Not the End of the World

by Geraldine McCaughrean

The end of the world is a busy time if you mean to outlive it.

So says Timna—sole daughter of Noah—as she and her family prepare to face the flood that will cleanse the Earth. But during the forty days and nights before the waters recede, the inhabitants of the Ark experience more than just a simple boat ride.

As events take a terrifying turn, and as lines between right and wrong increasingly blur, Timna must find it in her heart to question her father when no one else will.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Retellings, Religion, Biblical Fiction

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2004

About the author

Geraldine McCaughrean is a British children's novelist. She has written more than 170 books, including Peter Pan in Scarlet (2004), the official sequel to Peter Pan commissioned by Great Ormond Street Hospital, the holder of Peter Pan's copyright. Her work has been translated into 44 languages worldwide. She has received the Carnegie Medal twice and the Michael L. Printz Award among others.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, you should not bother with Geraldine McCaughrean's 2001 novel (for readers from about twelve years of age onwards) Not the End of the World if you want and require a slavish, a literal retelling of the Bible sto­ry about Noah and the Flood. For if this is indeed the case then Not the End of the World most definitely and totally will not be for you and will likely also enrage your scriptural sensibilities (and equally so, if you are expecting with Not the End of the World a story that is all sweetness and light, full of rainbows, obediently happy animals and a Noah who is shiningly wonderful and beyond reproach). But yes, if you want a gripping, and often rather painful sto­ry, with a real­is­tic cast of flawed humans and various ani­mals, a plot that will keep you on the edge of your chair, and a set­ting that is both terrifying and fas­ci­nat­ing, then you really should consider Not the End of the World and Noah’s daugh­ter Timna as a wonderful and engaging main protagonist (and no, in my humble opinion, it really does not and should not really matter that there is no Timna mentioned in the Bible, that no Timna appears in the story of Noah's Flood, as let's face it, especially in the Old Testament, women and girls do get major short shrift and are if they appear at all often annoying and frustrating afterthoughts, so yes, Noah might well have had a daughter).

But actually, Tim­na is not the only nar­ra­tor in Not the End of the World, as her three broth­ers (Shem, Ham, Japheth) and their respective wives, the moth­er, and even some of the suffer­ing ani­mals aboard the Ark all tell about the flooding from their var­i­ous points of view, with each voice being wonderfully expres­sive and also leading us to a deep­er under­stand­ing of the cat­a­stro­phe of the Flood and the horror and suffering it has caused and is causing for the world and for themselves, albeit that Noah does not actually get to tell his side of the story, but with Geraldine McCaughrean distinctly and without compromise showing him, showing Noah as a very dangerous and one-sidedly terrible reli­gious fanat­ic, as a full of himself and constantly boasting mono­maniac, and yes, that in The End of the World, Noah is most definitely depicted by McCaughrean as being hugely, majorly flawed and certainly not as blameless and as perfect, Noah's depiction in the Bible notwithstanding.

However, not just Noah, but pretty much ALL of the people inhabiting the Ark are in Not The End of the World cast in a pretty unflat­ter­ing light. After all, Noah’s fam­i­ly saved them­selves while everyone around them, men, women, children, animals miserably drowned. And while being described by Geraldine McCaughrean in Not the End of the World as far from perfect and with many large and small faults and foibles (and with Noah himself probably the one with the most depicted flaws) does make Noah and his family more human and less saccharinely good than they are depicted in the Old Testament, it also makes one then of
course rather question why Noah and his family have Ben chosen and singled out to survive the Flood in the first place (when they are actually not really, at least in Not the End of the World, being depicted as in any way superior or more worthy, more sinless than their neighbours, than the rest of mankind far and wide).

Finally, Not the End of the World is both thematically and stylistically not for the feint of heart either, since Geraldine McCaugh­re­an tells her sto­ry through sensorily powerful and often pretty horrifying, often rather physically disgusting language and imagery (and by necessity, in my opinion, since come on, a huge flood inundating all of the world and with only one large ship sheltering loads of animals and one family would naturally be crowded, dangerous and of course also stinking and floating with masses of excrement).

