Eva Etzioni-Halevy, The Garden of Ruth

The Garden of Ruth

Eva Etzioni-Halevy

Plume, December 26 2006, $14.00

ISBN: 0462287006

In Ramah, Uncle Samuel the prophet sends his intelligent fifteen year old niece Osnath to Bethlehem to uncover the truth inside of the sweetly wrapped tale of the lass' ancestor Ruth the Moabite, who married Boaz after another male in-law rejected her. Samuel specifically wants her to name the unnamed man who refused to wed Ruth.

Osnath stays with her relatives of the clan of Jesse, where he wants her to read the documents in the scroll room to uncover the identity of the anonymous lover. However, everyone in the clan of Jesse wants her to drop her research; especially Jesse's oldest son, Eliab diligently guards the scroll room from her. He tries to distract the teen through seduction, even while she sleeps with his charming youngest brother David the shepherd.

Part One follows Osnath "In the Footsteps of Ruth", while Part Two focuses on the "Tale of Ruth" from the first hand perspective of Ruth. Readers will enjoy both sections, that enable the comparison of the biblical legendary Ruth and her generation to that of her great-grandchildren, as well as a fresh look at her saga. THE GARDEN OF RUTH is a delightful explicit look at the plight of women in ancient times.