What do you think?
Rate this book
Sinners and the Sea: The Untold Story of Noah's Wife
In the spirit of Anita Diamant, this ambitious and unforgettable novel about the story of Noah blends Biblical history, mythology, and the inimitable strength of women.
Cursed with a birthmark that many think is the brand of a demon, the young heroine in The Sinners and the Sea is deprived even of a name for fear that it would make it easier for people to spread lies about her. But this virtuous woman has the perfect voice to make one of the Old Testament’s stories live anew.
Desperate to keep her safe, the woman’s father gives her to the righteous Noah, who weds her and takes her to the town of Sorum, a land of outcasts. Noah, a 600-year-old paragon of virtue, rises to the role of preacher to a town full of sinners. Alone in her new life, Noah’s wife gives him three sons, but is faced with the hardship of living with an aloof husband who speaks more to God than with her. She tries to make friends with the violent and dissolute people of Sorum while raising a brood that, despite a pious upbringing, have developed some sinful tendencies of their own. But her trials are nothing compared to what awaits her after God tells her husband that a flood is coming—and that Noah and his family must build an ark so that they alone can repopulate the world.
Kanner weaves a masterful tale that breathes new life into one of the Bible’s voiceless characters. Through the eyes of Noah’s wife we see a complex world where the lines between righteousness and wickedness blur. And we are left wondering: Would I have been considered virtuous enough to save?
Cursed with a birthmark that many think is the brand of a demon, the young heroine in The Sinners and the Sea is deprived even of a name for fear that it would make it easier for people to spread lies about her. But this virtuous woman has the perfect voice to make one of the Old Testament’s stories live anew.
Desperate to keep her safe, the woman’s father gives her to the righteous Noah, who weds her and takes her to the town of Sorum, a land of outcasts. Noah, a 600-year-old paragon of virtue, rises to the role of preacher to a town full of sinners. Alone in her new life, Noah’s wife gives him three sons, but is faced with the hardship of living with an aloof husband who speaks more to God than with her. She tries to make friends with the violent and dissolute people of Sorum while raising a brood that, despite a pious upbringing, have developed some sinful tendencies of their own. But her trials are nothing compared to what awaits her after God tells her husband that a flood is coming—and that Noah and his family must build an ark so that they alone can repopulate the world.
Kanner weaves a masterful tale that breathes new life into one of the Bible’s voiceless characters. Through the eyes of Noah’s wife we see a complex world where the lines between righteousness and wickedness blur. And we are left wondering: Would I have been considered virtuous enough to save?
339 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2013
43 people are currently reading
2148 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Kanner
4 books189 followers Hi there—so glad you found your way to my little corner of Goodreads! I’m Rebecca Kanner, and I write dark, twisty fiction that dives into the messiest corners of human nature. My debut psychological thriller, Last One Seen, releases on September 23, 2025 and features a narrator who’s either deeply unreliable—or so gaslit by her classmates that she no longer trusts her own mind. What happens when you start to question everything, including your own mind?
I’m drawn to morally complex characters, tangled relationships, and stories that keep you turning pages way past your bedtime. I love narratives that ask uncomfortable questions, blur the line between victim and villain, and explore what people are capable of when pushed to their limits. When I’m not writing, you can usually find me reading psychological suspense, wandering through the woods listening to an audiobook, or trying to figure out how to write a chilling final chapter without giving myself goosebumps. I believe in giving characters space to be messy, flawed, and real—and I write for readers who aren’t afraid to follow them into the dark.
I’m drawn to morally complex characters, tangled relationships, and stories that keep you turning pages way past your bedtime. I love narratives that ask uncomfortable questions, blur the line between victim and villain, and explore what people are capable of when pushed to their limits. When I’m not writing, you can usually find me reading psychological suspense, wandering through the woods listening to an audiobook, or trying to figure out how to write a chilling final chapter without giving myself goosebumps. I believe in giving characters space to be messy, flawed, and real—and I write for readers who aren’t afraid to follow them into the dark.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 271 reviews
May 7, 2013
While some may describe this book as the story of Noah's ark from the perspective of his unnamed wife, using such a simple description would do Kanner's masterful tale a gross injustice. The story of Noah's ark is really only the background from which Kanner explores a number of weighty issues including faith, pride, jealousy, self/communal identity, and so many others with confidence and ease--often with profound and haunting results.
The characters of the novel are a true pleasure. While Noah may be a man called of God, he is flawed in a way that leaves you wondering if he shouldn't consider himself just another one of the sinners that needs saving. Noah's sons each have distinct personalities that meld, clash, and explode just as any set of brothers' personalities do. And our narrator, Noah's unnamed wife, is a woman whose gradual transformation is one that is painstaking, inspiring, and--most importantly--earned. But the story does not simply involve Noah's immediate family, there are many other characters that flesh out this story to a magnitude beyond anything I ever expected from the story of Noah's ark.
With The Sinners and the Sea, Kanner does what many writers of "reimaginings" fail to do--she sees through the well-known story, the cliches, the obvious choices. She bravely pushes past everything we know and everything we thought we knew. She welcomes us into a world we could have never imagined while leaving us thinking "Yes. Yes. This is how it should be. This is what I have been waiting for."
The characters of the novel are a true pleasure. While Noah may be a man called of God, he is flawed in a way that leaves you wondering if he shouldn't consider himself just another one of the sinners that needs saving. Noah's sons each have distinct personalities that meld, clash, and explode just as any set of brothers' personalities do. And our narrator, Noah's unnamed wife, is a woman whose gradual transformation is one that is painstaking, inspiring, and--most importantly--earned. But the story does not simply involve Noah's immediate family, there are many other characters that flesh out this story to a magnitude beyond anything I ever expected from the story of Noah's ark.
With The Sinners and the Sea, Kanner does what many writers of "reimaginings" fail to do--she sees through the well-known story, the cliches, the obvious choices. She bravely pushes past everything we know and everything we thought we knew. She welcomes us into a world we could have never imagined while leaving us thinking "Yes. Yes. This is how it should be. This is what I have been waiting for."
April 1, 2013
When I was asked to review this book I was excited about a Biblical fictional novel based on Noah's wife, that is partially what I read. Yes, Rebecca Kanner writes a vivid book about a woman who has no name that is given in marriage to Noah when he is 600 years old, the reason, she is of virtue, and her father has protected her because she has what we would call in our society a port of wine stain, or a birthmark. They believe it is a sign of a demon, this is why she has not been named.
However, she also paints a dark picture of Noah, and his sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Noah is an angry man, who thunders at the people who live in Sorum that are sinning against God.
The relationship she portrays that Ham and Shem have with Noah is definitely not one that is a father and son relationship. They don't agree with Noah at all and his belief in God. Japheth is the only one who follows after his father.
When God instructs Noah to build the ark because He is going to destroy the earth and all the people because of their wickedness. Noah's wife is just like the others who don't believe that there is going to be a flood, she can't see how all the animals that God has instructed to go in the ark will fit, nor is she willing.
All Noah's wife wanted was to be accepted like the other women, and have a name, which she receives, however, I found this book to be so far from Biblical that in all good conscience I can't recommend this book. I read an interview with Rebecca Kanner over the weekend where she called God imperfect. That is not the God I know, or the God I serve, or the God that raised my Jesus from the grave!
Here is the link to the article http://www.twincities.com/entertainme...
It is my opinion that this book will shipwreck your faith because it tells a distorted view of Noah, and his family. God did flood this earth, He is a loving God, yet He cannot and will not look at sin! Hence why He flooded the earth. The rainbow is His covenant that He will not flood this earth again.
However, she also paints a dark picture of Noah, and his sons, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Noah is an angry man, who thunders at the people who live in Sorum that are sinning against God.
The relationship she portrays that Ham and Shem have with Noah is definitely not one that is a father and son relationship. They don't agree with Noah at all and his belief in God. Japheth is the only one who follows after his father.
When God instructs Noah to build the ark because He is going to destroy the earth and all the people because of their wickedness. Noah's wife is just like the others who don't believe that there is going to be a flood, she can't see how all the animals that God has instructed to go in the ark will fit, nor is she willing.
All Noah's wife wanted was to be accepted like the other women, and have a name, which she receives, however, I found this book to be so far from Biblical that in all good conscience I can't recommend this book. I read an interview with Rebecca Kanner over the weekend where she called God imperfect. That is not the God I know, or the God I serve, or the God that raised my Jesus from the grave!
Here is the link to the article http://www.twincities.com/entertainme...
It is my opinion that this book will shipwreck your faith because it tells a distorted view of Noah, and his family. God did flood this earth, He is a loving God, yet He cannot and will not look at sin! Hence why He flooded the earth. The rainbow is His covenant that He will not flood this earth again.
February 16, 2013
Find this and other reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot....
I'm going to come straight out and admit it. I picked up Rebecca Kanner's The Sinners and the Sea because I think the cover is absolutely gorgeous. I know, I'm horrible. Look up cover slut in the dictionary and you will find my picture. By rights I should be ashamed of myself, but you know what? I'm not. I'll grant my motivations were superficial, but had I not succumbed to them, I wouldn't have discovered this very original take on one of the most well known bible stories.
Kanner's work is unique on many levels. For one thing Noah's wife is not a prominent female in the Bible. Unlike Margaret George or Ginger Garret who have written about Mary Magdalene, Queen Esther, Delilah and Queen Jezebel, Kanner couldn't rely on a the celebrity of a name to draw in her readers. Kanner had to lay a lot more groundwork than the majority of her peers, but I think it also gave her more freedom as a writer, allowing her to move in directions her readers do not expect.
