Sinners and the Sea by Rebecca Kanner
2/5 stars
Howard Books, 2013
303 pages
Adult Historical Bible-Inspired
Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoy retellings of biblical stories but have never read one about Noah or his wife so that is what grabbed my attention in this instance. Then I saw comparisons to Anita Diamant's The Red Tent, a book I read but did not review two years ago. I hated that book so it did not get me started auspiciously.
But I tried to be optimistic. However I almost put the book aside when the main character is almost raped in the first chapter. Luckily the next chapters revealed a surprisingly tender father/daughter relationship that made me a little teary until the daughter is given in marriage to Noah. They journey to Sorum where he preaches to the sinners around the area to repent. As the pair have three children who grow to manhood, Noah struggles to build an ark to bring the family to safety while the rest of the world is flooded.
I feel like the comparison to Anita Diamant is apt because I had a similar reaction to this book, i.e. not positive. I liked the beginning (before she marries Noah) and the very ending (after the flood, when they're back on land) but the bulk of the book was just awful for me. I didn't care about the characters, I hated the portrayal of religion (I was under the impression that this was a Christian inspirational novel-it is not), and this was just so dark. I think that if it had been a Christian novel, I would have ended feeling inspired and more loving toward humanity but instead I felt more separate and dejected about the state of the world.
Overall: I cannot recommend this book to people who share my reading taste nor to Christians. It might be good for people who like dark historical fiction (be warned there is a lot of fighting and sexual immorality).
I love biblical stories, I have read all of Francine Rivers books. And I loved The Red Tent!
ReplyDeleteI will give this book a try because... well, because I like biblical stories :-)
If you liked The Red Tent, this will probably be more your speed. Hope it's a winner for you!
DeleteI haven't heard of this before, it really doesn't sounds like something I would enjoy though. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it.
ReplyDeleteJenea @ Books Live Forever
Yeah, I do not recommend it at all. Give some other book a try.
DeleteA strange part of me enjoys reading books with dark themes, though this one probably isn't for me. It's a shame to hear that it didn't do it for you. I find it near impossible to enjoy a book if the characters are people that I don't even care about. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI like lighter books so this really wasn't the read for me but it might work for you.
DeleteI'm torn. I want to love this book and read it, but an unfavorable review, such as this one, makes me wonder if I should wait.
ReplyDeleteWell other people really loved it so I guess it depends on what kind of story you're looking to read.
DeleteI've never read a biblical retelling before, but the concept sounds pretty interesting. I'm sorry you didn't find this read a good one. Awesome review and thanks for the honest opinion!
ReplyDeleteJanina @ Synchronized Reading
(New follower!) I just so happen to stumble across you blog :)
If I was recommending a biblical retelling, I'd have to go with Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers-classic for a reason!
DeleteThis sounds terrible. I would assume that being a re-telling, it would be inspirational too! But it sounds like such a disappointment-- and dark. O.O Thank you for the rocking honest review, girly! I don't think that this will be for me.
ReplyDeleteLoves,
Megan@The Book Babe
Yeah, I thought it was supposed to be inspiring for a Christian audience but I don't think that is correct.
DeleteI've been meaning to read The Red Tent forever. I guess I should start with that first and then get some more recommendations from you :)
ReplyDeleteJen @ YA Romantics
If you like The Red Tent, then proceed to this one; if you don't like The Red Tent, then skip this one because they have a very similar feel.
DeleteWriting on Christian subject matter for a non-Christian audience is tricky at the best of times. That's the second bad review I've seen for this just this week. It didn't interest me to begin with, and I'll be steering far away.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this book is more for a non-religious audience, which is weird because you'd think a religious reader would be the ideal candidate for this story.
DeleteI don't usually enjoy biblical fiction though I have liked some novels set during Bible times. I prefer the story to be about a fictional character instead of someone from the Bible.
ReplyDeleteI didn't care for The Red Tent either. I'm glad I'm not the only one :)
So happy to learn I'm not the only one who disliked The Red Tent-thanks for sharing that!
DeleteWow, I've seen this one and I honestly thought it was a Christian novel. I was interested because of the retelling. Thanks for the clarification!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a Christian novel, right? But I would not recommend it to any Christian I know.
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