Curled Up With A Good Book at www.curledup.com. © Karyn Johnson, 2006
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In ancient Israel,
two young women's fates are intertwined when they first become friends, then
rivals, as they both take the same man for their husband. Pninah, the first
wife, has her husband Elkanah's lust, but not his heart. She bears him
several children but is full of despair for the lack of love in her life
until she starts up a fiery and passionate affair with a Canaanite man.
Hannah, the second wife, is her husband's soulmate and the love of his life
but cannot ignite the same lust in him that he has for Pninah. Hannah is
barren for many years, and Pninah, still feeling betrayed that her former
friend would agree to marry her husband, flaunts her fertility in front of
Hannah. During a religious pilgrimage, Hannah makes an offering to God that
brings her a son, Samuel, who will become one of Israel's greatest prophets.
It is through Samuel that both Hannah's and Pninah's lives will change
dramatically, and they will be reunited as friends and allies. The fact that the
book's title focuses solely on Hannah confuses me. Pninah gets as much of a
voice as Hannah does. Etzioni-Halevy intersperses chapters by both women, so
that two perspectives on the same events are offered. I actually found Pninah
to be the more interesting of the two women, even though she is not the
mother of a prophet. She exudes sexuality and raw eroticism, while the
beautiful Hannah remains chaste and proper. It is through Pninah that the
darkest sides of the male characters are revealed. Even Samuel has a dark,
very human side that is only revealed through Pninah. The attention to
detail is impressive. Etzioni-Halevy transports the reader to ancient Israel
- from the food consumed, the way medicine is practiced, the manner of
worship, and the cosmetics and clothing worn, to the way an Israelite home
was laid out. Yet despite the antiquity of the tale, the story is told in a
fresh and modern way. The Bible only allows some women a limited voice and
others no voice at all, but here, Hannah and Pninah are both eloquent. In the
novel, they are scribes and teachers, occupations that were not available to
most women in those times. Torah law requires that they be submissive to
their husband, but they secretly find ways to defy him, especially Pninah.
She also questions Torah law and social conventions. And neither Hannah nor
Pninah, predictably, support polygamy. While the novel is not necessarily
feminist, it takes a rather misogynistic society and turns it on its head. The Song of Hannahdoes not disappoint.
It is engrossing without being preachy, spiritual without being overly
religious. It takes two women who only have a small part in the Bible and
makes them very accessible and very real. I look forward to reading
Etzioni-Halevy's upcoming novels, and I highly recommend this book to
everyone, religious or not.
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Curled Up With A Good Book at
www.curledup.com. © Deanna
Couras Goodson, 2006
The Song of Hannah breathes to life the biblical story of
Hannah, her husband, Elkanah, and his first wife, Pninah. Hannah, the mother of
the prophet Samuel, starts out as a young, beautiful and literate woman living
in Shaar Efraim. She has many suitors but is waiting for a special man.
Unfortunately, that special man turns
out to be Elkanah, the husband of her best friend, Pninah. Pninah, who also
passionately loves Elkanah, must settle for being treated as a cast-off who is
only there to satisfy Elkanah's lust while Hannah becomes his favored wife, the
wife he loves on a spiritual level.
Pninah sinks into a deep depression and
only comes out of it after she meets a new man, a Canaanite. She begins a
long-term affair with him that revitalizes her spirit and restores her beauty.
Hannah discovers the affair but cannot bring herself to ruin life for her
rival; she still harbors guilt over the pain she has caused Pninah.
As Pninah settles into family life with
her multiple children, Hannah tries desperately to have a child. Finally, after
visiting the Temple in Shiloh, she conceives and bears Samuel, whom she has
promised to God.
Hannah takes Samuel back to the Temple
to live while he is still a toddler. Samuel, who is destined for great things,
begins to suffer visions. He sees the destruction of the Temple and wars with
Canaan.
Over the years, Samuel's visions come
to pass. Samuel himself grows into a man who is not only a prophet but a man
with lusts, desires and dreams. He lusts after his father's wife, Pninah.
Elkanah suspects this and is very angry, although he has never done anything
but satisfy his urges with Pninah, Hannah and many of the maids from his
fields.
In the end, Hannah has only loved one
man. She is devastated when Elkanah succumbs to a stroke. Pninah, who loved
Elkanah as much in her own way, is content to be by the side of her friend,
finally giving up her affair and learning to enjoy the spiritual side of life
with Samuel, who is now married to another.
Eva Etzioni-Halevy, a professor
emeritus in Sociology at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, shows the very human
side of biblical personages. The Song of a Hannah is a beautiful piece of fiction rich
in detail and a true testament to the power of love, life and family. It
acknowledges the frailty in us all without passing judgment or condemnation. A
truly fantastic book!
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THE JEWISH WOMAN
MAGAZINE Ð HOLIDAY RESOURCES
Fall Issue Ð 2006
On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the biblical story
read as Haftorah, the text following the Torah reading, is the story of Hannah,
whose deeply felt prayer for a son is one of the most powerful in the Jewish
tradition. Israeli novelist Eva Etzioni-Halevy, a professor emeritus of
political sociology at Bar Ilan University, uses this moving story from the
Book of Samuel as the inspiration for The Song of Hannah, her recent novel. As in most of the recent
biblically inspired novels, Etzioni-Halevy humanizes her characters and adds
romance.