And I do not want to give away the ending of Not the End of the World and too many spoilers, but I do indeed appreciate that Timna (well, basically MOST of the women aboard the Ark) are the main voices of reason and skepticism against God, Noah, and the necessity not only of the flood but also not providing help to the victims. And yes, I do cheer that Timna saves a baby and her older brother in defiance of Noah (and I guess God) ordering everyone to drown and not to provide rescue and that instead of killing Timna and casting her into the waters when this is discovered (as Noah disgustingly orders), the women allow Timna and little Kittim to escape on a raft, to make their own future away from Noah's dominance. But well, I kind of would rather be seeing Noah's wife accompany Timna on the raft and I do think therefore that The End of the World would be a bit more satisfying for me if that were how Geraldine McCaughrean makes Not the End of the World conclude, with the fanatics like Noah left totally alone and without the comfort of family.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this because I thought the premise of the story was interesting.

I started reading it and it went sideways.

[Kristijan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simpatična knjižica o jednom malo drugačijem viđenju biblijske priče o Noju i velikom potopu. Sagledana iz više uglova (uključujući i neke od životinja), ali najviše iz ugla Nojeve ćerke, ova priča nudi blagu blasfemiju, ali pre svega kontemplaciju na večito pitanje dobra i zla. Ovo je pre svega knjiga za decu (dobitnik je Vitbredove prestižne nagrade za dečju književnost) i samim tim autorka nije ni previše moralisala niti išla u neku žešću blasfemiju ili tome slično. Da sam tinejdžer verovatno bi mi se ova knjiga mnogo više svidela. Ovako roman dobija jednu stabilnu trojku.
Za one koji vole malo "žešću" verziju ove biblijske priče - obavezno pročitati poglavlje vezano za to u delu Džulijana Barnsa "Istorija sveta u 10 i 1/2 poglavlja"

[Linnae · Rating 2 out of 5]

A retelling of the Biblical story of Noah. Mostly told by Timna, an unmentioned daughter, but other characters get a chapter or two--even some of the animals. Think of Noah more as deluded cult leader than prophet and you'll be about on the same wave length as this book. The family, who start out at least somewhat united and normal relationship-wise, become more and more dsyfunctional as the story progresses. The longer everyone is on the ark, the more unhealthy they all get, animals included, until for Timna it reaches a breaking point.

Well-written, with vivid descriptions--many of them gag-worthy, so those with weak stomachs, beware! I've read many fictionalized accounts of scripture stories that were written more from a position of faith--for lack of a better way to describe it. By which I mean, at a minimum keeping with the scripural version of who should be in the "hero/villain" roles. This one was not written that way. If anything, it was the opposite. Just so you know and can adjust your expectations accordingly.