Also of note are Kanner's cast of characters. When reading Christian literature, I usually find authors who utilize one untarnished character to teach another the Lord's path, but there are no sugary sweet believers to be found among these pages, no one individual who is the embodiment of perfection. No, Kanner's characters are realistically flawed and all the more endearing for it.
When I began reading this story, I expected a biblical retelling, but the reality is The Sinners and the Sea is about a family, the relationships between them and the hardships they overcame. While not the easiest book to get into, I found Kanner's unconventional approach quite interesting.
I'm going to come straight out and admit it. I picked up Rebecca Kanner's The Sinners and the Sea because I think the cover is absolutely gorgeous. I know, I'm horrible. Look up cover slut in the dictionary and you will find my picture. By rights I should be ashamed of myself, but you know what? I'm not. I'll grant my motivations were superficial, but had I not succumbed to them, I wouldn't have discovered this very original take on one of the most well known bible stories.
Kanner's work is unique on many levels. For one thing Noah's wife is not a prominent female in the Bible. Unlike Margaret George or Ginger Garret who have written about Mary Magdalene, Queen Esther, Delilah and Queen Jezebel, Kanner couldn't rely on a the celebrity of a name to draw in her readers. Kanner had to lay a lot more groundwork than the majority of her peers, but I think it also gave her more freedom as a writer, allowing her to move in directions her readers do not expect.
Also of note are Kanner's cast of characters. When reading Christian literature, I usually find authors who utilize one untarnished character to teach another the Lord's path, but there are no sugary sweet believers to be found among these pages, no one individual who is the embodiment of perfection. No, Kanner's characters are realistically flawed and all the more endearing for it.
When I began reading this story, I expected a biblical retelling, but the reality is The Sinners and the Sea is about a family, the relationships between them and the hardships they overcame. While not the easiest book to get into, I found Kanner's unconventional approach quite interesting.
April 20, 2013
Buy this book! Ms. Kanner has written a masterful and enjoyable debut novel. Terrific dialogue. She presents pre-modern characters vividly. I kept thinking as I was reading, "just one more chapter."
January 29, 2013
Sinners and The Sea, the Untold Story of Noah’s Wife starts with a fascinating premise—the story of a woman who wasn’t even named in the Bible, but became the mother of all generations after the great flood—and it does not disappoint.
It is the story of an unnamed woman from a harsh world, a world that is primitive and superstitious, where differences – like the red mark on her forehead – are met with distrust and violence, where a father must marry his beloved daughter to an ancient man before she is killed by those who fear her.
We sympathize with this unnamed woman because—as remote as her world seems to be from ours—she longs for all that we want for ourselves: to be known, loved, and accepted by her family and community. She wants to honor her father and do what is right by her husband, Noah. She wants to be accepted by her community, even the sinners that inhabit the desolate town where Noah brings his young wife. Most of all, she wants to be named, to have an identity that will live on even after she is gone.
As the unnamed woman marries Noah and has his children, we see the depths of her great compassion—for her ancient and frustrating husband, her warring sons, and even for the brutal villagers destined to die in the flood. Her compassion is so clearly drawn, I pitied even the most despicable of the sinners as they perished in the rising water.
Kanner’s narrative of the Biblical flood is completely new and unexpected. It is a compelling re-imagining, with surprising mythical and fantastic elements. Her historical detail, especially into that dark time of pre-history where much must be supposed or imagined, was impeccable and riveting.
After reading Sinners and the Sea, you’ll never look at the Biblical story of Noah and the flood in the same way again, and isn’t that Biblical fiction’s greatest purpose? To see the old stories with fresh eyes and perhaps find new meaning that brings us closer to God and his unfolding plan for our world?
It is the story of an unnamed woman from a harsh world, a world that is primitive and superstitious, where differences – like the red mark on her forehead – are met with distrust and violence, where a father must marry his beloved daughter to an ancient man before she is killed by those who fear her.
We sympathize with this unnamed woman because—as remote as her world seems to be from ours—she longs for all that we want for ourselves: to be known, loved, and accepted by her family and community. She wants to honor her father and do what is right by her husband, Noah. She wants to be accepted by her community, even the sinners that inhabit the desolate town where Noah brings his young wife. Most of all, she wants to be named, to have an identity that will live on even after she is gone.
As the unnamed woman marries Noah and has his children, we see the depths of her great compassion—for her ancient and frustrating husband, her warring sons, and even for the brutal villagers destined to die in the flood. Her compassion is so clearly drawn, I pitied even the most despicable of the sinners as they perished in the rising water.
Kanner’s narrative of the Biblical flood is completely new and unexpected. It is a compelling re-imagining, with surprising mythical and fantastic elements. Her historical detail, especially into that dark time of pre-history where much must be supposed or imagined, was impeccable and riveting.
After reading Sinners and the Sea, you’ll never look at the Biblical story of Noah and the flood in the same way again, and isn’t that Biblical fiction’s greatest purpose? To see the old stories with fresh eyes and perhaps find new meaning that brings us closer to God and his unfolding plan for our world?
August 13, 2015
Kanner thoughtfully explores the delicate space between right and wrong in this complex and gorgeous novel that is at once magical, heartbreaking, and inspiring. Definitely a must read!
April 2, 2013
What a remarkable debut! Rebecca Kanner's SINNERS AND THE SEA is a haunting, beautifully written story of struggle and redemption told through the eyes of the Biblical prophet Noah's wife. Kanner pulls no punches: She gives us humanity in all its wickedness -- bloodthirsty, greedy, cruel -- and the horror and heartbreak the inhabitants of Noah's ark might have felt as, unable to help, they listened to the screams of the dying and witnessed the utter obliteration of life on Earth. By the end of this book, I was in tears, for Kanner does lead us out of the valley of the shadow of death into a new world of promise and hope. SINNERS AND THE SEA is a profoundly moving tale, thrilling and fast-paced, and one of the best books I have read in a very long time.
April 28, 2013
Rebecca Kanner in her new book, “Sinners And The Sea” published by Howard Books takes us into the life of Noah’s wife.
From the Inside Jacket Cover: The young heroine in Sinners and the Sea is destined for greatness. Known only as “wife” in the Bible and cursed with a birthmark that many think is the brand of a demon, this unnamed woman—fated to become the mother of all generations after the great flood—lives anew through Rebecca Kanner. The author gives this virtuous woman the perfect voice to make one of the Old Testament’s stories come alive like never before.
Desperate to keep her safe, the woman’s father gives her to the righteous Noah, who weds her and takes her to the town of Sorum, a haven for outcasts. Alone in her new life, Noah’s wife gives him three sons. But living in this wicked and perverse town with an aloof husband who speaks more to God than to her takes its toll. Noah’s wife struggles to know her own identity and value. She tries to make friends with the violent and dissolute people of Sorum while raising a brood that, despite its pious upbringing, develops some sinful tendencies of its own. While Noah carries out the Lord’s commands, she tries to hide her mark and her shame as she weathers the scorn and taunts of the townspeople.
But these trials are nothing compared to what awaits her after God tells her husband that a flood is coming—and that Noah and his family must build an ark so that they alone can repopulate the world. As the floodwaters draw near, she grows in courage and honor, and when the water finally recedes, she emerges whole, displaying once and for all the indomitable strength of women. Drawing on the biblical narrative and Jewish mythology, Sinners and the Sea is a beautifully written account of the antediluvian world told in cinematic detail.
Ever wonder what life was like way back before the Flood? I read somewhere, sorry I have forgotten where, that all religions have some reference to a world flood. The Bible tells us that the world was full of sin and that there was only one family that could be spared destruction; Noah and his family. We pretty much are all familiar with Noah and what he did but we have never had a story of these events told us from the point of view of his wife. “Sinners And The Sea” has real drama in it and wonderful characters, not just Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives but the other inhabitants of the world that laughed and mocked this family before ultimately drowning. There is also romance. Ms. Kanner has built a back story for Mrs. Noah that is quite believable and her life with Noah is just like any married woman’s life; filled with highs and lows. It is just hers has the most climatic moment is human history. Rebecca Kanner has done more than give us a fictionalized retelling of Biblical events she has given us some real depth of history and faith in God. It is a marvelous story.
If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.
To listen to 24 hours non-stop, commercial free Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Howard Books for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
From the Inside Jacket Cover: The young heroine in Sinners and the Sea is destined for greatness. Known only as “wife” in the Bible and cursed with a birthmark that many think is the brand of a demon, this unnamed woman—fated to become the mother of all generations after the great flood—lives anew through Rebecca Kanner. The author gives this virtuous woman the perfect voice to make one of the Old Testament’s stories come alive like never before.
Desperate to keep her safe, the woman’s father gives her to the righteous Noah, who weds her and takes her to the town of Sorum, a haven for outcasts. Alone in her new life, Noah’s wife gives him three sons. But living in this wicked and perverse town with an aloof husband who speaks more to God than to her takes its toll. Noah’s wife struggles to know her own identity and value. She tries to make friends with the violent and dissolute people of Sorum while raising a brood that, despite its pious upbringing, develops some sinful tendencies of its own. While Noah carries out the Lord’s commands, she tries to hide her mark and her shame as she weathers the scorn and taunts of the townspeople.
