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Book Reviews -
Women's Fiction
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Written by Jennifer Thompson
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 Queenmaker,
by India Edghill
This book caught my eye while meandering down the book aisle at
Costco. I picked it up and was reminded of The
Red Tent, which I thoroughly enjoyed as one of my all-time
favorite books about women and their communities. The price was
right, so I tossed a copy into my cart. Having heard nothing of
it before this, I went into it with no preconceived notions and
only wanted to be entertained a little bit.
I was not disappointed! This was an engaging book for me, one
that made me want to go check out a Bible and look up the various
people and verses to see where Edghill got her motivation to write
the story. It is the story of King David's rise and reign, as
told through the eyes of Michal, his first wife and Queen. We
meet Michal when she is just a small child and the prophet Samuel
comes to her father, Saul, with the idea of making him King. A
few years later we meet David for the first time, a hero for killing
the giant Goliath. David and Michal wed, but on their wedding
night he flees, fearing death.
Michal goes on to marry again, this time to a man named Phaltiel.
Their marriage is not happy at first but Michal grows to love
him and appreciate her simple life. But it is not meant to be,
and Michal is taken to be King David's wife and Queen. One behind
his walls, we see Queen Michal grow from an angry young woman
to a more mature - a more scheming - wise woman. She meets and
befriends Bathsheba, and we watch young Solomon grow to become
the next King.
If you enjoyed The
Red Tent, or if you enjoy fictional novels based on historical
events, I recommend Queenmaker
as well.
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