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-written tale, telling what is probably a more accurate account of the dilemmas faced by Noah and his family than many story-books and 'bible stories for children' books do. The writer chose to tell the story using different points of view, primarily Timna, the daughter of Noah whose name has supposedly been overlooked in the Biblical account as 'a daughter is not the same blessing as a son.' My only niggle is the fact that the book did actually contradict the bible, instead of just straying slightly from the facts, like many other 'historical-fiction' stories. For me, it did also seem to go downhill in the last, say, quarter, but other than that, a very engaging book, on so many levels.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely story! This is a book written for children but with so many layers to it that anyone can enjoy it as their own level. In fact, it is a classic example of how to do it well.
The plot line—animals two by two, ark, flood, Noah’s sons repopulating the earth—we all know it. This retelling brings us the nitty-gritty of life on the ark in a sensitive, realistic way. McCaughrean sets out complex ideas and emotions in a simple, no nonsense way.
Although many voices, including some of the animals’, are heard in the telling of the story of the forty days in the ark, the main narrator is Timna, Noah’s daughter. Didn’t know Noah had a daughter, did you? As Timna says, only the names of Noah’s sons will ever go down in history. Girls and women don’t count. As the days wear on, the animals get shabbier and hungrier and the humans less and less likeable. Timna dares to wonder why her family, of all the normal, nice families God could have picked, has been chosen. She dares to wonder if indeed God chose anyone at all, if God was even capable of making a sensible decision in the first place. Perhaps the creation had just been a bad joke that backfired.
The great mysteries of religion and faith are tackled with a very light touch, light and funny. There are some lovely throwaway lines that had me giggling aloud. The characters are very real: the intelligent, questioning Timna, the dangerously insensitive Ham, slightly crazed and cruel Shem, mystical Noah, tragically sensitive Japheth, and the sisters-in-law who appear silly and bird-brained on the face of it but redeem themselves at the end. In many ways, Noah’s comes over more like the family from Hell than God’s anointed.
I won’t spoil the ending which is very exciting—no, you don’t know how it ends, not entirely anyway. But I would say that when it came to repopulating the earth again, thank goodness there was Timna too.

[Nichola Grimshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t quite decide which of my ‘shelves’ to put this book on... it’s gone into ‘KS2’ and ‘journeys’ but doesn’t quite fit into ‘family’ - the family relationships in this fairly dark exploration of life on (in?) Noah’s ark are mostly horrible...

McCaughrean looks directly at the horror of The Flood - the fact that all the people caught by the initial massive tidal wave didn’t just die instantly and vanish, they struggled and fought and begged for help when they encountered the ark. Noah and his family refuse to help and actively push those initial survivors back into the water. Then there are the bodies of the drowned floating in the water. And the terror of the animals and the tensions between prey and predators and impact of all of this on Noah’s family.

The story is told mostly by Noah’s daughter (she doesn’t feature in the biblical version) as she struggles with the morality of her family’s situation - suddenly God’s rules are different and that doesn’t make sense.

This is one of those stories that you can’t quite say you ‘enjoyed’ reading - it’s not fun at all - but it’s definitely thought-provoking and a bit unsettling and I’m glad I read it! Upper KS2 if you’re looking for something to spark philosophical discussion but there may be obvious tensions in some faith schools to think about.

[kyliemm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fabulous semi-fantasy, semi-historical novel is a postcolonial, postmodern retelling of the story of Noah and the Flood from the Bible. The story is told largely from the point of view of Timna, Noah's thirteen-year-old daughter, who doesn't question her father's patriarchal religious authority most of the time, until she starts to wonder if letting all their neighbors drown can really be God's will. While the novel is mostly from Timna's viewpoint, the novel also expresses the animals' viewpoints as well as the viewpoints of other members of Timna's family. The novel explores issues of violence and religion and presents a unique coming-of-age story. McCaughrean's hyper-realist storytelling really makes this story vibrant and real, and her feminist, anti-imperialist viewpoint makes the Noah story complicated and fascinating. In short, I loved this novel, and would recommend it ridiculously highly to a vast majority of the young adults I know. I also think that teachers wanting to prepare their young adult students to encounter postmodernism should consider using this book as an introduction to postmodern writings, since it's a well-written, fascinating example of feminist, postmodern, and postcolonial literature for young adults.

[Brielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting perspective on the experiences of Noah and his family, but I didn't really like it. It was well-thought out and as realistic as possible, but it just didn't sit well. It seemed to end with the message that "every man of God is crazy and deluded, and the only way to survive is to sneak behind their backs".

[Athanasia ♥︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book its the perfect example of what are the limits of YA, and how much patriarchy and theology can influence our knowledge of history. I was really fortunate to have read this book twice for both my BA and MA.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all this book doesn't stay true to the biblical telling with the exception of main events and main character names. If you are a biblical stickler steer clear.