But these trials are nothing compared to what awaits her after God tells her husband that a flood is coming—and that Noah and his family must build an ark so that they alone can repopulate the world. As the floodwaters draw near, she grows in courage and honor, and when the water finally recedes, she emerges whole, displaying once and for all the indomitable strength of women. Drawing on the biblical narrative and Jewish mythology, Sinners and the Sea is a beautifully written account of the antediluvian world told in cinematic detail.
Ever wonder what life was like way back before the Flood? I read somewhere, sorry I have forgotten where, that all religions have some reference to a world flood. The Bible tells us that the world was full of sin and that there was only one family that could be spared destruction; Noah and his family. We pretty much are all familiar with Noah and what he did but we have never had a story of these events told us from the point of view of his wife. “Sinners And The Sea” has real drama in it and wonderful characters, not just Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives but the other inhabitants of the world that laughed and mocked this family before ultimately drowning. There is also romance. Ms. Kanner has built a back story for Mrs. Noah that is quite believable and her life with Noah is just like any married woman’s life; filled with highs and lows. It is just hers has the most climatic moment is human history. Rebecca Kanner has done more than give us a fictionalized retelling of Biblical events she has given us some real depth of history and faith in God. It is a marvelous story.
If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.
To listen to 24 hours non-stop, commercial free Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Howard Books for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
January 20, 2013
There are Old Testament stories we know so well—the fall of Adam and Eve, the trials and tribulations of Job, the battle between David and Goliath. And of course, Noah and the flood.
The Bible tells us the world was full of sin and that Noah was commanded to build a giant ark before the destructive rains fell. But what of the others with Noah? What about his sons? His wife? What of the days before the flood?
Rebecca Kanner applies her imagination to her debut book, "The Sinners and the Sea." This intriguing novel tells of a common story—Noah and the ark—in a most uncommon way. It’s the story of Noah told through the eyes of his wife.
For surely Noah had a wife, but only his sons are mentioned in Genesis. Who was this unnamed woman? Why might she have never been named? Kanner’s explanation is that Noah’s wife was born with a birthmark on her forehead. Something today that would be of little consequence, but in a world full of sinners, a prominent birthmark was seen as the work of the devil. Because of the birthmark, the girl who would one day become Noah’s wife was never given a name and was ostracized by her community. Only her loving father was brave enough to protect her. And when Noah came around looking for a virtuous wife, the untouched young woman was his choice.
The perspective of Noah’s wife lends a nurturing, feminine presence often lacking in traditional Bible stories. The book is filled with tender moments as Noah’s wife takes sinners under her wing. She gives birth to sons and nurtures them while Noah is preoccupied with listening to and preaching God’s word.
She is faithful and committed to her husband. When he says they must build an ark, she doesn’t question him even though 1) there’s been a drought for years; 2) they live in the middle of the desert far away from any sources of wood; 3) the villagers will surely think they are crazy and will try to destroy them and/or the ark.
Despite the Biblical setting, I was most interested to see that this story could be applied to our lives today. Is there anything to which we are totally committed even when the going gets tough? Do we follow through on our vows to support the ones we love? Or do we back down at the slightest hint of any challenge? Noah’s wife could have walked away. But in doing so, she would have walked toward certain death.
I think this book can be read on a couple of different levels. For people simply interested in a good story, even if they don’t consider themselves people of faith, Kanner has created compelling and sympathetic characters. But if you are looking for a message of what it means to have unwavering faith, you can find it here, too.
I found myself eager to turn the pages throughout the book. Kanner does a good job of ending chapters on just the right note that encourages you to keep on reading. I wouldn't have minded a bit more at the end. Perhaps a sequel is in the works? I would keep reading this story with these characters.
For a new perspective on an old story, you can’t go wrong with "The Sinners and the Sea."
The Bible tells us the world was full of sin and that Noah was commanded to build a giant ark before the destructive rains fell. But what of the others with Noah? What about his sons? His wife? What of the days before the flood?
Rebecca Kanner applies her imagination to her debut book, "The Sinners and the Sea." This intriguing novel tells of a common story—Noah and the ark—in a most uncommon way. It’s the story of Noah told through the eyes of his wife.
For surely Noah had a wife, but only his sons are mentioned in Genesis. Who was this unnamed woman? Why might she have never been named? Kanner’s explanation is that Noah’s wife was born with a birthmark on her forehead. Something today that would be of little consequence, but in a world full of sinners, a prominent birthmark was seen as the work of the devil. Because of the birthmark, the girl who would one day become Noah’s wife was never given a name and was ostracized by her community. Only her loving father was brave enough to protect her. And when Noah came around looking for a virtuous wife, the untouched young woman was his choice.
The perspective of Noah’s wife lends a nurturing, feminine presence often lacking in traditional Bible stories. The book is filled with tender moments as Noah’s wife takes sinners under her wing. She gives birth to sons and nurtures them while Noah is preoccupied with listening to and preaching God’s word.
She is faithful and committed to her husband. When he says they must build an ark, she doesn’t question him even though 1) there’s been a drought for years; 2) they live in the middle of the desert far away from any sources of wood; 3) the villagers will surely think they are crazy and will try to destroy them and/or the ark.
Despite the Biblical setting, I was most interested to see that this story could be applied to our lives today. Is there anything to which we are totally committed even when the going gets tough? Do we follow through on our vows to support the ones we love? Or do we back down at the slightest hint of any challenge? Noah’s wife could have walked away. But in doing so, she would have walked toward certain death.
I think this book can be read on a couple of different levels. For people simply interested in a good story, even if they don’t consider themselves people of faith, Kanner has created compelling and sympathetic characters. But if you are looking for a message of what it means to have unwavering faith, you can find it here, too.
I found myself eager to turn the pages throughout the book. Kanner does a good job of ending chapters on just the right note that encourages you to keep on reading. I wouldn't have minded a bit more at the end. Perhaps a sequel is in the works? I would keep reading this story with these characters.
For a new perspective on an old story, you can’t go wrong with "The Sinners and the Sea."
November 18, 2013
I received this book in a Goodreads First-Reads promotion. Also, I happen to be friends with the author, which apparently didn't help with my selection to receive a copy of her book. I think she was as excited as I was when she saw her publsher's list of awardees about the same time that I found out.
That being said, I have no hesitation in writing this review and recommending her book. I also have no hesitation in giving it 5/5 stars; it is a well-written story with engaging characters and interesting dialogue. Other reviews will focus on events in the story; instead, all you need to know are the basics and that the author has done a meticulous (although not laborious) job of re-creating the world before the Great Flood.
In this tale, a young woman who has a large red birthmark on her face is married to Noah for her own protection. No one else has wanted her; she faces great danger in staying with her father as her birthmark indicates that she is a demon to the superstitious tribesmen. She has spent the last 19 years hiding in her father's tent serving him and has never been named. Noah is approximately 600 years old and has been searching for a wife who is pure of heart and also worships the God of Adam. If it were not for the danger she faced at home, she might have crumbled at what awaited her throughout her marriage to Noah.
Although tested in every way possible by Noah, her sons, her neighbors, and every imaginably uncomfortable aspect of life in ancient times, she perseveres and becomes a remarkable woman. Throughout this narrative, the author reveals the genuine and resilient spirit of a character who otherwise has barely been granted a mention in history.
The author utilizes a great deal of creativity, combined with warmth and humor, to make a largely unknown person a three-dimensional being about whom you cannot help but care. "Wife" is neither idealized nor glamorized yet becomes the strong pillar upon which Noah's family and his obedience to God rests.
There were parts of this story to which I can only surmise are based upon legends of which I was not familiar. I think that the author has done a worthy job of researching the settings and lifestyles of the peoples of that era, as well as employing a large reservoir of understanding into how interpersonal relationships actually work.
I can honestly recommend this book. When I finished it, I was staying with my husband in the city where he works; based upon my comments, he insisted that I leave the book with him when I went home!
That being said, I have no hesitation in writing this review and recommending her book. I also have no hesitation in giving it 5/5 stars; it is a well-written story with engaging characters and interesting dialogue. Other reviews will focus on events in the story; instead, all you need to know are the basics and that the author has done a meticulous (although not laborious) job of re-creating the world before the Great Flood.
In this tale, a young woman who has a large red birthmark on her face is married to Noah for her own protection. No one else has wanted her; she faces great danger in staying with her father as her birthmark indicates that she is a demon to the superstitious tribesmen. She has spent the last 19 years hiding in her father's tent serving him and has never been named. Noah is approximately 600 years old and has been searching for a wife who is pure of heart and also worships the God of Adam. If it were not for the danger she faced at home, she might have crumbled at what awaited her throughout her marriage to Noah.
Although tested in every way possible by Noah, her sons, her neighbors, and every imaginably uncomfortable aspect of life in ancient times, she perseveres and becomes a remarkable woman. Throughout this narrative, the author reveals the genuine and resilient spirit of a character who otherwise has barely been granted a mention in history.
The author utilizes a great deal of creativity, combined with warmth and humor, to make a largely unknown person a three-dimensional being about whom you cannot help but care. "Wife" is neither idealized nor glamorized yet becomes the strong pillar upon which Noah's family and his obedience to God rests.
There were parts of this story to which I can only surmise are based upon legends of which I was not familiar. I think that the author has done a worthy job of researching the settings and lifestyles of the peoples of that era, as well as employing a large reservoir of understanding into how interpersonal relationships actually work.
I can honestly recommend this book. When I finished it, I was staying with my husband in the city where he works; based upon my comments, he insisted that I leave the book with him when I went home!
