sense and understanding to how parents can do this to their children, although unfair, with their best intentions at heart. This novel als...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Kiersten added it

This series came highly recommended to me by a friend, but I was nonetheless expecting something much more dry than stellar (I've read a number of fictional retellings of Bible stories, and unless allegorized, the ones I've come across fall fairly flat). I was pleasantly surprised by the lively (if often deadpan) humor and the depth to which I engaged with the characters—there were times, I think, when I would be as frustrated with Isaac as Rebekah when they were arguing! I felt that he portraye...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars

My husband got me 3 of the Women in Gen series for my birthday, and I am so glad he did. These are written as "fiction" but it is evident that there is a lot of research put into it as well. Card portrays an honest view of Jewish life far surpassing the vulgar cave-man "Red Tent" version. My copy of Rebekah has an endorsement from the Jerusalem Post on first page which says a lot about it's accuracy. Also commendable is the fact that Card does not alter the Genesis account. What he adds gives de...more My husband got me 3 of the Women in Gen series for my birthday, and I am so glad he did. These are written as "fiction" but it is evident that there is a lot of research put into it as well. Card portrays an honest view of Jewish life far surpassing the vulgar cave-man "Red Tent" version. My copy of Rebekah has an endorsement from the Jerusalem Post on first page which says a lot about it's accuracy. Also commendable is the fact that Card does not alter the Genesis account. What he adds gives deeper meaning and a higher understanding of what is already in the scriptures. There are hints that some of Rebekah was loosely taken from other ancient texts as well. As an example;

Jasher 24: 39 ... and they gave him Rebecca, the daughter of Bethuel, for a wife for Isaac. 40 And the young woman was of very comely appearance, she was a virgin, and Rebecca was ten years old in those days.

Early on in the Book Card mentions Rebekah being 10 years old, and makes a point that she was very mature for her age. Her age is mentioned in such a way that most readers will not realize how young she was when married though. Card also mentions the book of Noah in reference to another account of the flood - and the Book of Noah does actually exist, you can buy it on Amazon, usually in combination with the works of Enoch.

He also discretely brings up the Israelite Goddess Asherah, AKA, Heavenly Mother. If you don't mind, I would like to provide some additional background on Asherah to anyone interested in reading this, or any other books related to Jewish histories. The existence of a Heavenly Mother is not just Mormon doctrine - although I do not want to misrepresent the LDS either, they do not worship Her, they only admit to Her existence. In Genesis 21:33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree (tree of life representing feminine child bearing ability) and called there on the name of Yahweh el Olam (a combination of two divine names). In Genesis 30:13 Leah names her son Ahser whose names means "with Asherah's help". Perhaps the most beautiful description of Asherah in the Bible is the Proverbs 3:13-18 inclusio (happy, wisdom, and tree of life are all "discrete" translations of the Hebrew words Ashre, chokmah, and ets chayyum). Asherah is very much a part of the Old Testament. Just as Abraham sacrificing Isaac represents Heavenly father sacrificing Jesus, I strongly suspect Sarah, Abraham's beautiful wife, represents Asherah. The many righteous barren women combined with the polygamy throughout the OT possibly symbolic of Mary, not Asherah, becoming the mother of Their "only" begotten son. The background of the ever so important baptism as being an actual "birth"... a birth respecting the free agency of the "children" in which divine Parents are chosen rather than forced upon a spirit through a physical birth... Also adding to the reason that Jesus was baptized, not to take away sin, or to become a child of Heavenly Father... the words "This is my beloved son" perhaps being spoken by a female voice after Jesus' baptism. Of course inappropriate worship of the beautiful Asherah lead to Her presence being hidden, the commandment of not worshipping images. Ex 19: 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above - this commandment does not come about until Ex, so Abraham and others are perhaps not really doing something that was wrong at the time although the idea of men protecting and respecting the sanctity of womanhood was in place starting with Adam. Card points out the fact that the Jewish people do not dare utter the name of Heavenly Father and protect Asherah even more vehemently. The great sin of inappropriately worshiping Her much worse than using the Lord's name in vain. (I know the account surrounding Rebekah's mother is fictional, but the points made by the story are very real).