The characters were flat and without much build-up. And in many cases the author ended up in forming the main male characters as disillusioned and insane cruel brutes. The females were just as badly portrayed as trivial, two-faced and selfish. I can understand sticking with the type of societal/cultural responses for realism but it wasn't what was presented.

What I did like was the style for the chapters and subchapter as it was a reminder of waves. Occasionally a drawing was added but it in no way reflected what was included within that chapter.

Another thing I did enjoy was the fact various characters contributed to the telling - both animal and human.Some animal portrayals were just as bad as the human characters, which again leaned the book towards the negative side.

All in all it was an interesting read - realistic in many senses and something new. But in the end it won't make for a good recommendation book for your friends.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel presents a very different vision of what it was like on Noah's ark during the flood, and what he and his family were like, than the Bible does. Or, perhaps, it fills in gaps in the Bible's telling. I enjoyed it very much.

[Sandra Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very insightful and entertaining story of Noah's Ark through the eyes of Noah's daughter (never mentioned in the Bible, of course).

[Bibliotekstanten · Rating 4 out of 5]

För många år sedan läste jag en bok som gjorde starkt intryck. Jag minns inte författaren eller titeln, men kom ihåg att boken handlade om Noas dotter ombord på arken och att människorna där blev mer och mer galna.

Efter en del luskande kom jag fram till att det borde vara Inte hela världen av Geraldine McCaughrean. Mitt bibliotek där jag en gång lånade boken, hade inte kvar den längre. Som tur var gick det att ordna ett fjärrlån och nu har jag läst om den.

Fler olika personer kommer till tals under bokens gång men Noas dotter Timna märks lite extra, precis som de korta små passagerna som berättas av olika djur ombord på arken.

När den stora floden kommer finns följande personer ombord på arken: Noa med sin hustru Ama, Sem med gravida frun Basemat, Ham med sin fru Saraj, lillebror Jafet och flickan Zilla som familjen kidnappat som blivande hustru till honom och så Timna. Relationerna är spända ända från början för Jafet är bara tolv år och vill inte ha en fru, han ville ta med sin bästa kompis. Zilla vill inte vara där alls och att hon är det är bästisen Sarajs fel. Sen kommer regnet och vattnet:

Händer höll sig fast vid skrovet, händer och naglar som på något sätt lyckats få grepp om det grova timret. Ham var halvt galen, stapplade som en drucken från den ena sidan av däcket till den andra och ropade: "Släpp taget! Ge er iväg! Det är för sent, har jag ju sagt! Det är ert eget fel!" s. 19.

De olika personerna känner olika inför att de, och bara de, ska räddas medan Gud dränker resten av mänskligheten. Timna har lärt sig att pappa har rätt, han lyder bara Gud och hon ska i sin tur lyda sin far. När Timna kryper ut genom lufthålet i båten har en kvinna klängt sig fast där. Hon håller i ett spädbarn och en pojke och när hon ber Timna ta dem gör hon det, fast hon vet att alla utom familjen är demoner. Zilla och Jafet hjälper henne men allt eftersom tiden går, maten ruttnar djuren börjar bli oroliga och regnet fortsätter falla blir det svårare och svårare att hålla fripassagerarna hemliga. Isoleringen och tilltagande sjukdom gör också saker med huvudet hos arkens innevånare.

Jag måste säga att jag är lika fascinerad av Inte hela världen när jag läser den nu. Det här är en speciell variant av Noas ark! Jag läste en gammal recension i GP och där journalisten gillade, typ, men avslutar det hela med:

Ändå finns här något problematiskt som har att göra med att McCaughrean behandlar en myt som om den beskrev en historisk realitet. Om man gör det skall man kanske akta sig för att utmåla personer som räknas som stamfäder av flera folk som bestialiska fundamentalister.

Varför då undrar jag? Det är väl det som är intressant! Gamla testamentets Gud är ju allt annat än najs, och det gäller även flera av Guds "händer på jorden".