April 4, 2013
The Sinners and the Sea is the story of Noah's wife, through her own voice. Whether or not one believes the literal truth of the flood story, one might ponder how Noah met his wife, what their relationships might have been with the sons she eventually bore, and their wives--and more so, from whence did Noah's wife even come? What was her life like before Noah and the flood?
In the Bible, Noah's wife has no name, and no story. She surely must have been an interesting woman in her own right. Kanner begins well by creating a rather tragic character, shunned by those around her for nothing but a birthmark and superstition. Her father never gives her a name, for fear that name could be used to work ill against her. But he keeps her safe for years, with no man wanting her for his wife. Then, Noah enters the picture, already aged, struggling to listen to God's voice and to do God's will as best he can. He takes the unnamed girl off to his own land to be his wife. She eventually bears him three sons in as many years. As they live near a town filled with people whose conduct is certainly questionable, Noah spends much of his days lecturing them, warning them that the "God of Adam" means to punish sinners. After his sons grow, they begin to build the ark. All is not idyllic on the ark, and one starts to wonder if this family will even survive.
This is a believable story of a man whose relationship with his God is at the very beginning moments. It is fragile, and Kanner depicts Noah himself as occasionally feeling uncertainty. What is most remarkable and appealing about The Sinners and The Sea s that it is more complex than simply "Noah's good family" vs "all the other sinners." To the contrary, the three sons of Noah could be anyone's sons, with their own attitudes, shaped by events and by their own inner musings. But. most importantly, this is not the story of Noah and the Flood--it is the story of a woman whose life was altered by her becoming wife to a man fervent in his faith that he was touched by his God, when she herself knew nothing. It is a story of devotion even in the strangest of circumstances.
In the Bible, Noah's wife has no name, and no story. She surely must have been an interesting woman in her own right. Kanner begins well by creating a rather tragic character, shunned by those around her for nothing but a birthmark and superstition. Her father never gives her a name, for fear that name could be used to work ill against her. But he keeps her safe for years, with no man wanting her for his wife. Then, Noah enters the picture, already aged, struggling to listen to God's voice and to do God's will as best he can. He takes the unnamed girl off to his own land to be his wife. She eventually bears him three sons in as many years. As they live near a town filled with people whose conduct is certainly questionable, Noah spends much of his days lecturing them, warning them that the "God of Adam" means to punish sinners. After his sons grow, they begin to build the ark. All is not idyllic on the ark, and one starts to wonder if this family will even survive.
This is a believable story of a man whose relationship with his God is at the very beginning moments. It is fragile, and Kanner depicts Noah himself as occasionally feeling uncertainty. What is most remarkable and appealing about The Sinners and The Sea s that it is more complex than simply "Noah's good family" vs "all the other sinners." To the contrary, the three sons of Noah could be anyone's sons, with their own attitudes, shaped by events and by their own inner musings. But. most importantly, this is not the story of Noah and the Flood--it is the story of a woman whose life was altered by her becoming wife to a man fervent in his faith that he was touched by his God, when she herself knew nothing. It is a story of devotion even in the strangest of circumstances.
January 6, 2013
You know how everyone knows who Noah is, but we never hear about his wife? That’s because (according to this book, and who am I to argue?) she had no name. Her father never named her because she was born with a large facial birthmark that many called a demon mark. By keeping the girl nameless, he hoped to prevent people in her bloodlusting village from abusing her by name. This quiet, terrified girl, repulsed by so many, is one day given as a virtuous, submissive wife to a crazy, 500-year-old religious nut named Noah.
I love the way Ms Kanner walked us through the days and nights of the unassuming wife of one of civilization’s most renowned prophets. As unimportant as the woman believes she is, as disrespected as she is, despite her doubts and fears, she will nevertheless one day bear the future of the world. We are shown the violence and grime of the era through almost apathetic eyes, the viewpoint of a woman who has experienced nothing but that kind of life since the day she was born. When she sees something innocent or beautiful it is as if she is in awe. We watch her evolve as we watch the characters around her deal with the end of the world and the beginning of another.
A stirring, fascinating story written beautifully.
I love the way Ms Kanner walked us through the days and nights of the unassuming wife of one of civilization’s most renowned prophets. As unimportant as the woman believes she is, as disrespected as she is, despite her doubts and fears, she will nevertheless one day bear the future of the world. We are shown the violence and grime of the era through almost apathetic eyes, the viewpoint of a woman who has experienced nothing but that kind of life since the day she was born. When she sees something innocent or beautiful it is as if she is in awe. We watch her evolve as we watch the characters around her deal with the end of the world and the beginning of another.
A stirring, fascinating story written beautifully.
August 8, 2015
So beautifully written! Extremely intense and suspenseful considering we all know pretty much what happens. I really felt THERE on the ark, gasping for breath and spitting out water and shoveling dung. The characters and their relationships are so vivid and true - they grow, we love them or hate them, sometimes both. Very moving and satisfying ending. Can't wait for the author's next book!
June 28, 2016
Well...having just finished this book I can definitely attest to the fact that this is one that lingers with the reader. Finishing it in the middle of the night is also quite an interesting feeling because this is the after effects that I am left with. This dark strange dark night memory of a land before time as we know it. Everyone knows the Biblical story of Noah and the Ark. We almost breeze past it in Bible study for its familiarity. It's remade into soft children's tales with colorful smiling Noah avatars riding in his little houseboat upon frothy blue waves. But this author took the G rating out and gave some grit to the story. This story was not gum drops and candy and prettily drawn little suns drawn in the corner of coloring pages with yellow crayon. This was real. This was not pretty and if we believe in a flood, more than likely it played out more like this.
Of course this is Historical Fiction so there is the element of Fiction spun by the authors imagination but the theory is very plausible.
This is the story of Noah and the Ark from his wife's point of view. A point of view that if it existed or did was edited out or is lost to the sands of time because the final Biblical word that we now refer to was fashion by men. Or at least this is what we are lead to believe. What if the story was narrated by a righteous woman? Noah's wife. This is that story. The reader is given the notion to imagine who is this woman that we come to know as married to such a great man. Where did she come from? Why was she chosen to be the matriarch of all humankind? What type of mother was she to her three sons: Shem, Japheth and Ham? And not just of her, her sons. What were sons truly like? There were to have repopulated the Earth but who were they as siblings and as men? Who were their wives and how did they come to be the wives of these fathers of the Earth. Were they the only fathers of the Earth? And what of Noah? The more than 500 year old man who talked to God constantly to the point that even his own sons wondered if he was insane. Especially when he told them that God had instructed him to build an ark.
The author also takes a deeper look into and applies some creative though into imaging some side characters that really round out the brief story that we are all accustomed to hearing. This nightmarish land that was the example of how horrible the world had become to make God hate His creation so much that He decided to clear it all and start again. How horrible did it have to be? I commend the author for painting a picture of Noah's town that was very frightening. Almost as frightening as the days and nights floating through the dark world on an ark filled with wrestles beasts wondering about the death toll and if you are the only living things left to tell the story. Can you imagine with only lighting periodically illuminating the skyline? Catching a glimpse of bodies floating on waves, on makeshift rafts, on phantom ships. Was that a ship? That couldn't be a ship? Was that a Nephilim? And all throughout memories of those who were left behind because God did not save them.
In a way this could be categorized as a little post apocalyptic. After all, wasn't it? Much credit to the author for what she turned this Biblical story into fictionally. I give this book 4 stars. Definitely. Recommend it? Yes. Now I need to pick up another book quickly. Because although as the story goes, they landed on the bright, luscious new Earth in the end but the part that stuck with me was the chaotic "out land" experience.
Of course this is Historical Fiction so there is the element of Fiction spun by the authors imagination but the theory is very plausible.
This is the story of Noah and the Ark from his wife's point of view. A point of view that if it existed or did was edited out or is lost to the sands of time because the final Biblical word that we now refer to was fashion by men. Or at least this is what we are lead to believe. What if the story was narrated by a righteous woman? Noah's wife. This is that story. The reader is given the notion to imagine who is this woman that we come to know as married to such a great man. Where did she come from? Why was she chosen to be the matriarch of all humankind? What type of mother was she to her three sons: Shem, Japheth and Ham? And not just of her, her sons. What were sons truly like? There were to have repopulated the Earth but who were they as siblings and as men? Who were their wives and how did they come to be the wives of these fathers of the Earth. Were they the only fathers of the Earth? And what of Noah? The more than 500 year old man who talked to God constantly to the point that even his own sons wondered if he was insane. Especially when he told them that God had instructed him to build an ark.
The author also takes a deeper look into and applies some creative though into imaging some side characters that really round out the brief story that we are all accustomed to hearing. This nightmarish land that was the example of how horrible the world had become to make God hate His creation so much that He decided to clear it all and start again. How horrible did it have to be? I commend the author for painting a picture of Noah's town that was very frightening. Almost as frightening as the days and nights floating through the dark world on an ark filled with wrestles beasts wondering about the death toll and if you are the only living things left to tell the story. Can you imagine with only lighting periodically illuminating the skyline? Catching a glimpse of bodies floating on waves, on makeshift rafts, on phantom ships. Was that a ship? That couldn't be a ship? Was that a Nephilim? And all throughout memories of those who were left behind because God did not save them.
