"If there is anything virtuous, lovely or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." (LDS Article of faith 13)

Shame on you, Card. There is absolutely nothing virtuous about the manner in which women were portrayed in this novel. I will certainly never be picking up another book by Orson Scott Card again, religious, fantasy or otherwise. I am that deeply disappointed.

The idea of an LDS author picking up what little is written about the specific women in the Old Testament and elaborating on their stories with the use of research and imagination has merit. SUCH a shame it was done in this manner, with one dirty sexual reference after another and a heartbreaking theme of how women could only find acceptance and happiness through successful marriages (read = marriage or concubinage with a wealthy man and the accomplishment of producing male heirs).

The true church of Jesus Christ restored in these latter days preaches no such theme. We believe family to be central to our Father's plan for us, yes. We believe marriage is sacred, children are a sacred trust, parenthood is a great responsibility and privilege, yes. But plenty of women live righteous lives and never have opportunity for these things - and their lives, their contributions to the world and the Church are still valuable!

I refuse to believe that anything less could have been true in any age of the world. The gospel remains the same. God remains the same. He has always loved women of virtue, whatever their opportunities, whenever they lived. He still does.

i just went thru the 7 stages of grief bc the afterward talked abt the sequel series. went & looked & it was never published. the last book came out in 2004

Took me a while to finish. It wasn’t until the second half of the book that I was able to connect with Rachel & Leah. Interested to see how the rest of the series goes once the other books come out.

I enjoyed the story in the same way that I enjoy fairy tale retellings. I enjoy seeing someone else's interpretation of a character from another story.

Interesting look into the life of Rachel and Leah - Mormon aspects to book -need to read with caution.

Historical fiction about Jacob, Rachel and Leah. Interesting to see how things were back then and how women were valued.

Like the way the author makes the biblical tale as a romance.

This was a fun reading experience. I think it dwells too much on the preoccupation of the women to find and keep a good husband. The intrigue going on between the two sisters, their hand maidens and other women in the camp seemed to be the focus of the story. I appreciate the difficulty of trying to take the scant Biblical record and making a full life story out of it. I think Orson Scott Card has done a remarkable job of presenting a plausible scenario of how the events may have come about. I have read the two preceding novels and now look forward to the two succeeding novels that complete the story of this historic family from Abraham down through Joseph, Sarah through Rachel's children.

Liked the other books in the series better. This one was poorly written and I wasn't happy with the ending but was glad it was over.

I was so excited when I came across a copy of this book, and it is an amazing read, that takes us through the lives of four incredible young women later to be mothers of the Nation of Israel.

First we read about Bilah, a clever young girl, who is taken by a a friend of her late father's to Laban's camp at Padan Aram, after her father's death in a tragic work accident, before we are introduced to 'tender eyed' Leah, the ravishing Rachel and the other handmaiden Zilpah.
Rachel and Leah are introduced to us at the ages of eleven and fourteen respectively. Bilah is a similar age to Rachel and Zilpah a similar age to Leah.
As we read of the lives and interactions of four beautiful girls, each with their own unique personalities and characters, I grew to love and care about them all.

The entry of Jacob fleeing from his brother Esau's wrath shapes the lives of all four girls who will later bear Jacob's twelve sons.

Card departs very little from the Biblical novel while filling in the caps in a most skillful manner.
It is an interesting insight into the intricacies of the lives of the characters who shaped the history of the nation of Israel.
A very sensitive insightful, and compassionate portrayal that kept the right amount of humour and intrigue.
Fascinating insights into the Book of the revelations of Enoch as Enoch, who walked with the people of Zion, is taken up to heaven, as Jacob teaches Leah and Bilah.
The only flaw may be that the author seems to downplay the love of Jacob for Rachel who was in fact the center of his attention, and he turns Laban, who is not well though of in Jewish and Christian scripture into a sympathetic character.

But we feel as if we are really there in Padan-Aram as we share the lives of Jacob and four fascinating young women.
Card shows a deep understanding of women and of men and of their interactions.
It is a novel and a work of historical fiction that is at once engaging and enlightening. It really deepened my perspectives of these events and people.
I am determined when I am next in Israel to visit Rachel's Tomb between Gilo and Beit Lechem and the Tomb of the Matriarchs in Tiberias where Zilpah and Bilah are buried, having visited the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron where Jacob and Leah are buried.

Extreme poetic license and modern, rather adolescent, vernacular seemed awkward to me.

I can't believe how much I disliked this book compared to the first two in this series. I especially loved Rebekah, but this book felt like a middle grade book, focused on children--and very annoying children too. The most interesting things about Jacob's life, in my opinion, is after he leaves Laban's home and when he becomes Israel. If you are interested in those things, don't read this book. This book is about Rachel and Leah as young, petty children. If you are interested in Jacob's life, read The Red Tent.

I was planning to give this book three stars, but I deducted a star for the author's homophobia.