The Midwives' Escape: From Egypt to Jericho

by Maggie Anton

After years of archaeological research and biblical studies, award-winning author Maggie Anton has created a historical novel filled with adventure, warfare, and romance, that is true to both Torah and to history.

The Bible contains many extraordinary stories of a sometimes benevolent, sometimes vengeful deity, who guides the Israelites out of slavery, across the Sea of Reeds and through the wilderness to the Promised Land.

Maggie Anton's The Midwives' From Egypt to Jericho brings to life this exceptional Biblical journey through vivid descriptions of what daily life was like at this time, epic battlefield scenes and a colorful cast of characters.

An Egyptian mother and daughter, Asenet and Shifra, a midwife and her apprentice, wake up on the morning of the tenth plague to find Asenet's husband and son, both firstborns, dead. Asenet's sister Pua, married to an Israelite, urges Asenet's family to leave Egypt with them, which they reluctantly do, along with Asenet's wainwright father and his two apprentices. Recognizing that the Hebrew god is more powerful than any of the Egyptians' gods, other non-Israelites join the exodus, including Hittite and Nubian palace guards. Once hearing and accepting God's commandments at Mt. Sinai, these two Egyptian midwives join the Israelites on their forty-year journey to The Promised Land where they tend to the wounded, share hardship and adversity, fall in love, and start a new home and a new generation.

With The Midwives' Escape, Anton has written an original and stunning recreation of the trials and tribulations on the road to the Promised Land.

Genres: Jewish, Historical Fiction, Middle East, Judaism

296 pages, Paperback

Published March 4, 2025

About the author

Maggie Anton is an award-winning author of historical fiction, as well as a Talmud scholar with expertise in Jewish women’s history. She was born Margaret Antonofsky in Los Angeles, California, where she still resides. In 1992 she joined a women’s Talmud class taught by Rachel Adler. There, to her surprise, she fell in love with Talmud, a passion that has continued unabated for over thirty years. Intrigued that the great Jewish scholar Rashi had no sons, only daughters, she started researching the family and their community.
Thus the award-winning trilogy Rashi’s Daughters was born in 2004, to be followed by National Jewish Book Award finalist, Rav Hisda’s Daughter: Apprentice and its sequel, Enchantress. Then she switched to nonfiction in 2016, winning the Gold Ben Franklin Award in the religion category for Fifty Shades of Talmud: What the First Rabbis Had to Say about You-Know What, a lighthearted in-depth tour of sexuality within the Talmud. In 2022, she returned to fiction with the Independent Publishers’ Silver Award-winning The Choice: A Novel of Love, Faith, and the Talmud, a wholly transformative novel that takes characters inspired by Chaim Potok and ages them into young adults in 1950s Brooklyn. Her latest historical novel is The Midwives’ Escape: from Egypt to Jericho, which describes the Exodus from the point of view of an Egyptian mother and daughter who join the Hebrews to follow Moses to the Promised Land.
Since 2005, Anton has lectured about the research behind her books at hundreds of venues throughout North America, Europe, and Israel. She still studies women and Talmud, albeit mostly online at https://www.conservativeyeshiva.org/l.... You can follow her blog and contact her at her website, www.maggieanton.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Goodreads. And if you liked this book, please give it a nice review at all the usual websites. Maggie has been married to David Parkhurst, her books’ illustrator, since 1970. They have two children, six grandchildren, and one cat.

Reviews

[Maggie Anton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I think The Midwives' Escape: From Egypt to Jericho is great. I wrote it!

[Caroline Berkowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie Anton has done it again! She has taken the well-worn fabric of a traditional Jewish text and woven in characters, action, and stories that make the text come alive.

In The Midwives’ Escape, Anton imagines the lives of two Egyptian women who, with their family, choose to leave Egypt during the Israelite slaves’ Exodus. As they journey through the desert, each chapter is teed up with a verse or two from the Bible, followed by the characters living through those experiences.

Suitable for Bible scholars and novices alike, it contains hidden gems for those in the know yet is accessible to those less familiar.