If Orson happens across my ramblings, I apologize for over analyzing your fictional work. Perhaps I read too much into it, or combine it with things I should not... or perhaps I am right, and just not as discreet at introducing some subjects as Card is...

In any event, Rebekah is a beautiful read, perhaps I misrepresent it, I do not think it is meant to be a scholarly research paper, it reads like a best-seller novel, although to those who have read some other things, there are elements in it that are much deeper than perhaps the uneducated reader might grasp - which is what makes all of Card's books so intriguing. Disturbing how accurately Card, a male, is able to portray all that is female. Beautiful that he is able to reveal the real power women had and still have to those who do not yet understand the nobility of being a mother and wife. I will pass this book along to others not only as a testimony builder that brings the scriptures to life, but also as a book that reveals the beauty of male and female roles and the appropriate honest way people from "Mars and Venus" can come to respect and support one another.

My deepest thanks to Bro. Card for all of his work. (less)

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Mar 03, 2008 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really liked the beginning of the book about Rebekah's childhood and how she married Isaac, but then I did not like how Card portrayed Isaac and Abraham and especially their relationship with each other. I ended up disliking both of them very much, which is terrible way to feel about these wonderful Old Testament prophets.

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Nov 02, 2012 Rebecca rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, light-reading

In an effort to make our fore-fathers more relatable and less saintly, OSC has placed in them the weakest of characteristics and made them annoying... even deplorable. Abraham is curmudgeonly and Isaac self-loathing. I never thought I would have feelings of disdain towards Father Abraham, but the men in this book are empty shells; stubborn and un-admirable. The women are simplistically self-righteous. Were it not for all the anachronisms (especially in the cheesy dialogue) this book could be con...more

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Jul 29, 2009 Jenn rated it 3 of 5 stars

I would give this about 3 1/2 stars if I could. It is sometimes hard to read a book already knowing the ending--this was interesting because, for instance, Rebekah promises this or that, and the reader, knowing that she is going to break her promise, recognizes the foreshadowing of events and takes note. I notice that many people did not appreciate seeing Abraham as a grumpy old man or Isaac and Rebekah fight--I did like it. I'd like to think that even prophets and their wives are not perfect an...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Molly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biblical-fiction

After reading others' reviews, I was a bit worried; most people seemed to like "Rebekah" the least out of the trilogy. I would say that I agree that Card's treatment of Isaac and Rebekah's constant inner-battles and dialogue over their disagreements on the SAME TOPICS grows a bit tedious in the second half of the book. However, I also think it adds a lot to the understanding of what is otherwise a tough deception to understand, as it is presented in the Genesis account. Of course, we understand...more

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Jul 20, 2007 Meg J. rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: readers interested in the Old Testament

Shelves: 2007

This book was interesting, but it's hard to read fiction based on something that I only know about from the Bible. It was very different from what I expected and it made me think about that whole story a little differently. 6/14/2007

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Oct 17, 2007 Kim Davison rated it 4 of 5 stars

Of all the Women of Genesis books, I enjoyed this one the most. I liked the development of Rebekah's character. An inspiring read if you can get past ancient personalities acting in ways more appropriate for modern people.

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Jun 15, 2012 Tabitha Marie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bibical-historical-fiction, 2012

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed Sarah (the first of this series), but this just wasn't as good. I felt like the writing got really.."slack". How these ancient people talked was just so unbelievable. There were so many modern phrases that I just stopped and thought "what!???!".
Ah, and Rebekah & Issac. They just kept fighting about the same thing over and over and over! I found that a little bit tedious to read. I would just scan a lot of that.
Now, I did find the story...more