In a way this could be categorized as a little post apocalyptic. After all, wasn't it? Much credit to the author for what she turned this Biblical story into fictionally. I give this book 4 stars. Definitely. Recommend it? Yes. Now I need to pick up another book quickly. Because although as the story goes, they landed on the bright, luscious new Earth in the end but the part that stuck with me was the chaotic "out land" experience.
January 28, 2013
I am a big fan of Biblical fiction. There are so many fascinating tales to be further fleshed out from the stories in the Bible. In Sinners and the Sea Noah's story is told but from the perspective of his wife, a woman who remains unnamed. How sad is that - to go down in history without a name?
She was born with a "mark" what I guess we would call a port wine stain now. But in times less informed any difference from what was normal was considered the mark of the devil. Abandoned by her mother and sheltered by her father she grows up in fear. Afraid she will never know the love of a husband or the joys of motherhood. The surrounding villagers want to kill her and her father soon finds a solution - 900 year old Noah is looking for a virtuous wife. He will come and take her away. Our nameless woman soon becomes a wife and not long after a mother. But it is not all as she had hoped since Noah talks mostly to the God of Adam and not to her. She has only one woman who will talk to her and she is a whore of whom Noah does not approve. Her life is hard but it is only going to get worse because Noah tells her they must start building an ark as the world will soon be destroyed.
Most of us know the story of Noah and the ark but I really had no knowledge of his wife or sons. Obviously this is a work of fiction and there is artistic license taken but it is a compelling story with the fantastical and magical elements one would expect in a Biblical tale. At the same time it humanizes Noah and not always in a good way - he comes off a bit of a nut case if you ask me. His sons don't come off looking like saints either - they are selfish children. In fact most of the other characters in the book come off as most unpleasant. The exceptions being our heroine's father, the whore Javan, and Javan's simple minded daughter, Herai.
This was a fascinating book and one I finished in one sitting. I actually pulled the Bible off the shelf and read the passages pertaining to Noah after I finished the book. It was interesting to read the spare writing of the Bible after the fleshed out fiction of Sinners and the Sea. This book really packed an emotional punch while trying to tell a nameless woman's story. The Bible stints in its treatment of women so it needs be left to historical fiction authors to bring them to life. Ms. Kanner did that most vividly in her debut work.
She was born with a "mark" what I guess we would call a port wine stain now. But in times less informed any difference from what was normal was considered the mark of the devil. Abandoned by her mother and sheltered by her father she grows up in fear. Afraid she will never know the love of a husband or the joys of motherhood. The surrounding villagers want to kill her and her father soon finds a solution - 900 year old Noah is looking for a virtuous wife. He will come and take her away. Our nameless woman soon becomes a wife and not long after a mother. But it is not all as she had hoped since Noah talks mostly to the God of Adam and not to her. She has only one woman who will talk to her and she is a whore of whom Noah does not approve. Her life is hard but it is only going to get worse because Noah tells her they must start building an ark as the world will soon be destroyed.
Most of us know the story of Noah and the ark but I really had no knowledge of his wife or sons. Obviously this is a work of fiction and there is artistic license taken but it is a compelling story with the fantastical and magical elements one would expect in a Biblical tale. At the same time it humanizes Noah and not always in a good way - he comes off a bit of a nut case if you ask me. His sons don't come off looking like saints either - they are selfish children. In fact most of the other characters in the book come off as most unpleasant. The exceptions being our heroine's father, the whore Javan, and Javan's simple minded daughter, Herai.
This was a fascinating book and one I finished in one sitting. I actually pulled the Bible off the shelf and read the passages pertaining to Noah after I finished the book. It was interesting to read the spare writing of the Bible after the fleshed out fiction of Sinners and the Sea. This book really packed an emotional punch while trying to tell a nameless woman's story. The Bible stints in its treatment of women so it needs be left to historical fiction authors to bring them to life. Ms. Kanner did that most vividly in her debut work.
February 4, 2013
I loved the cover for this book, so I thought I would give it a try. I am really happy to report that the cover did not lie. This is a passionately written novel. The opportunity to look through the eyes of the main character at the world of that time was like nothing I have experienced.
As a young woman with an unfortunate birth mark, the main character was dubbed "Demon Woman" by those in her homeland. She grew up under the protection of her father, and when a traveler, Noah, agreed to marry her and take her away from those who wished to lynch mob her, she did not have any idea of the life that awaited her.
An incredible journey, would be the best way I could think to describe this work. The amount of research Rebecca Kanner put into the writing of this book must have been endless. I love stories based on biblical figures, but this one truly topped the others I have read. The imagery is so vivid that you would swear you are there experiencing things yourself.
What made me feel so close to this book, was not just the humble attitude of the main character, but the developing relationship between her and the God her husband worshiped and relied on. As she fights to right wrongs amongst the people, raise her children and be a good wife, she proves that she is stronger than she could have imagined back when she was young.
From beginning to end, this was an enthralling read. The dialogue was so well written I had trouble imagining it was someone from this day and age that wrote it. There are some portions of the book that contain bad language, but I thought they were appropriate for the scenes they were in and added to the description of the people.
I Loved it. I would recommend this book to others who love tightly woven stories with a historical/biblical focus.
This review is based on an ARC from the publisher.
As a young woman with an unfortunate birth mark, the main character was dubbed "Demon Woman" by those in her homeland. She grew up under the protection of her father, and when a traveler, Noah, agreed to marry her and take her away from those who wished to lynch mob her, she did not have any idea of the life that awaited her.
An incredible journey, would be the best way I could think to describe this work. The amount of research Rebecca Kanner put into the writing of this book must have been endless. I love stories based on biblical figures, but this one truly topped the others I have read. The imagery is so vivid that you would swear you are there experiencing things yourself.
What made me feel so close to this book, was not just the humble attitude of the main character, but the developing relationship between her and the God her husband worshiped and relied on. As she fights to right wrongs amongst the people, raise her children and be a good wife, she proves that she is stronger than she could have imagined back when she was young.
From beginning to end, this was an enthralling read. The dialogue was so well written I had trouble imagining it was someone from this day and age that wrote it. There are some portions of the book that contain bad language, but I thought they were appropriate for the scenes they were in and added to the description of the people.
I Loved it. I would recommend this book to others who love tightly woven stories with a historical/biblical focus.
This review is based on an ARC from the publisher.
February 24, 2013
Sinners and the Sea by Rebecca Kanner is a comparable read to The Red Tent By Anita Diamant. A great read! You will not want to put this one down until you have finished
The author's portrait of this ancient land and its people invites you to experience the hopelessness and daily struggle for survival in a land suffering from drought, famine and soullessness. But more than this portrait of an ancient time and the story of Noah and his Ark, it is a portrait of the women, those women without names in the biblical account, whose labor and love are as integral to the story of Noah's Ark as is Noah himself.
She is given no name at birth and deserted by a mother ashamed of a child born with a birthmark on her forehead and destined to be considered a demon by the superstitious of her time. This woman raised by her loving and protective father is given in marriage to Noah for her protection and the chance to have a family and a name. She becomes known as wife and mother and continues to pray for the day she is given a name.
Many will not recognize the vengeful and vindictive God portrayed in Ms. Kanner's novel. Noah's struggles as seen through the eyes of his wife are similar to the struggles many experience today when they point to the evil they see in others and miss their own. We are too far removed from the time of Noah to understand the cleansing of the world by the great flood. But this wife and mother with her family who survived the flood and their days on the Ark were no less flawed than those who perished.
.
The author's portrait of this ancient land and its people invites you to experience the hopelessness and daily struggle for survival in a land suffering from drought, famine and soullessness. But more than this portrait of an ancient time and the story of Noah and his Ark, it is a portrait of the women, those women without names in the biblical account, whose labor and love are as integral to the story of Noah's Ark as is Noah himself.
She is given no name at birth and deserted by a mother ashamed of a child born with a birthmark on her forehead and destined to be considered a demon by the superstitious of her time. This woman raised by her loving and protective father is given in marriage to Noah for her protection and the chance to have a family and a name. She becomes known as wife and mother and continues to pray for the day she is given a name.
Many will not recognize the vengeful and vindictive God portrayed in Ms. Kanner's novel. Noah's struggles as seen through the eyes of his wife are similar to the struggles many experience today when they point to the evil they see in others and miss their own. We are too far removed from the time of Noah to understand the cleansing of the world by the great flood. But this wife and mother with her family who survived the flood and their days on the Ark were no less flawed than those who perished.
.
May 18, 2013
While most Biblically-inspired fiction mines the passages of the New Testament’s final book, Rebecca Kanner refreshingly draws from the first book of the Old Testament. Much like Game of Thrones has Winter, Sinners and the Sea has the Flood. And the dark waters are rising.
Our heroine, the unnamed wife of the notorious Noah, narrates the harrowing story of her journey from Egypt to Eschaton and beyond. Kanner’s technical brilliance is on full display as she unpacks a dark and beautiful epic from a few lines of scripture. Make no mistake; this is not left behind pulp fiction. This is literature at its finest.
Our heroine, the unnamed wife of the notorious Noah, narrates the harrowing story of her journey from Egypt to Eschaton and beyond. Kanner’s technical brilliance is on full display as she unpacks a dark and beautiful epic from a few lines of scripture. Make no mistake; this is not left behind pulp fiction. This is literature at its finest.
June 26, 2013
Rebecca Kanner writes with wonderful prose that stays with you after the book has been set down. Her characters are vividly brought to life and, while I'm normally not a fan of books written in present tense, it works in this story. I love that you are WITH Noah's family on the ark. And I love that the lack of a name is a theme that persists to the very end. I can see some of the parts of this story (especially Herai!) seeming so real that one might wonder if it really was in the original biblical story or not, much like the midrash of Avram destroying the idols in his father's market.
