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Asenath
by
Two Destinies...One Journey of Love
In a humble fishing village on the shores of the Nile lives Asenath, a fisherman's daughter who has everything she could want. Until her perfect world is shattered.
When a warring jungle tribe ransacks the village and kidnaps her, separating her from her parents, she is forced to live as a slave. And she begins a journey that will culm ...more
In a humble fishing village on the shores of the Nile lives Asenath, a fisherman's daughter who has everything she could want. Until her perfect world is shattered.
When a warring jungle tribe ransacks the village and kidnaps her, separating her from her parents, she is forced to live as a slave. And she begins a journey that will culm ...more
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
September 24th 2011
by Imajin Books
(first published August 29th 2011)
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Asenath by Anna Patricio. 2011, 144 pages, Imajin Books
Anna Patricio’s debut novel follows the life of the title character, an Egyptian woman living around 1500 BCE. Part rags-to-riches tale, part Biblical fiction, the book charts Asenath’s transformation from an orphan of an impoverished fishing village to her adoption by aristocratic parents and her rise into the Egyptian upper class. Along the way, she meets the Hebrew man Joseph (the same Joseph from the Bible) and falls in love with him, ev ...more
Anna Patricio’s debut novel follows the life of the title character, an Egyptian woman living around 1500 BCE. Part rags-to-riches tale, part Biblical fiction, the book charts Asenath’s transformation from an orphan of an impoverished fishing village to her adoption by aristocratic parents and her rise into the Egyptian upper class. Along the way, she meets the Hebrew man Joseph (the same Joseph from the Bible) and falls in love with him, ev ...more

What I enjoyed about this book was the fact Anna Patricio the author took a woman who was only mentioned maybe a few times in the bible and created a detailed story about her.
Something I enjoyed was the way the author wrote how and why Asenath became the wife of Joseph, and the twist on the different biblical characters we have all read as children. This book has great potential if the author would take the time and research other great works of historical fiction writers like Herman Wok.
What I ...more
Something I enjoyed was the way the author wrote how and why Asenath became the wife of Joseph, and the twist on the different biblical characters we have all read as children. This book has great potential if the author would take the time and research other great works of historical fiction writers like Herman Wok.
What I ...more

It sounded like it would be a good story but didn't end up that way for me. I am used to more historically accurate fiction. This one missed the mark in several areas. Too many modern day slang & colloquialisms were scattered throughout the story. It sounded like it was written by a modern college kid...making Asenath sound like a typical American teen in how she interacted w/her adoptive parents. I also didn't see the point in her calling one of the story's antagonists a 'bitch' several times,
...more

Asenath is one of those books that has great potential, but it needs a bit more work. It is quite clear from the writing that the author loves the story of Asenath and Joseph, and so do I. I was glad that I read the book, but the book is closer to fanfiction than to an actual novel. While the character of Asenath is well drawn and the romance is real, the wording and description needs some more work. It does feel more like fanfiction than a polished novel. There are phrases like "hung out" that
...more

Story Description
In a humble fishing village on the shores of the Nile lives Asenath, a fisherman's daughter who has everything she could want. Until her perfect world is shattered.
When a warring jungle tribe ransacks the village and kidnaps her, separating her from her parents, she is forced to live as a slave. And she begins a journey that will culminate in the meeting of a handsome and kind steward named Joseph.
Like her, Joseph was taken away from his home, and it is in him that Asenath com ...more
In a humble fishing village on the shores of the Nile lives Asenath, a fisherman's daughter who has everything she could want. Until her perfect world is shattered.
When a warring jungle tribe ransacks the village and kidnaps her, separating her from her parents, she is forced to live as a slave. And she begins a journey that will culminate in the meeting of a handsome and kind steward named Joseph.
Like her, Joseph was taken away from his home, and it is in him that Asenath com ...more

An unreserved five stars for 'Asenath' so far as I am concerned! Anna Patricio has done a great job at imagining and describing a possible reality behind the scanty details given in the biblical book of Genesis regarding Joseph's Egyptian wife.
I started this book not quite realising that it was aimed at a young adult audience, and so after a chapter or two had to readjust my thinking. That done, it was easy to slip into the swing of the narrative and enjoy the reconstruction. Others who begin re ...more
I started this book not quite realising that it was aimed at a young adult audience, and so after a chapter or two had to readjust my thinking. That done, it was easy to slip into the swing of the narrative and enjoy the reconstruction. Others who begin re ...more

