Stories from the Bible have fascinated people from their first telling and through the centuries, scholars and novelists have elaborated on the small profiles of the people in the Biblical accounts. Must recently, the internationally renowned documentary filmmaker and screenwriter, Paul Boorstin, has wonderfully written of his own imagined version of the story of the early life of David in his first novel, DAVID AND THE PHILISTINE WOMAN.

With his experienced filmmaker eye for just the right framing to illuminate the story of the famous foes, Boorstin puts living flesh on the dried bones of the Old Testament story of David and his encounters with Saul and Goliath and brings them to full breathing life with all the heat and emotions of the times. Boorstin not only vividly describes the looks, smells and demeanours of each Biblical character and has them speak in their own voice, he also animates a number of new characters, not in the Biblical story, with all working together to make a very credible and readable narrative. Most wonderful of these new characters is Nara, the Philistine Woman. His descriptions of Nara as a tall. ungainly girl to her developing skill as a blacksmith and her crafting of metal swords. then to her ultimate part in the lives of David and Goliath is nothing short of spellbinding!

From the first page, Boorstin instantly pulls us back more than two thousand years from David sensing a warning, to his experiences of sibling rivalry with his older brothers to the strange anointing for a new King by the wild and dusty prophet Samuel. Boorstin is well experienced in setting realistic and authentic scenes makes everything so easy for the reader to visualize. I was particularly struck by his lively characterizations in dialogue and description of the attitudes of the Jews and Philistines to each other. Boorstin also excels in character development and realistically links the various characters' attitudes and actions as the story develops. I particularly like how the place of women both high and low is made explicit by the descriptions and dialogues of Michal, King Saul's daughter, and that of Nara and her old spinster Aunt Hada with the clef lip.

Whether you are familiar or not with the Biblical story, DAVID AND THE PHILISTINE WOMAN is sure to be a hit with fans of historical novels. DAVID AND THE PHILISTINE WOMAN is an epic story of family and kinship loyalties, jealousy, rivalry and political intrigue. Boorstin's book would be a very intriguing selection for a book club to discuss and to help with that, there is a listing of discussion topics at the end of the story could make for lively debates.

I found DAVID AND THE PHILISTINE WOMAN to be a real hard book to put down, even with knowing the outcome, and it is definitely worthy of reading by anyone, regardless of faith preference. Truly, a story of heart, rivalry, courage and faith!