Så vitt jag vet läses inte McCaughrean i någon större utsträckning i Sverige, trots att hon är känd och hyllad i hemlandet. Jag kan förstå att den här boken haft svårt att hitta en publik, för även om språket är "barnsligt" är temat inte det. Det är smutsigt, äckligt, hemskt inte bara större delen av jorden dör ut utan barnet som föds på arken tuggas ihjäl av en mungo. Rått och dessutom om "...gubben Noa, gubben Noa, var en hedersman".

Jag vet fortfarande inte vem jag skulle rekommendera den här boken till, men jag vill ändå göra det! För det är en ovanlig twist på en känd historia och jag tror religiösa "förebilder" kan behöva skrivas om och ges nya infallsvinklar. Jag tycker inte man behöver akta sig.

PS Plus i kanten för den underfundiga titeln som fungerar både på svenska och originalets Not the End of the World.

[Charlotte Coen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 ✨✨✨

don’t know why i finished this after the exam in which i had to write about this book
interesting with the ecological aspects
like at the end where Timna moves away from humanity and more into the bio centric lens of the finches ?

Ama was also interesting but an under explored character
her change in attitude felt VERY convenient for the exposition let’s be fr

also where did Bashemath go? she calls Shem cruel and stupid why would she go back to him?
i’m just a little lost
i know it’s probably deliberately ambiguous but

most interesting parts :
- the Quoxolan
i swore that was a real animal
i was imagining an animal called a (Gemsbok ?)
- the fact that drawing is a sin
yet Timna and Ama compare the constellations to God drawing
- excess faith with consumerist ideals
how much of faith is free will?
if his is omnipotent is there free will?
if he’s all good why would he give us free will because that could create evil?
if he’s all good why can free will be justified as ‘testing our morals’
why would he do that if he’s all good, and why would he need to if he is all knowing?
i just
don’t like

this is why i’m so interested in the epicurean paradox
and the famous flow chart that comes with it

well x
that’s it
for my religious readings

[Blue! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book in year six (2013) and it really stuck with me and I reread it this week and it’s still as impressive as I remember.

I really recommend this book (obviously, as I have rated it 5 stars)
BUT!
Even though I found this book in my primary schools library, it isn’t exactly a children’s story (for example when a new born wildebeest calf gets its throat cut in front of its mother for sacrifice, etc)
So be warned it is not at all like those innocent Noah’s Ark picture books we’re more familiar with - it is a much darker, more realistic retelling.

Despite being quite heavy there is *some* humour in it:
e.g “It was raining so hard that my face was starting to turn back into the clay God used to make us.”
^honestly I just love how witty the author is throughout the story

Oh and the ending is as happy as it could be.
:)

[charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

for a children's book, it was pretty dark at times.

[Alfie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh

[Geoff Lynas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a retelling of the popular biblical story of Noah and the Flood. It is gripping, gruesome and challenging as it tries to interpret the story with a modern eye to the realism of the events described.

There are filth and squalor in the hold of the Ark, where animals, as well as humans, struggle to survive. Above Noah and his family deal with the trauma of watching their fellow human beings drowning before their eyes. Shem and Ham both actively participate by pushing stragglers overboard. As disease and 'PTSD' set in the family disintegrates and each tries to deal with the enormity of it all in their own way.

It is well written and an easy and quick read. Viewpoints change from short chapter to short chapter, which keeps it lively and not relentlessly downbeat. I understand from other commentaries that there are technical issues with some elements of detail (not that I would know any better). And, of course, a lot of a certain kind of Christian find it a bit much. I found it fascinating to reconsider a story I haven’t paid any attention to since Sunday school. As a book for children, I’d say it’s not for the squeamish. Thought-provoking whether you agree with the ‘message’ or not.

[Lowed · Rating 5 out of 5]

The water boiled with people. They were swimming, or clutching hold of logs, doors, cartwheels. Animals, too, were swimming among them--dogs and horses, cattle, goats. The sky was full of displaced birds, circling, circling, with nowhere to land.