Have you ever read something and wondered what was happening in the back ground? That’s exactly what Anna Patricio did while reading about Joseph in the Bible. The story of Joseph is a well known story (if you don’t know about Joseph… it is a very famous story and you’ll find it in Genesis … or you could just cheat and Google ‘The Story of Joseph’ and loads of cheat notes will come up for you) Yet in the Bible, Joseph’s wife is barely mentioned. And from that barely mentioned woman, Anna has cre
...more

This is a love story set in ancient Egypt. It’s about Joseph, a biblical character that I’m not too familiar with (not the one who married Mary), and Asenath and is told from Asenath’s point of view.
It begins with a very young Asenath who at the time was named Kiya. Her village is pillaged and she is enslaved and orphaned. She later goes to a temple of orphans where a very rich couple adopts her.
Asenath discovers that despite “having it all”, she is lonely and the society of nobility is not all ...more
It begins with a very young Asenath who at the time was named Kiya. Her village is pillaged and she is enslaved and orphaned. She later goes to a temple of orphans where a very rich couple adopts her.
Asenath discovers that despite “having it all”, she is lonely and the society of nobility is not all ...more

“What in Seth's damnable balls was he thinking?"
Well, that does it for me.

FULL REVIEW IN MY BLOG: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com.a...
...more
Well, that does it for me.

FULL REVIEW IN MY BLOG: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com.a...
...more

I normally enjoy books like this -- take a historical character -- especially one we don't know that much about & flesh them out with fiction (ie, Girl With the Pearl Earring) -- imagine what they might have been like -- but this book was so silly -- when Asenath says of Joseph, "He completes me," I quit reading I just couldn't handle any more -- clearly, Asenath has watched Jerry McGuire one too many times
...more

Asenath is the wife of Joseph, one of the Old Testament patriarchs. She has only a brief mention in the Bible, so we know little about her. This was a debut novel for Patricio and I really enjoyed it. So dwelling on the history of that time period in Egypt and what knowledge we have of priestesses of that period, Patricio lent her imagination to building a story of Asenath's life and then her romance and marriage to Joseph.
Having just finished Dreamers which is also a story of Joseph and Asenath ...more
Having just finished Dreamers which is also a story of Joseph and Asenath ...more

I always enjoy reading stories of people found in the Bible in a non-biblical trope. The Red Tent is one of my favourites in that regard.
Asenath is no Red Tent. There seemed to be some portions that were well researched, but other things just didn't seem to make sense. Having it through Asenath's eyes limited the scope. She was almost apologetic for Egyptian culture when I'm pretty sure it would be the only thing she knew.
The writing was very juvenile as well. There was no complexity in the na ...more
Asenath is no Red Tent. There seemed to be some portions that were well researched, but other things just didn't seem to make sense. Having it through Asenath's eyes limited the scope. She was almost apologetic for Egyptian culture when I'm pretty sure it would be the only thing she knew.
The writing was very juvenile as well. There was no complexity in the na ...more

This gave me insight into ancient Egypt that I did not have before. I loved it. Couldn't put it down.
...more

Reviewed by Maria
Book provided by the publisher for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of this book. I love historical fiction, and combining two of my favorite history topics, Ancient Egypt and Biblicial times, I knew that this was a must read.
Well, I wasn’t disappointed. This book is as vivid and colorful as an Egyptian tomb painting. I often read the story of the Old Testament Joseph and wondered about the lady Asenath, his wife, menti ...more
Book provided by the publisher for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of this book. I love historical fiction, and combining two of my favorite history topics, Ancient Egypt and Biblicial times, I knew that this was a must read.
Well, I wasn’t disappointed. This book is as vivid and colorful as an Egyptian tomb painting. I often read the story of the Old Testament Joseph and wondered about the lady Asenath, his wife, menti ...more

When Anna sent me her request for me to review Asenath, I was intrigued by the story. I knew who Joseph was from Sunday School and Church but did not know of his wife. What I did not know at the time was I was about to begin a Bible Study of the Bad Girls of the Bible that would introduce me to a few other charcters from the story, Potiphar and Potiphar's wife (who does not have a name in the Bible, but obviously has a name in history). So I was even more fascinated when I began this book to kno
...more