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Aug 07, 2010 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoy Orson Scott Card. I have really enjoyed the Women of Genesis Series. i did, however, have kind of a problem with this book.
This is about Rebekah, the wife of Isaac. Growing up in her fathers household, having faith in the only God, she was chosen as the Bride of Abrahams son Isaac. Rebekah is the mother of Jacob and Esau,(the two involved in the whole "sell me your birthright" episode.)
This is her story of love and faith and motherhood and serving God and defending her faith again...more I really enjoy Orson Scott Card. I have really enjoyed the Women of Genesis Series. i did, however, have kind of a problem with this book.
This is about Rebekah, the wife of Isaac. Growing up in her fathers household, having faith in the only God, she was chosen as the Bride of Abrahams son Isaac. Rebekah is the mother of Jacob and Esau,(the two involved in the whole "sell me your birthright" episode.)
This is her story of love and faith and motherhood and serving God and defending her faith against the idol worshippers of her time.

All in all it was very well written. It kept me engrossed, even though I KNEW what was going to happen from reading the bible stories as a child.
However some of these characters were a little much.
First of all, Isaac is SUCH a milquetoast! He is just suck a sad sack and full of self doubt and has no self confidence. Kind of like an eyore from Winnie the Pooh.
Rebecca on the other hand is such a know it all.And she is Always having to coddle Isaac and tell him he is great. I got a little tired of all their conversations. It kind of drove me nuts. A basic variation of 75% of their conversations:

Isaac: Im terrible
Rebekah: No you're great. And we're great because we worship god.
Isaac: I dont feel great. i feel like god has abandoned me
Rebekah: No we are fantastically wonderful people. God has to bless us.
Isaac: I dont know. My dad doesnt like me. My mom babied me and my brother wants to kill me. wah wah wah
Rebekah: Oh Isaac, we are so faithful and the best. You are a great man. Yes you are. dont say that yes you are. And I am a great mom and I say that Jacob is the best son and esau is a delinquint.Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob.

Abraham, the father of all nations, was kind of a jerk. He and his son did not have a good relationship. rebekah and Abraham butted heads. This is not exactly how I imagined a prophet of God. I cant imagine God wanting to have a conversation with someone so "mean". Abraham was like a helicopter grandfather.

It was a good book. The story was great, but I feel like it ended a little abruptly. I would have liked it to go a little further past the birthright episode.

Another good installment in the women of genesis. 3 stars despite the character faults that made me crazy!
(less)

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Apr 30, 2010 junia rated it 3 of 5 stars

So, it was an interesting read. I'm a huge fan of Orson Scott Card (although all I read by him were Ender's Game the novel and Ender's Game the short story) so I was curious when I saw this book.

In his preface, he explains some of his choices and although I'd disagree with his conclusions, it didn't ... take away too much from the story (although I *do* believe Isaac repeated the same mistake as his father .. a testament of our foolishness and tendency to repeat sins)

I thoroughly enjoyed the cha...more

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Apr 10, 2009 Alanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Probably my least favorite of the Women of Genesis series that Card wrote. I still really liked it, don’t get me wrong, but Card took a lot more license with the story—the first third is almost entirely made up—and it had a lot of Rebekah and Jacob fighting, which just seemed so sad to me. I’d like to think that people who are so righteous wouldn’t squabble so much. Maybe that’s just me living in a fairy tale, but I still had a hard time with it. Having said that, I do think that Card continued...more

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Aug 17, 2010 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars

The beginning of this book was wonderful. I felt inspired and enjoyed Mr Card's portrayal of a faithful woman from the Old Testament.
spoiler***
Half way through the book the book changed. Isaac and Abraham, prophets in the Old Testament, were portrayed as irritating, unwise, horrible people. Yes, I understand that Mr Card wanted to make them more human, but showing these characters as controlling and critical, and weak and whiney to say the least was quite unbearable.
If this was just a story, I...more

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Jan 16, 2010 Jeanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ambivalent, religious

See also my review of Sarah.

I liked this one less than Sarah. One drawback of Card's writing is that his characters are often pretty snippy in their minds, even his loving and good people. Although, now that I think about it, I can be pretty snippy in my own thoughts too. So maybe my real problem is that I hope that these characters are better people than I am.

Card proposes a relationship between Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac that seems potentially believable. I doubt that's how it went down in r...more

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Rebekah (Women of Genesis #2)

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