Wisdom's Daughter : A Novel of Solomon and Sheba

From Booklist
Like her previous novel, Queenmaker (2002), Edghill's latest fictionalization of an Old Testament story will appeal to the Red Tent crowd, both for its emphasis on the role of women in ancient Israel and for the author's ability to bring history to life. Edghill transforms a didactic fable, the story of King Solomon and his brief interaction with the Queen of Sheba, into a powerful love story of a man and the queen who won his heart. Rotating among multiple narrators-- including several of Solomon's 40 wives; his daughter Baalit; Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba; Solomon's war general; and Solomon himself--Edghill tells the story of why Bilqis came to King David's City and why Solomon lavished her with gifts and eventually gave her his daughter. Leisurely paced and focused on the wisdom of Solomon and the burdens of his reign, this atmospheric story is packed with political intrigue, illuminating the curious mixture of cultures and religions among the women of Solomon's court. Jennifer Baker
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
This is the tale of Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba, who rules the spice lands and bows before the will of the Goddess.

This is the tale of Solomon, the King of Israel and Judea, who built the golden temple to Yahweh in Jerusalem. Once he prayed that he might rule wisely.

This is the tale of Solomon's wives, of his concubines ... and of his daughter Baalit, more beloved than any son. Here are their voices, their mysteries, and their deepest secrets. Here they sing their songs and weave their tapestries.

As the queen's search for a true heir to her throne takes her to the court of the wisest man in the world, both she and the king learn how to value truth, love, and duty...and the king's daughter learns that not all the world is ruled by men.

Wisdom's Daughter is a vivid and richly textured rendition of the biblical tale of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Told in a tapestry of voices that ring with authenticity, Wisdom's Daughter profoundly reveals the deep ties among women in a patriarchal world.



From the Inside Flap
Praise for Queenmaker: A Novel of King David's Queen by India Edghill "With her vivid attention to historical detail, Edghill keeps readers captivated.... A majestic debut." - People magazine "Think The Red Tent, only much better." - Rocky Mountain News (Denver) "A riveting debut tale...In the tradition of Anita Diamant's The Red Tent---and as good." - Kirkus Reviews "Excellent writing, dynamic character, and galloping pace...highly recommended." - Library Journal "A tantalizing glimpse into the past." - Publishers Weekly "Splendid." - Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of The Mists of Avalon "Queenmaker beguiles not only because it opens our eyes to the pure ordinariness of mythical figures, but it also exposes the foolishness and shortsighted passion that can make fools of the most exalted heroes. Its greatest richness is in creating the courage, compassion, and sheer canniness of the shadow queen, Michal, the betrothed bride of King David, the Eleanor of Aquitaine of the Bible, a monarch in full." - Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean


From the Back Cover
Praise for Queenmaker: A Novel of King David's Queen by India Edghill

"With her vivid attention to historical detail, Edghill keeps readers captivated.... A majestic debut."
- People magazine

"Think The Red Tent, only much better."
- Rocky Mountain News (Denver)

"A riveting debut tale...In the tradition of Anita Diamant's The Red Tent---and as good."
- Kirkus Reviews

"Excellent writing, dynamic character, and galloping pace...highly recommended."
- Library Journal

"A tantalizing glimpse into the past."
- Publishers Weekly

"Splendid."
- Marion Zimmer Bradley, author of The Mists of Avalon

"Queenmaker beguiles not only because it opens our eyes to the pure ordinariness of mythical figures, but it also exposes the foolishness and shortsighted passion that can make fools of the most exalted heroes. Its greatest richness is in creating the courage, compassion, and sheer canniness of the shadow queen, Michal, the betrothed bride of King David, the Eleanor of Aquitaine of the Bible, a monarch in full."
- Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean



About the Author
India Edghill is a librarian living in the mid-Hudson Valley, New York.



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Edghill (Queenmaker, 2002, etc.) continues her feminist take on the kings of Israel, now with a new spin on the story of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Vividly evoking ancient Israel and Sheba, Edghill deftly transforms the brief biblical account into an absorbing story replete with intrigue, love, and villains. Perhaps the most unexpected baddy is the self-righteous prophet Alijah (Elijah), who plots to undo all the peace and prosperity Solomon has achieved. The story starts out in Sheba and is told through a number of voices, including that of Bilqis herself, the Queen of Sheba; of Solomon; of Baalit, his teenaged daughter; and of Baalit's dead mother, Abishbag, who died giving birth to Baalit. Sheba is a rich and peaceable kingdom where women are treated as equals and the monarch is always a woman. Though still stunningly beautiful, Sheba needs an heir-both daughter and granddaughter are dead, and she's too old to bear another child. Told by the goddess she worships that she'll find an heir in Israel, she loads ships with treasure and sails north. In Jerusalem, Solomon's wives quarrel; Rehoboam, the heir to the throne, is a sadistic lout; and Solomon fears for his kingdom's future. If it were possible, wise and good Baalit would succeed, but Israel is a patriarchy: Women are kept separate and cannot participate in its governance. Yet Baalit, too, dreams of serving her people, of being something more than a wife and mother. When the Queen meets Solomon, she's impressed with his wisdom, but she is even more pleased by Baalit, the answer to her prayers. As the Queen sets about persuading Solomon to make Baalit her heir, Rehoboam and Alijah-the one jealous of Baalit, the otherappalled at Solomon's consorting with a pagan queen-scheme to betray and destroy. Persuasive and intriguing.


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