Read
April 22, 2013I'm filled with admiration for the achievement of this book. I will have more to say about it soon (I hope!). Meantime, I'm grateful to have received a complimentary advance copy.
UPDATE, 4/22: Please see my Q&A with author Rebecca Kanner: http://blogs.forward.com/sisterhood-b...
UPDATE, 4/22: Please see my Q&A with author Rebecca Kanner: http://blogs.forward.com/sisterhood-b...
April 30, 2013
My friend Rebecca, aka Bex, wrote this book and it's really, really good! Putting aside my bias, this book is very well-written and a compelling read. I kept turning the pages, eager to find out what happened next with our heroine. One of my favorite parts of the story were how supportive the female characters were of one another. I think this would be a great book club book. Highly recommend!
June 13, 2013
Awesome. The language even sounds Biblical, like a novel picked off the dusty upper shelves in the back room of a used book store. And that's a good thing.
October 8, 2013
There are several women in the Bible who play key roles at pivotal points, but remain unnamed and voiceless — perhaps none more important than Noah’s wife, who becomes the ancestor of all humanity that has lived after the Flood, but who is known in scripture only as her husband’s wife and her sons’ mother. Rebecca Kanner has taken this blank canvas and given Noah’s wife a story and a voice.
Of course, the canvas isn’t really blank: the story of Noah and the Flood is universally familiar. The mention of Noah himself immediately conjures up an image of an old man with a white beard, the last of the ten antediluvian patriarchs, the prophet of the Flood, captain of the Ark. But even of Noah we know little: Genesis describes him only as “a righteous man, blameless in his generation.” Of Noah’s wife we know even less.
Kanner starts there: she introduces her protagonist as “a marked and nameless girl,” unnamed and marginalized even in her own story because of a disfiguring birthmark that her neighbors attribute to demonic influence. Only her father shows her care and kindness; long after she would normally have been married off, he arranges a match for his daughter with the 500-year-old Noah, to whose sordid hometown she journeys with him on a slow donkey.
Noah is not a sympathetic character. Not only is he old, he is grouchy, pessimistic, and disgusted with the low moral estate to which humanity has fallen. (“The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth ....” —Gen. 6.5–6.) Noah is God’s prophet, the only one to whom and through whom God speaks, but Noah’s sour, crazed fulminations are about as persuasive as a wild-eyed street-corner preacher on a soapbox who thunders hellfire and damnation at the passersby. Noah is insensitive to the point of cruelty, capable of unkindness and even injustice. His neighbors tolerate him only because of his wealth, and the magical protection that charms his property.
Noah’s wife is not some post-feminist icon, but a woman of her times: a dutiful wife and mother in a harsh and inhospitable world, where she makes a home and raises a family. She understands the order of things: “I knew I was the least needed of all those God had put on the ark. Noah was the prophet of His word, and our sons and daughters-in-law were tasked with repopulating the world. I could clean and weave. But so could everyone else ....”
Her sons are vividly drawn, warts and all: the eldest is popular but lecherous, the youngest is loving but foolish, the third is holy but violent. Together they build the ark and weather the flood, but only after finding wives (sometimes at the very last possible moment) and beating off their drowning neighbors and relatives. The story is not for the faint of heart. And Kanner is fully aware of her world’s cruelty and unfairness: as Noah’s sons lord it over the slaves who are building their ark, their mother enjoins her son Ham to an act of kindness toward a slave whose own kindness has endangered him, so that “we will not appear unjust to the rest of the men.” Ham’s sarcastic answer speaks volumes: “If we appeared just, they would get up and leave.” Noah’s wife’s humanity shines through best amidst the apocalypse: “Our heads are full of people who are not on the ark. We think of them more than we did when we knew them, and sometimes more than we think of one another.”
Kanner’s storytelling is clean and unadorned, reminiscent of Hemingway at points. She remains generally faithful to the biblical narrative, with an occasional homage; for example, in the Bible, a literal century passes between Noah’s oldest son’s birth and the Flood. The sons in Kanner’s book are young men, but her weary Noah laments, “Between the day Shem was born and the first day of the rains, I aged a hundred years.” His wife reports, “I do not know how this could be true, but I believe him. ‘I am sorry,’ I say, ‘that I did not notice.’”
“Sinners and the Sea” is a feat of storytelling, a fresh and original take on a familiar story.
Of course, the canvas isn’t really blank: the story of Noah and the Flood is universally familiar. The mention of Noah himself immediately conjures up an image of an old man with a white beard, the last of the ten antediluvian patriarchs, the prophet of the Flood, captain of the Ark. But even of Noah we know little: Genesis describes him only as “a righteous man, blameless in his generation.” Of Noah’s wife we know even less.
Kanner starts there: she introduces her protagonist as “a marked and nameless girl,” unnamed and marginalized even in her own story because of a disfiguring birthmark that her neighbors attribute to demonic influence. Only her father shows her care and kindness; long after she would normally have been married off, he arranges a match for his daughter with the 500-year-old Noah, to whose sordid hometown she journeys with him on a slow donkey.
Noah is not a sympathetic character. Not only is he old, he is grouchy, pessimistic, and disgusted with the low moral estate to which humanity has fallen. (“The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth ....” —Gen. 6.5–6.) Noah is God’s prophet, the only one to whom and through whom God speaks, but Noah’s sour, crazed fulminations are about as persuasive as a wild-eyed street-corner preacher on a soapbox who thunders hellfire and damnation at the passersby. Noah is insensitive to the point of cruelty, capable of unkindness and even injustice. His neighbors tolerate him only because of his wealth, and the magical protection that charms his property.
Noah’s wife is not some post-feminist icon, but a woman of her times: a dutiful wife and mother in a harsh and inhospitable world, where she makes a home and raises a family. She understands the order of things: “I knew I was the least needed of all those God had put on the ark. Noah was the prophet of His word, and our sons and daughters-in-law were tasked with repopulating the world. I could clean and weave. But so could everyone else ....”
Her sons are vividly drawn, warts and all: the eldest is popular but lecherous, the youngest is loving but foolish, the third is holy but violent. Together they build the ark and weather the flood, but only after finding wives (sometimes at the very last possible moment) and beating off their drowning neighbors and relatives. The story is not for the faint of heart. And Kanner is fully aware of her world’s cruelty and unfairness: as Noah’s sons lord it over the slaves who are building their ark, their mother enjoins her son Ham to an act of kindness toward a slave whose own kindness has endangered him, so that “we will not appear unjust to the rest of the men.” Ham’s sarcastic answer speaks volumes: “If we appeared just, they would get up and leave.” Noah’s wife’s humanity shines through best amidst the apocalypse: “Our heads are full of people who are not on the ark. We think of them more than we did when we knew them, and sometimes more than we think of one another.”
Kanner’s storytelling is clean and unadorned, reminiscent of Hemingway at points. She remains generally faithful to the biblical narrative, with an occasional homage; for example, in the Bible, a literal century passes between Noah’s oldest son’s birth and the Flood. The sons in Kanner’s book are young men, but her weary Noah laments, “Between the day Shem was born and the first day of the rains, I aged a hundred years.” His wife reports, “I do not know how this could be true, but I believe him. ‘I am sorry,’ I say, ‘that I did not notice.’”
“Sinners and the Sea” is a feat of storytelling, a fresh and original take on a familiar story.
January 7, 2021
I loved this cover of the book, and was so excited to read it. I began, and was finding it a little weird, but continued on nevertheless, thinking it might get better. Here's my opinion after reading about almost a half of the book.
I think that Rebecca Kanner is very good at writing, and in no way does how my review of the book have to do with her style of writing. The characters were very believable, and they were interesting. She described things quite well too.
Noah's wife was an interesting character. She may have very well not had a name, but then neither would his daughters have, as the bible doesn't mention their names either. She wasn't a follower of God, and I don't think she would have not been in real life. I also wouldn't think she would be almost best friend of a woman who was the head of a brothel, a murderer too.
Noah was shown to be a fanatical, and totally crazy man. He wasn't nice to his wife or children, neither was he nice to anyone else. I feel like he and his family would not have been spared if they were like that. I also do not think that he would have married an unbeliever, perhaps they would have been at one time. When Noah went out to call the people to God, I don't think he was just yelling at them. He did it in compassion, and I'm sure he shed many a tear for them. He wouldn't have thought that because of the parent's sins, the children were automatically sinners too. That is not what Jesus taught.
Noah's sons weren't very nice either. Ham and Shem mocked their father, and didn't believe him. I did not find them to be anyone who God would want to have on the ark. Sure, they weren't as bad as everyone else but they were bad nevertheless. Japheth did listen to his father somewhat, but it didn't get much into him. At least not as far as I read. I know that Ham was not a good son it says in the Bible, but that was after the flood. I do not think before the flood he would have been so disrespectful.
I found Noah's search for a wife for them to be silly, and it wasn't like God was helping find them. They weren't very righteous women either.
There is evidence that people back them were much smarter than we are now, and had very advanced technology, way more advanced then we have now. There was gold and precious stones, and there houses were probably way more fancy than today's. Not tents like the book portrayed.
The people were also bigger, like Adam was. When they were Noah's age, they weren't scraggly old men, they still had vigor and were probably more like a 50-60 year old now days.
