Official Review: Simon's Wife by L. M. Affrossman

[fredrick otieno]

Quite interesting book though not one to take to bed and lie on your back and read, of course because of density. It will also give the reader an opportunity to learn about Israel, and the fact that it puts a woman in the centre of the plot, i think makes it interesting. Good review.

[gen_g]

Quite interesting book though not one to take to bed and lie on your back and read, of course because of density. It will also give the reader an opportunity to learn about Israel, and the fact that it puts a woman in the centre of the plot, i think makes it interesting. Good review.

It was a great read indeed! Thanks for stopping by.

[T_stone]

This looks like an engaging book from your review really. I seem to enjoy the plot and its interwovenness. I'm really going to enjoy this. Although it is slow paced, I don't think it will stop me from enjoying this book. Thanks for an awesome review

[gen_g]

This looks like an engaging book from your review really. I seem to enjoy the plot and its interwovenness. I'm really going to enjoy this. Although it is slow paced, I don't think it will stop me from enjoying this book. Thanks for an awesome review

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you enjoy the book as well.

[Sahani Nimandra]

I really like the challenging revolution taking place between genders and religion. Your review make this read sounds ancient. The characters and events does seem based on true events, but if the author is really successful in providing a good visualization, then I believe it will provide a good kick to the reader. Thank you for your review!

[gen_g]

I really like the challenging revolution taking place between genders and religion. Your review make this read sounds ancient. The characters and events does seem based on true events, but if the author is really successful in providing a good visualization, then I believe it will provide a good kick to the reader. Thank you for your review!

I enjoyed the book very much, and I agree that there are a lot of things going on, especially from a gender perspective. Thanks for stopping by!

[Connie Otwani]

The book sounds pretty intense. It would be nice to find out what exactly about Shelamzion, allows you (and me by extension) to relate to her on multiple levels despite the obvious and vast difference in historical backgrounds. I have so enjoyed reading your review!

[Espie]

Can history ever be truly objective, when it serves as proof of the conqueror’s victory?

If it is deliberately meant to take into account real events as they happened.

For a historically-inclined piece, I'd agree with you that knowing the events better would have given it the necessary balance. It seems like the author was trying to make this book more character-driven to resonate the title's implied theme but need a bit more to meet the mark.

Thank you for your amply-written review.

[Jackie Holycross]

I don't read much historical fiction, but this sounds interesting. Great review as always.

[Manang Muyang]

It seems this book is worth the wait. I agree that it is not for light reading, though. The character names alone need intense concentration to remember. I have zero knowledge of the Siege of Jerusalem; I am also curious why the time period CE is used, instead of the more familiar AD. I hope to read this one.

I agree with the title of the book. "Shelamzion's Story" wouldn't sound as inviting.

Great to see you out of the black hole, gen_g!

[gen_g]

The book sounds pretty intense. It would be nice to find out what exactly about Shelamzion, allows you (and me by extension) to relate to her on multiple levels despite the obvious and vast difference in historical backgrounds. I have so enjoyed reading your review!

Thank you for stopping by! Shelamzion is an educated female (in a society where education was mainly a male-dominated pursuit) struggling to adhere to patriarchy's expectations (i.e. being a submissive wife and bearer of children, a good cook, etc.) – her thought processes/struggles are rather similar to women of today. It definitely might not be a historically accurate portrayal of Simon's wife, but it's an attempt at providing a fresh perspective, I suppose.

[gen_g]

Can history ever be truly objective, when it serves as proof of the conqueror’s victory?

If it is deliberately meant to take into account real events as they happened.

For a historically-inclined piece, I'd agree with you that knowing the events better would have given it the necessary balance. It seems like the author was trying to make this book more character-driven to resonate the title's implied theme but need a bit more to meet the mark.

Thank you for your amply-written review.

Yes, it is the author's intention and attempt to provide a fresh perspective (and hopefully objective - which is kind of contradictory since we are using the word "perspective") of the historical events by utilising a unique character to tell the story. If we were to work from this line of logic, I suppose even the author's fictionalised version would not be truly objective, as Affrossman's main point is to point out that "history", especially in 70 CE, is "his-story", instead of "her-story". Therefore, we would then need more than 1 perspective, which is what Affrossman has then provided us with, thanks to the book being told from Shelamzion's POV (despite being fictionalised). Thanks for stopping by! (:

[gen_g]

I don't read much historical fiction, but this sounds interesting. Great review as always.

I hope that you will enjoy it too if you decide to pick this up; thanks for stopping by as always!

[gen_g]

It seems this book is worth the wait. I agree that it is not for light reading, though. The character names alone need intense concentration to remember. I have zero knowledge of the Siege of Jerusalem; I am also curious why the time period CE is used, instead of the more familiar AD. I hope to read this one.

I agree with the title of the book. "Shelamzion's Story" wouldn't sound as inviting.

Great to see you out of the black hole, gen_g!

Thank you, Miriam! (: I also had 0 knowledge of the Siege of Jerusalem when I first picked up this book, and I agree with you about the names too! I forgot to mention this in the review, but there is a short glossary of names at the beginning, so it did help some. I assume the author used CE instead of AD to be more inclusive, as AD is more religiously inclined a term; AD means "anno domini", aka "in the year of our Lord", whilst "CE" simply means "Common Era".

The title piqued my interest too, and certainly played a part in my decision to pick it up for review. I'm also glad to see myself out of the black hole (LOL!), and I am hoping hard that you won't fall into your third! Thanks for stopping by as always, I appreciate it!

[JHuschle519]

Thank you for the well written review. I love that the story is told from the point of view of a woman who "wasn't supposed to be heard." Even without reading the book that tells me that she is most likely a very well written and strong character. This seems like it will be a very interesting read. Thanks again.