The Secret Chord
The Secret Chord
paperback
Published:
1 September, 2016
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Description
'A thundering, gritty, emotionally devastating reconsideration of the story of King David' New York Times
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2016
1000 BC. The Second Iron Age. The time of King David.
Anointed as the chosen one when just a young shepherd boy, David will rise to be king, grasping the throne and establishing his empire. But his journey is a tumultuous one and the consequences of his choices will resound for generations. In a life that takes him from obscurity to fame, he is by turns hero and traitor, glamorous young tyrant and beloved king, murderous despot and remorseful, diminished patriarch. His wives love and fear him, his sons will betray him. It falls to Natan, the courtier and prophet who both counsels and castigates David, to tell the truth about the path he must take.
Peeling away the myth to bring David to life in Second Iron Age Israel, Brooks traces the arc of his journey from obscurity to fame, from shepherd to soldier, from hero to traitor, from beloved king to murderous despot and into his remorseful and diminished dotage.
'A page turner. . .Brooks is a master at bringing the past alive. . .in her skillful hands the issues of the past echo our own deepest concerns: love and loss, drama and tragedy, chaos and brutality' Alice Hoffman
Prizes
Long-listed for Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction 2016 (UK)
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9780349139357 |
| ISBN10 | 0349139350 |
| Number Of Pages | 384 |
| Item Weight | 270 g |
| Product Dimensions | 202 x 166 x 26 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Little, Brown Book Group |
| Format | paperback |
Media Reviews
What Mary Renault did with Alexander the Great, Geraldine Brooks has done with King David: breathed life into an ancient hero. Haunting, exciting and as satisfying -- Tom Holland
Here is a man who is both great and flawed, just like those tragic heroes Oedipus and King Lear. But in making David so satisfyingly human, Brooks has crafted from The Secret Chord a compelling read, contemporary in relevance -- Meredith Jaffe * Guardian *
A haunting, memorable novel * Sunday Times *
The Secret Chord paints a portrait so layered and rich in detail it makes you feel you can reach out and touch him * Woman's Own *
Vividly drawn . . . a beautiful and thoughtful book -- Antonia Senior * The Times *
This David is ecstatic, visceral and virile * Independent *
The Secret Chord is sensual historical fiction, full of rich descriptive language * Third Way *
GoodReads Reviews
Author's Bio
Geraldine Brooks is the author of the novels The Secret Chord, Caleb's Crossing, People of the Book, March (which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2006) and Year of Wonders, recently optioned by Olivia Colman. She has also written three works of non-fiction, including Nine Parts of Desire, based on her experiences among Muslim women in the Middle East. She now lives on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts with two sons.