In the garden of Eden, everyone was eating fruits and plants. People weren't to eat meat until after the flood. God wouldn't have told Noah that he could eat meat after the flood if he was eating it before the flood. Also the garden of Eden was a very green place, and the earth was too before the flood. I don't think there were deserts.
I also found that the 'sons of God' part, was also very fictional. Really? Purple hair? I don't think so. And that so many people were demon possessed? I don't think that was the case before the flood.
Overall I found this book to be very fictional, I don't think it went along with the real story of Noah at all. Sure the people were evil, and God destroyed them in a flood, but Noah wasn't portrayed as he should have been. I feel like this would be a lot like the movie Noah was. I never watched it, so I can't say for sure though. I wouldn't recommend this book at all. It does not strengthen your faith, and is a waste of time.
I think that Rebecca Kanner is very good at writing, and in no way does how my review of the book have to do with her style of writing. The characters were very believable, and they were interesting. She described things quite well too.
Noah's wife was an interesting character. She may have very well not had a name, but then neither would his daughters have, as the bible doesn't mention their names either. She wasn't a follower of God, and I don't think she would have not been in real life. I also wouldn't think she would be almost best friend of a woman who was the head of a brothel, a murderer too.
Noah was shown to be a fanatical, and totally crazy man. He wasn't nice to his wife or children, neither was he nice to anyone else. I feel like he and his family would not have been spared if they were like that. I also do not think that he would have married an unbeliever, perhaps they would have been at one time. When Noah went out to call the people to God, I don't think he was just yelling at them. He did it in compassion, and I'm sure he shed many a tear for them. He wouldn't have thought that because of the parent's sins, the children were automatically sinners too. That is not what Jesus taught.
Noah's sons weren't very nice either. Ham and Shem mocked their father, and didn't believe him. I did not find them to be anyone who God would want to have on the ark. Sure, they weren't as bad as everyone else but they were bad nevertheless. Japheth did listen to his father somewhat, but it didn't get much into him. At least not as far as I read. I know that Ham was not a good son it says in the Bible, but that was after the flood. I do not think before the flood he would have been so disrespectful.
I found Noah's search for a wife for them to be silly, and it wasn't like God was helping find them. They weren't very righteous women either.
There is evidence that people back them were much smarter than we are now, and had very advanced technology, way more advanced then we have now. There was gold and precious stones, and there houses were probably way more fancy than today's. Not tents like the book portrayed.
The people were also bigger, like Adam was. When they were Noah's age, they weren't scraggly old men, they still had vigor and were probably more like a 50-60 year old now days.
In the garden of Eden, everyone was eating fruits and plants. People weren't to eat meat until after the flood. God wouldn't have told Noah that he could eat meat after the flood if he was eating it before the flood. Also the garden of Eden was a very green place, and the earth was too before the flood. I don't think there were deserts.
I also found that the 'sons of God' part, was also very fictional. Really? Purple hair? I don't think so. And that so many people were demon possessed? I don't think that was the case before the flood.
Overall I found this book to be very fictional, I don't think it went along with the real story of Noah at all. Sure the people were evil, and God destroyed them in a flood, but Noah wasn't portrayed as he should have been. I feel like this would be a lot like the movie Noah was. I never watched it, so I can't say for sure though. I wouldn't recommend this book at all. It does not strengthen your faith, and is a waste of time.
June 2, 2014
“A Prize-Winner That Holds You in its Grips”
If you thought you knew all there was to know about Noah and his family—think again! Once you start reading this magnificent novel, it will hold you in its grips and never let you go until you’ve finished the last page. Most of us are familiar with the age-old story of Noah and the Ark God commanded him to build, but a very significant, yet forgotten person in this event was his Wife—a strong-willed, courageous, level-headed soul with no name and a birthmark (called a stain at that time) over her eyebrow, both plaguing her for most of her life. Her Father, Eben, purposely did not name her so the people of their village could not speak of her harshly, or spread unfounded lies, such as that she was a demon, etc. She kept feeling that needed to know her worth and purpose in life. She had resigned herself to the fact that no man would ever want her for a wife, when, at the age of 19 yrs., (Much older than typical brides in and around their village) her Father, with the assistance of “Arrat the Storyteller” gave her to Noah, a 600 yr. old Prophet who follows and preaches God’s word and foretells of the great flood which will cleanse the earth of sinners. Sadly, they leave her beloved Father and her village behind and travel to Noah’s tent and his land on the outskirts of Sorum, “The town of exiles”, where people are “Branded” with an X on their foreheads due to their misdeeds. Noah had tried relentlessly to convert the corrupted souls and convince them to follow the laws of God. What an ugly place! What a journey! Noah’s Wife meets several unforgettable characters, including a barbaric, demonic young man named Jank, an incredibly strong, opinionated “Madam” of Sorum by the name of Javan and her mentally-challenged Daughter, Herai, of whom Wife becomes very close to and fond of. Noah’s Wife gives birth to three sons, Shem, Japheth, and Ham with Noah not paying much attention to his fast-growing sons or dedicated wife, but continues to ask God for guidance, including wisdom to choose the right wives for his sons, as they will be responsible for repopulating the earth. You quickly learn that people are not always who or what they seem. You will become disgusted by actions, gasping at some, feel the frustrations of both Noah and his Wife and the anger of their children, as well as the warm glow of love. Thank-you Ms. Kanner,for such an incredibly powerful, jaw-dropping, heart-stopping tale of one memorable woman. If there is one book to top your TBR list this summer, by all means, let it be this one. You won’t want to miss this sure-to-be prize-winner!
Nancy Narma
If you thought you knew all there was to know about Noah and his family—think again! Once you start reading this magnificent novel, it will hold you in its grips and never let you go until you’ve finished the last page. Most of us are familiar with the age-old story of Noah and the Ark God commanded him to build, but a very significant, yet forgotten person in this event was his Wife—a strong-willed, courageous, level-headed soul with no name and a birthmark (called a stain at that time) over her eyebrow, both plaguing her for most of her life. Her Father, Eben, purposely did not name her so the people of their village could not speak of her harshly, or spread unfounded lies, such as that she was a demon, etc. She kept feeling that needed to know her worth and purpose in life. She had resigned herself to the fact that no man would ever want her for a wife, when, at the age of 19 yrs., (Much older than typical brides in and around their village) her Father, with the assistance of “Arrat the Storyteller” gave her to Noah, a 600 yr. old Prophet who follows and preaches God’s word and foretells of the great flood which will cleanse the earth of sinners. Sadly, they leave her beloved Father and her village behind and travel to Noah’s tent and his land on the outskirts of Sorum, “The town of exiles”, where people are “Branded” with an X on their foreheads due to their misdeeds. Noah had tried relentlessly to convert the corrupted souls and convince them to follow the laws of God. What an ugly place! What a journey! Noah’s Wife meets several unforgettable characters, including a barbaric, demonic young man named Jank, an incredibly strong, opinionated “Madam” of Sorum by the name of Javan and her mentally-challenged Daughter, Herai, of whom Wife becomes very close to and fond of. Noah’s Wife gives birth to three sons, Shem, Japheth, and Ham with Noah not paying much attention to his fast-growing sons or dedicated wife, but continues to ask God for guidance, including wisdom to choose the right wives for his sons, as they will be responsible for repopulating the earth. You quickly learn that people are not always who or what they seem. You will become disgusted by actions, gasping at some, feel the frustrations of both Noah and his Wife and the anger of their children, as well as the warm glow of love. Thank-you Ms. Kanner,for such an incredibly powerful, jaw-dropping, heart-stopping tale of one memorable woman. If there is one book to top your TBR list this summer, by all means, let it be this one. You won’t want to miss this sure-to-be prize-winner!
Nancy Narma
July 4, 2014
"I didn't mean to write a novel about Noah's wife," Rebecca Kanner said when asked about her motivation for writing Sinners and the Sea. "But just a few pages into what I thought would be a short story I realized I didn't want to stop. A 500-year-old man that everyone thinks is crazy, a host of vulgar sinners, a world on the verge of destruction... For me, this material was irresistible."
Noah's unnamed wife is a woman seeking personal fulfillment and struggling with the suspicions aroused by the birthmark on her forehead. Some think she bears the mark of God but most taunt and harass her because they fear she's been marked by the devil. Because of her mark her father didn't name her, but he arranges a marriage for his 24-year-old spinster daughter with 500-year-old Noah, who takes her to Sorum, where outcasts, pariahs, and prostitutes live. She gives him three sons, despite the fact that he talks more to God than to her.
Noah's wife gives us a new perspective on family life. Kanner uses a dramatic setting, a raging storm, hunger, passion, and the competitive urges that can develop between young men in a confined space to show us life on the ark. Most people are familiar with the Biblical story in which God tells Noah to build an ark and save his family so they can repopulate the world, but what about the untold story?
In this version, we get to meet the wives, see the brothers' fights and jealousy, and observe the healing strength that Noah's wife brings to her family. Kanner's skillfully developed women add a welcome perspective, especially the wise, patient mother. One of her daughters-in-law is beautiful, one is developmentally delayed, and one is a seven-year-old who is expected to live until she is 700.
How would three such girls change your family? In Kanner's skilled hands, they bring neediness, love, and some of the same tension that lures people to soap operas. But this book is much more beautifully written than a soap opera script. The voice of Noah's wife is both wise and honest.