If some of the interpretations of the Mayan calendar were right about December 21 [or 23?] 2012 being the end of the world, I just hope it will not be this tragic. NOT the end of the of the WORLD is actually a childrens lit. A re-telling of the story of Noah and his sons, and one daughter (which I think is the only adddition to this old story).

Be that as it may, this book has really good lessons to tell. This for me is a five star... in an 8- 12 year-old kind-of-way.

Oh yeah! This book actually raised THAT long un-answered question; WHY DIDN'T NOAH JUST SWAT THOSE TWO DANG MOSQUITOES?

[Sara G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left quite an impression the first time I read it and I have had to actively stop myself from buying a copy of it every time I see it sold.

It has solid reread potential, however, it's not exactly the kind of book where it matters if you know the basic story beforehand. In fact, I feel like knowing the (at the very least) bare bones of the story before you start reading adds immensely to the general enjoyment you might get from it. I am not equipped to judge because I do not possess the opposing perspective, but I feel like this story wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable to me if I hadn't grown up with Christianity.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

'These things happen. It is not the end of the world.'

I picked this up off the shelf attracted by the cover (not the edition I'm writing a review on) and found it very easy to read in short bursts thanks to the short chapters. The multiple narrators don't do any disfavours to the story - I particularly enjoyed the animal voices - and it was refreshing to read a predominantly female perspective of life on the ark.

The story didn't leave me with a strong religious message about who was right and wrong but rather thinking how easy it is to have tunnel-vision in dire situations. Incredibly well written and would recommend to anyone with an open mind on biblical retellings.

[Kaci Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on the infamous story of Noah’s Ark, hearing from voices absent from the original tale, most notably, the women.
I enjoyed that the retelling was complex, yet still comprehendible to younger readers, as well as McCaughrean writing through a feminist lens of the women’s’ struggle to conform to their submissive role or act on their own beliefs.

[zaira. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro que narra otra versión de lo que sucedió en el arca de Noé.
Muy interesante.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bleak. Really, really bleak. I believe this is intended as a young adult novel, but it's hard to imagine it being very popular with young people. I didn't enjoy it, even though it was well written and even well conceived. I suppose.

This retelling of the Biblical story about Noah and the ark, mostly from the perspective of Timnah, one of Noah's daughters (unnamed in the biblical story, but that doesn't create problems because she wouldn't necessarily have been mentioned since she was a girl). But this book reminded me of Tara Westover's Educated, in that Noah comes across as a fanatic who talks with God and saves his family but at great, great cost to all of their humanity and sanity. And there's also a crazy, abusive son, like in Educated, and the parents just turn their heads the other way.

It starts with Noah building the ark, following what he perceives as God's directions; we have to assume that Noah did, indeed, talk with God, because the crazy flood materializes just as expected. But the next 40 days are grueling, to say the least, and the ark becomes a rat- and fly-infested health hazard, with its occupants -- people and other animals -- getting less and less healthy.

In its favor, the book gives an interesting perspective of a group of people and animals on a huge ship for 40 days without the mythological aspects that make it more palatable. There's a raven and a dove, but when we imagine this beautiful, white dove flying off, McCaughrean shows us a sick and barely alive bird -- of course! since the bird has been cooped up for almost 40 days as well.

The problem is that the Noah story is a myth, an important myth, but one which never should have become a favorite children's story! Look at the nice man and his nice wife and his nice three sons and their nice wives in their nice, big ship with two giraffes, and two elephants, and two kangaroos, and two of every cute animal! But . . . wait! The nice people are in their big boat, and the water comes, and God saves them, but all the wicked people, all those wicked men and women and their wicked children, and their wicked tiny babies, well, all those are gonna die and Noah and his family will just watch and shake their heads. Not only were the people wicked, they didn't listen to Noah when he warned them! Stupid people! Stupid babies! They just made fun of this guy building a giant ship in the middle of a desert and they didn't listen to God. They deserved what they got!

