Allan Massie: King David

Dear Reader,

Allan Massie's book stays close to the second book of Samuel. He left out some passages, slightly changed others, and translated everything into a first-person account: David's own memoir. The one figure he really changed was Salomon.

Merely rewriting a book from the Bible - is that plagiarism? In any case, Massie put little of himself into this book. It's a quick read because it translates the biblical text into modern language. Massie makes intrigues and court conspirations come to life with vivid dialogue. But I don't know if the author did any further research; he doesn't add any descriptions of the time and customs. What he does add is David's love life. More of it than I care to read.

Yours sincerely
Christina Widmann de Fran

King David by Allan Massie

first published in 1995

Several editions available on Amazon.co.uk