Bonus: a p. 197 reference to one of my favorite lines in the Talmud, “a grandmother in the house is a treasure in the house.”

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, I couldn’t wait to read what happens. Yes, I know “ what happens,” but I wanted to hear Maggie Anton’s story about it. It was good, really good. While not compelling (I’m intense and like that in stuff I read), it was interesting and brought a different perspective to the story. I also learned things I didn’t know, like how they survived (mana, I know, but there’s more), etc. it’s an easy interesting read. Go ahead, read it!

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy a story that shares a perspective on what might have happened centuries ago related to the Bible. We only know so much, so it is fun to think about how events might have played out, or what other people did during those events. This book is told from the perspective of two midwives. The story provides more detail of events from Exodus, or at least what might have occurred. 

This book can be enjoyed by anyone of any faith who desires a tale that shapes the people and the events surrounding Moses and their journey to the promised land. The are multiple tribes present, and it could get a little confusing trying to keep all of them straight. However, I appreciated the effort of everyone to work together and save their people from those who would wish them harm. 

There are many stories that we are familiar with if you have any knowledge of the Bible. The story of Moses and the Ten Commandments, the various battles, the parting of the Red Sea, and so much more.

The book moves at a slower pace, but each character's outlook brought a fresh voice to the story. The only thing I didn't understand is why the author never used the word god in the book. Each time I read it, it was typed as g-d. Even goddess was missing the O. Perhaps it is a religious thing? 

Overall, it was an interesting book, and we give it 3 1/2 paws.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie Anton’s “The Midwives’ Escape: From Egypt to Jericho” is a masterful blend of historical fiction, biblical narrative, and compelling storytelling. Through the eyes of Egyptian midwives Asenet and Shifra, Anton reimagines the Exodus from a fresh perspective, breathing life into the daily struggles, triumphs, and resilience of those who journeyed from slavery to freedom.

Anton’s meticulous research and rich descriptions immerse readers in the realities of ancient life, from the dangers of the wilderness to the intricacies of midwifery and survival. The novel is filled with adventure, romance, and profound spiritual questioning, making it both an engaging read and a thought-provoking reflection on faith, identity, and community.

For biblical fiction fans, “The Midwives’ Escape” stands alongside “The Red Tent” as a beautifully crafted midrashic tale. Anton once again proves herself a master storyteller, offering readers an intimate and inclusive vision of what might have truly happened on the road to the Promised Land. A must-read for historical fiction lovers!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie brings to this book so much researched information. She gave a good account of the decades long journey from Egypt to then Canaan with talk of how they settled in areas, supplemented crops and livestock with the daily manna, and even how they managed to survive attacks by other tribes. I loved that she brought the perspective of the Egyptians and other groups that must have traveled with the Israelis, as it enriched this Midrashic account. We rarely hear of the non-Israelis, and even more importantly, how some converted to Judaism because of that connection. I can't wait to share this with others!

[Rachel]

The debate continues in scholarly circles over whether the Exodus from Egypt actually occurred. For many writers that debate is irrelevant: the Exodus has inspired storytelling from ancient to contemporary times. Maggie Anton, whose novels focus on tales of little known Jewish women, now offers her view of that event.
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/book...

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in a Little Free Library in perfect condition! What a prize! I knew I was in for something special with a new Maggie Anton novel. She successfully tells the story of the biblical Exodus from Egypt . . . from the point of view of the multitudes that leave with the Hebrews. A beautiful and enlightened exploration.

[Rita Bookreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Congratulations Maggie Anton!

[Dara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. From the author of the Rashi’s Daughters series, Maggie Anton has taken on biblical history from the 10th plague in Egypt to the Israelites conquer to Jericho. The story is told by midwives Shifra and Asenet as their families leave Egypt, cross the sea, arrive at Mt. Sinai, and spend 40 years in the desert. While I found some of the sections of the story a bit slow, I enjoyed the pieces that I could directly recognize from the Torah and from stories I learned throughout my life. I was very amused that in this version of the story, Moses has a daughter and names her Dara!