Nov 24, 2011
Jackie
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
book-from-author-for-review,
read-in-2012
Book Synopsis
Two Destinies...One Journey of Love
In a humble fishing village on the shores of the Nile lives Asenath, a fisherman's daughter who has everything she could want. Until her perfect world is shattered.
When a warring jungle tribe ransacks the village and kidnaps her, separating her from her parents, she is forced to live as a slave. And she begins a journey that will culminate in the meeting of a handsome and kind steward named Joseph.
Like her, Joseph was taken away from his home, ...more

Book provided by author for review.
Review originally published on my blog AWordsWorth.blogspot.com
From humble beginnings as the daughter of a fisherman in a small river village, Kiya's life is turned upside down time after time - first by raiders who ransack her village, killing her parents, then by the High Priest Lord Pentephres who brings her to the Temple in Heliopolis and later adopts her. Struggling to maintain her own identity, even as she adjusts to her new life as a member of the nobili ...more
Review originally published on my blog AWordsWorth.blogspot.com
From humble beginnings as the daughter of a fisherman in a small river village, Kiya's life is turned upside down time after time - first by raiders who ransack her village, killing her parents, then by the High Priest Lord Pentephres who brings her to the Temple in Heliopolis and later adopts her. Struggling to maintain her own identity, even as she adjusts to her new life as a member of the nobili ...more

Asenath by Anna Patricio
★★★★☆
Asenath was not always her name, and she was not always from a powerful and wealthy Egyptian family. When she was young, her life was changed forever when she was kidnapped and never saw her family again. After some time, she was saved from her horrible fate and given a new life as a servant. While she did her duties, a couple became taken with her and, having always wanted a child of their own, decided to adopt her. This started her life as Asenath, again changing ...more
★★★★☆
Asenath was not always her name, and she was not always from a powerful and wealthy Egyptian family. When she was young, her life was changed forever when she was kidnapped and never saw her family again. After some time, she was saved from her horrible fate and given a new life as a servant. While she did her duties, a couple became taken with her and, having always wanted a child of their own, decided to adopt her. This started her life as Asenath, again changing ...more

From my blog.
I truly enjoyed this book. The author created this amazing character with a in-depth and detailed back story and she is only briefly mentioned in the Bible! I have a few little quibbles about some things, which I’ll talk about in a minute, but overall this is a richly drawn story and one I would definitely recommended to anyone who enjoys historical/biblical fiction.
In the beginning we meet Kiya, a young girl whose village is overrun by rebels and her parents are killed. When she an ...more
I truly enjoyed this book. The author created this amazing character with a in-depth and detailed back story and she is only briefly mentioned in the Bible! I have a few little quibbles about some things, which I’ll talk about in a minute, but overall this is a richly drawn story and one I would definitely recommended to anyone who enjoys historical/biblical fiction.
In the beginning we meet Kiya, a young girl whose village is overrun by rebels and her parents are killed. When she an ...more

Sometimes I hate reviewing books! When a book is great and I love it, the review is easy. However, if I don’t love the book, the review is difficult. How do you point out the flaws without the author taking offense? I want my remarks to be constructive and honest but I don’t want to offend. It would be so much easier if I knew the author personally.
I am going to be generous and give this a 3-star rating. Why? Growing up, my favorite Bible story was “Joseph of Egypt.” He was my hero. I wanted to ...more
I am going to be generous and give this a 3-star rating. Why? Growing up, my favorite Bible story was “Joseph of Egypt.” He was my hero. I wanted to ...more

I usually avoid reading novels about Biblical figures because they never seem to match my idea of what those figures are like, but there was something about "Asenath" that made me really want to read this one.
Told through the eyes of Asenath, one quickly develops a connection with her. She's strong, captivating, innocent and curious, and most of all, she has a beautiful heart. At a young age, she was captured and enslaved, then was adopted by an Egyptian priest and priestess. Her life runs paral ...more
Told through the eyes of Asenath, one quickly develops a connection with her. She's strong, captivating, innocent and curious, and most of all, she has a beautiful heart. At a young age, she was captured and enslaved, then was adopted by an Egyptian priest and priestess. Her life runs paral ...more