When you try to make a myth literal, as McCaughrean has done, it takes on a much different hue; sometimes it could be sappy and didactic, other times (like in this book) sinister (and still didactic). But that misses the point of the Christian myth (myth being used not in a "this isn't true!" sense, but as in "a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events" [per the dictionary automatically included with the Mac] -- an origin story with deeper spiritual meaning, but not a story that bears too much examination in a literal sense. (Despite the literal-mindedness of many Christians today, the most important early church figures, such as Augustine of Hippo, weren't always literal; they used figurative/allegorical and spiritual interpretation when it seemed to apply, such as in this story, along with whatever literal interpretations seemed appropriate).

Anything else would be a spoiler. I sort of enjoyed the last three or four chapters, but that may have been mostly relief: thank God I'm almost done! Prior to that I kept thinking I'd give it up. It's not a long book, but it sure felt that way, since, as I said, it was bleak almost beyond bearing.

[lulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

🚢 started off slow but ended up getting quite into it

🚢 interesting how the messages of the novel focus on renewal/ revival and nature, as these ideas are foregrounded by the fact that it is a retelling of a classic biblical tale

🚢 although it’s accessible language places it amongst children’s literature, it was surprisingly adult at times, dealing with mature themes and often quite gruesome descriptions (e.g-floating dead bodies with purple skin, people screaming for help)

🚢 could have easily slipped into badmouthing religious piety, but I think it quite successfully portrayed the message of balancing blind faith with our own inherent moral values

🚢 found the chapters written from the animals’ various perspectives v interesting and loved their poeticism (again seemed surprisingly layered and complex for children’s fiction)

🚢 big fan of the mother’s character development

🚢 descriptions of natural beauty at the end were stunning

🚢 perhaps didn’t need to be a novel/ so long ? Could have made a banging short story

🚢 made me wanna be a vegetarian lol

[Monica Caldicott]

Note: author's name pronounced: Mc-CORK-an

How fast will it take you to identify this story:
40 days of rain
2 of each animal
Wooden ark
Noah and family

 This novel tells another version of that famous Bible tale - the story of Noah's daughter Timna (she's never mentioned in the Bible, but few women are - so who knows?) and what is was truly like on that huge boat.

 Read p. 3: "Only hours before, the sky … are you all mad?"

 Timna believe in her father and the directive given to him by God, but that doesn't mean she enjoys seeing the land flooded, her neighbors drowned and the animals caged together.

 Many chapters are narrated by Timna but other characters, such as her sisters-in-law, and even the animals take a turn at telling their stories, too.

[Karen Shilvock-Cinefro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really wanted to like this book, but I was very disappointed. Written in little chunks of short so called chapters and questionable grammatical qualities. Amazing what writing wins awards in children’s books.
The basic idea of the book is intriguing; Noah having a daughter, which could fictionally be possible as women weren’t usually accounted for especially in the Old Testament but that is where most of the possibility ends.
This book appears to try to be a juvenile version of the Hollywood Noah movie. More research needs to be done to even make fiction engaging.

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always had problems with the story of Noah's Arc, even as a child. How on earth could all the animals be fed?! This addressed a few of my issues- a plague of locusts is quite a good answer for some of the animals. Something else I noticed in my bible the other day- Noah was supposed to be 600 years old! Anyway, not a nice story, really quite horrible in many ways, but that is true to the bible as well. Enjoyed, but not a keeper.

[Nona · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is always interesting to me, to read fictional stories surrounding Biblical accounts. In this story Noah has a daughter, brothers Shem and Ham kidnap a neighbor girl to be the wife of Japheth, who is only a boy at the time of the flood. The ark is a smelly, dangerous, and uncomfortable place. What happens when a stowaway is discovered on the ark?