Sinners and the Sea may make some readers wonder why we don't get more women's perspectives in the Bible and why none of the books there are written by women. It has the drama, tension, and heart that appear in epic movies. Maybe someday it will be one, but don't wait for the movie. Get a copy of Kanner's book and let her story stimulate your imagination. This is a story for the ages.
by B. Lynn Goodwin
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
Noah's unnamed wife is a woman seeking personal fulfillment and struggling with the suspicions aroused by the birthmark on her forehead. Some think she bears the mark of God but most taunt and harass her because they fear she's been marked by the devil. Because of her mark her father didn't name her, but he arranges a marriage for his 24-year-old spinster daughter with 500-year-old Noah, who takes her to Sorum, where outcasts, pariahs, and prostitutes live. She gives him three sons, despite the fact that he talks more to God than to her.
Noah's wife gives us a new perspective on family life. Kanner uses a dramatic setting, a raging storm, hunger, passion, and the competitive urges that can develop between young men in a confined space to show us life on the ark. Most people are familiar with the Biblical story in which God tells Noah to build an ark and save his family so they can repopulate the world, but what about the untold story?
In this version, we get to meet the wives, see the brothers' fights and jealousy, and observe the healing strength that Noah's wife brings to her family. Kanner's skillfully developed women add a welcome perspective, especially the wise, patient mother. One of her daughters-in-law is beautiful, one is developmentally delayed, and one is a seven-year-old who is expected to live until she is 700.
How would three such girls change your family? In Kanner's skilled hands, they bring neediness, love, and some of the same tension that lures people to soap operas. But this book is much more beautifully written than a soap opera script. The voice of Noah's wife is both wise and honest.
Sinners and the Sea may make some readers wonder why we don't get more women's perspectives in the Bible and why none of the books there are written by women. It has the drama, tension, and heart that appear in epic movies. Maybe someday it will be one, but don't wait for the movie. Get a copy of Kanner's book and let her story stimulate your imagination. This is a story for the ages.
by B. Lynn Goodwin
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
April 17, 2020
Initially I was looking forward to reading a biblical fiction. But the more I read the more disappointed I became.
The main character is a woman with no name. A woman believed to be a demon woman because of a mark above her eye. This woman is given to Noah who is 600 years old to be his wife and have his children.
When the book actually gets to Noah building the Ark and preparing for the flood the woman with no name paints Noah in a very dark light. Not only does she paint him to be a crazy and angry man who is oblivious to true sin but one of her son's is one of the most evil and sinful characters in the book.
The ark was supposed to be for those who do not sin and no one else is to be allowed onto the ark but Noah and his family so the world is cleansed of all of the sinners... but he allows his son on the ark who seems to kill for pure enjoyment... because that makes sense.
I had to remind myself that this novel by Rebecca Kanner is a work of fiction as I felt myself getting angry that Noah and his family was being painted in such a horrible light. The liberties Sinners and the Sea took with the original biblical content of Noah's Ark just missed the mark entirely.
I will quote part of a review that I read. In my opinion this goodreads reviewer "Andi" perfectly sums up this book.
"It is my opinion that this book will shipwreck your faith because it tells a distorted view of Noah, and his family. God did flood this earth, he is a loving God, yet He cannot and will not look at sin! Hence why he flooded the earth. The rainbow is his covenant that he will not flood this earth again."
In good consciousness I can not recomend this book to any Christian because of this distorted views. Although, It is fiction I find it to almost insulting to read as a Chrisitan. This is supposed to be a biblical fiction and found it to be very "un-biblical". I would have loved to read this biblical fiction from the perspective of Noah's wife if it was written without painting Noah and his ark in such a bad light.
The main character is a woman with no name. A woman believed to be a demon woman because of a mark above her eye. This woman is given to Noah who is 600 years old to be his wife and have his children.
When the book actually gets to Noah building the Ark and preparing for the flood the woman with no name paints Noah in a very dark light. Not only does she paint him to be a crazy and angry man who is oblivious to true sin but one of her son's is one of the most evil and sinful characters in the book.
The ark was supposed to be for those who do not sin and no one else is to be allowed onto the ark but Noah and his family so the world is cleansed of all of the sinners... but he allows his son on the ark who seems to kill for pure enjoyment... because that makes sense.
I had to remind myself that this novel by Rebecca Kanner is a work of fiction as I felt myself getting angry that Noah and his family was being painted in such a horrible light. The liberties Sinners and the Sea took with the original biblical content of Noah's Ark just missed the mark entirely.
I will quote part of a review that I read. In my opinion this goodreads reviewer "Andi" perfectly sums up this book.
"It is my opinion that this book will shipwreck your faith because it tells a distorted view of Noah, and his family. God did flood this earth, he is a loving God, yet He cannot and will not look at sin! Hence why he flooded the earth. The rainbow is his covenant that he will not flood this earth again."
In good consciousness I can not recomend this book to any Christian because of this distorted views. Although, It is fiction I find it to almost insulting to read as a Chrisitan. This is supposed to be a biblical fiction and found it to be very "un-biblical". I would have loved to read this biblical fiction from the perspective of Noah's wife if it was written without painting Noah and his ark in such a bad light.
April 2, 2013
The girl who has no name is scorned with the mark from birth and believed to be a curse derived from evil. Her father Eben was a wall of protection and trust. When Noah came to take her as his wife and bring her to his camp what lied in wait for her was challenging at the least. The people who greeted her were vile and very wicked and their taunts and hatred were hard to bear. When the flood came Noah and his wife and their sons embarked on a great journey that will take them away from all that they know.
Violence, Hatred and Heartbreak were woven throughout the novel. I do have mixed thoughts regarding this book the novel, although creative fiction which does have actual passages from Genesis with descriptive scenery, is far off from the real bible story and parts of it I would label as science fiction.
Although this book is published by a Christian publisher and has Biblical characters, to me, Sinners and the Sea is not Christian fiction. A novel that is only suited for an adult is hard to get through at times, laced with graphic sexual content along with much blood and great darkness and a few words of profanity made me quite uncomfortable when reading it. I can say that the last few chapters made up for much hence my 2 star rating for effort. I can recommend it for those who enjoy secular fiction but not for those who enjoy Christian Biblical fiction. Thanks to Howard Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC for my review.
Violence, Hatred and Heartbreak were woven throughout the novel. I do have mixed thoughts regarding this book the novel, although creative fiction which does have actual passages from Genesis with descriptive scenery, is far off from the real bible story and parts of it I would label as science fiction.
Although this book is published by a Christian publisher and has Biblical characters, to me, Sinners and the Sea is not Christian fiction. A novel that is only suited for an adult is hard to get through at times, laced with graphic sexual content along with much blood and great darkness and a few words of profanity made me quite uncomfortable when reading it. I can say that the last few chapters made up for much hence my 2 star rating for effort. I can recommend it for those who enjoy secular fiction but not for those who enjoy Christian Biblical fiction. Thanks to Howard Publishers and Netgalley for the ARC for my review.
May 27, 2014
This novel captured my attention from the first paragraph! Much has been written about Noah and his sons, especially lately with the film "Noah" coming out, but little is known about the woman behind the man, Noah's nameless wife.
Author Rebecca Kanner brings this woman to life in a vibrant and fascinating story that gives readers a little better idea of what a woman of her status and circumstances would have gone through. "Wife" or "Mother," as she was known" was a woman of much courage as she married a man some four hundred years older than her, moved to a town of great immoral behaviors, and giving birth to three headstrong sons. But then to be asked to be patient as her family was tasked to build an ark that would outlast the end of the world - that takes a pretty brave lady, in my opinion.
Kanner's style of writing is a pleasure to read - she keeps the action moving along at a good pace - and her characters are captivating. Fans of historical fiction will love this novel, as will those who enjoy faith-based novels. I highly recommend it!
Author Rebecca Kanner brings this woman to life in a vibrant and fascinating story that gives readers a little better idea of what a woman of her status and circumstances would have gone through. "Wife" or "Mother," as she was known" was a woman of much courage as she married a man some four hundred years older than her, moved to a town of great immoral behaviors, and giving birth to three headstrong sons. But then to be asked to be patient as her family was tasked to build an ark that would outlast the end of the world - that takes a pretty brave lady, in my opinion.
Kanner's style of writing is a pleasure to read - she keeps the action moving along at a good pace - and her characters are captivating. Fans of historical fiction will love this novel, as will those who enjoy faith-based novels. I highly recommend it!
April 12, 2014
This is my first book that I have read by this author. When I had the chance to review this book, I jumped at the opportunity as I was curious to read the "untold" story of Noah's wife. Everyone who is familiar with the Bible knows who Noah is and if they were not thanks to the new movie featuring Russell Crowe as Noah, they soon will be familiar with Noah. Although, I myself would rather stick with reading the Bible to learn the true story of Noah. Not that I have seen the movie.
Well anyways, this book gives Noah's wife her own voice and chance to be in the spotlight. This book is spilt into 2 books or sections. This first section focuses on who Noah's wife is, where she came from, and how she came to be Noah's wife. The second section is when the big storm arrives and when the story for me really picked up and got interesting. The author really did tell this story in cinematic details as if ripped from the pages of the Bible.
Well anyways, this book gives Noah's wife her own voice and chance to be in the spotlight. This book is spilt into 2 books or sections. This first section focuses on who Noah's wife is, where she came from, and how she came to be Noah's wife. The second section is when the big storm arrives and when the story for me really picked up and got interesting. The author really did tell this story in cinematic details as if ripped from the pages of the Bible.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 271 reviews