I would think your enjoyment of this book might depend on what you expect from your historical fiction. If you want gossip, intrigue, and scandal this is not it. If your looking for an overall sweet story about a biblical figure that very little is known, than this is for you.
I must confess, prior to reading this, I don't think I knew that Joseph had a wife. Since Joseph was such a devote follower of God, I don't see him willingly taking a wife who followed pagan gods. So, in all reality, I imag ...more
I must confess, prior to reading this, I don't think I knew that Joseph had a wife. Since Joseph was such a devote follower of God, I don't see him willingly taking a wife who followed pagan gods. So, in all reality, I imag ...more

Filled with all the mysteries of Ancient Egypt, Anna Patricio, captures the very essence of the time period in the debut novel, Asenath. Pulled from the Bible we find an unknown character written about in Genesis 41, the wife of Joseph, the readers are in for a delightful journey into the lives of the people in Egypt during the year 1554 B.C. Where the worship of various Gods were still responsible for how the people responded to certain situations.
Here we find the story of a young girl named Ki ...more
Here we find the story of a young girl named Ki ...more

When it comes to historical books, I go for them, because they are fun and interesting. This book was no different.
Kiya, who will later become Asenath, is the daughter of a fisherman and his wife. After her parent's are killed, she and the other orphans are taken to the Temple of Atum-Re in Heliopolis. There, the high priest and his wife adopt Kiya, where they rename her Asenath. Afterwards, life for her changes drastically. Once just the daughter from a peasant family, she is now apart of the u ...more

This review was first posted @ The Australian Bookshelf
3.5 stars
Asenath is the debut novel by Australian author Anna Patricio. The story of Joseph from the bible was one of her favourites; however she was intrigued by his Eyptian wife, Asenath. Patricio’s novel is a fictional account of Asenath’s life and her marriage to Joseph.
We are introduced to Asenath as a young girl, living in a fishing village and enjoying the blissful carefree life of a child. Her simple life is turned upside down when ...more
3.5 stars
Asenath is the debut novel by Australian author Anna Patricio. The story of Joseph from the bible was one of her favourites; however she was intrigued by his Eyptian wife, Asenath. Patricio’s novel is a fictional account of Asenath’s life and her marriage to Joseph.
We are introduced to Asenath as a young girl, living in a fishing village and enjoying the blissful carefree life of a child. Her simple life is turned upside down when ...more

I give it a 3.5 so that rounds it up to a 4.
This book was sent through to me to read as a review copy from the author herself and I really thought it was decent for a debut author who has talent. I took a while for the romance to kick in but all together it wasnt terrible but it wasn't one of the greatest,epic novels. It was just good.
So I have very few problems with the language. The B-word was not derived from the Isrelites, it was the French which came around in the A.D. not before Christ ...more
This book was sent through to me to read as a review copy from the author herself and I really thought it was decent for a debut author who has talent. I took a while for the romance to kick in but all together it wasnt terrible but it wasn't one of the greatest,epic novels. It was just good.
So I have very few problems with the language. The B-word was not derived from the Isrelites, it was the French which came around in the A.D. not before Christ ...more

I picked up this book because it is set in Ancient Egypt, a setting that I absolutely adore. I didn’t have any idea that it was based on the Biblical story of Asenath and Joseph (of the Coat of Many Colors fame). So I not only got a story set in Egypt, but also a little more Biblical knowledge to boot (because of course I then went and looked up the Biblical passages). I always find it so interesting to see how an author takes what is typically just a few short sentences from the Bible and can t
...more

3.5 stars...
In 1554 BC, nine year old Kiya loses her mother and father when their village is attacked. When the Pharaoh's army saves the orphans from a life of slavery they are sent to Heliopolis to be educated. It is here that Kiya gets adopted by Lord Pentephres and his wife, Lady Satsepdu, who very badly want a child of their own. Kiya becomes Asenath and begins her upper class life.
Through her travels with her parents she meets Joseph, a slave to Lord Potiphar, but within the next few years ...more
In 1554 BC, nine year old Kiya loses her mother and father when their village is attacked. When the Pharaoh's army saves the orphans from a life of slavery they are sent to Heliopolis to be educated. It is here that Kiya gets adopted by Lord Pentephres and his wife, Lady Satsepdu, who very badly want a child of their own. Kiya becomes Asenath and begins her upper class life.
Through her travels with her parents she meets Joseph, a slave to Lord Potiphar, but within the next few years ...more
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