Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2009
368 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
Given to the temple of Atargatis as a child, Delilah is raised to be a priestess to the Five Cities that rule Canaan. With her beloved friend Aylah, Delilah grows up under the watchful eyes of high priestess Derceto, who sees the devout young priestesses as valuable playing pieces in her political schemes.
In the hills of Canaan, the Israelites chafe under the rule of the Five Cities, and choose Samson to lead them to victory. A reluctant warrior, Samson is a man of great heart who prefers peace to war. But fearing a rebellion, those who rule the Five Cities will do anything to capture Samson. When Samson catches a glimpse of Delilah, he is ready to risk his freedom to marry her, and Derceto seizes the chance to have Samson at her mercy. The Temple's intrigues against Samson force Aylah and Delilah apart, lead Delilah to question her own heart, and change her future forever.
"The rest of the characters lack Delilah's depth, and the third-person narration tries too hard to achieve historical accuracy and, as a result, loses the reader." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. Edghill has crafted a powerful, lyrical novel and created two unforgettable characters. Recommended highly." - Library Journal
"Richly imagined in hauntingly beautiful prose, India Edghill's Delilah is what the Bible may have been like had it been written by a woman. Delilah is a character whose compelling voice will keep you turning the pages in this truly remarkable story." – Michelle Moran, author of Nefertiti
This information about Delilah was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
India Edghill is a librarian living in the Mid-Hudson Valley in New York. She is the author of two other novels, Wisdom's Daughter, which was a Romantic Times Nominee for Best Historical Fiction, and Queenmaker.
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