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After the Apple: Women in the Bible - Timeless Stories of Love, Lust, and Longing
Blending elements of history, psychology, & storytelling, the author of 'Wrestling with Angels' retells the stories of female characters from the Hebrew Bible - Leah, Rachel, Sarah, Delilah, Rebeccah, & Jezebel - & their surprisingly modern dilemmas & problems they are forced to confront.
288 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 10, 2014
This book provided no new insight to me that I didn't already know. Rosenblatt seems to have taken the story from the Bible and only offer insight as what the Bible already tells us. She does offer Hebrew wordage, but nothing in depth that shows the passage or character in a new light. I didn't like her take on Eve, Sarah, or Rebecca. Well, let's be honest all of them. The world was a different time then so circumstances should be taken in that way, however, Rosenblatt uses the motive of sex as a primary force for the women getting what they want. She plays them to be a leader in the home. While the husbands may have been lack luster, they were godly leaders God chosen in His story. She puts Eve in a light that when she was confronted by the serpent and fruit she had a glimpse of choosing the path to become sexually aware with her husband. I don't know if that is how God designed it. Therefore, by offering the fruit to Adam she was being seductive in that moment. Where I think she offered it so she won't be the only one in shame.
The outlook that Rosenblatt gives these women of the Bible seen to be underlining sexual, where yes it is part of their past and present circumstances, I don't believe it is a conscious driving force.
If you are looking for new depth insight into the women she writes about, do not read this book. It is an introductory book. I would give this book to someone just starting out in their walk.
The outlook that Rosenblatt gives these women of the Bible seen to be underlining sexual, where yes it is part of their past and present circumstances, I don't believe it is a conscious driving force.
If you are looking for new depth insight into the women she writes about, do not read this book. It is an introductory book. I would give this book to someone just starting out in their walk.
December 13, 2013
I had been looking for a book presenting Bible stories in an accessible way. While the focus is narrowed to the stories of women, I got far more than access to Bible stories with "After the Apple".
I liked that Rosenblatt explained how concepts originated. For instance, the word commonly translated as "rib" (Adam's) technically means side. I also liked that she put stories from the different Bible chapters together. For instance she tells how how David grew from the lyre playing shephard boy who slew Goliath to being a King.
In Sunday School we drew pictures of Jacob's ladder. We learned about the beauty of David's "royal city" and sang about it. We did NOT learn about Jacob's concubines nor of David ignoring his daughter's rape by his son. With no paternal protection, she could have been stoned were it not for another brother who had a moral sense and or cared about her. In the end, David moarns for this son... not the fate of the daughter.
The Bible's world is very disturbing. Death by stoning for rumored infractions is a threat for all, especially women. The masses most likely lived on subsistence diets. It seems to be a Darwinian world and the male id, among the elite, appears to be unrestrained.
Other than the Queen of Sheba (somewhat), the women cited in this book are immortalized in the Bible for their sexual interactions (whether in marital or union or not) with men. It makes you weep for all the other women who did not/could not approach the palace, a sheltering tent or even a smile. What of the homely/ugly, the unsponsored, the sick? The presumably better lives of these few women cited causes one to wonder about the foundations of this society.
Rosenblatt gives these stories a very sympathetic treatment. They add to the understanding of history and ourselves.
I give this book 4 stars because so much complex material is digested for lay people like me to understand it. I cannot say I enjoyed it because there was too much repression and pain in the lives of these (few) heroines. Empathy among the characters, particularly the men to the women, is rare.
The inspiration for me is not in the stories but in how far societies of the world have progressed since this time.
I liked that Rosenblatt explained how concepts originated. For instance, the word commonly translated as "rib" (Adam's) technically means side. I also liked that she put stories from the different Bible chapters together. For instance she tells how how David grew from the lyre playing shephard boy who slew Goliath to being a King.
In Sunday School we drew pictures of Jacob's ladder. We learned about the beauty of David's "royal city" and sang about it. We did NOT learn about Jacob's concubines nor of David ignoring his daughter's rape by his son. With no paternal protection, she could have been stoned were it not for another brother who had a moral sense and or cared about her. In the end, David moarns for this son... not the fate of the daughter.
The Bible's world is very disturbing. Death by stoning for rumored infractions is a threat for all, especially women. The masses most likely lived on subsistence diets. It seems to be a Darwinian world and the male id, among the elite, appears to be unrestrained.
Other than the Queen of Sheba (somewhat), the women cited in this book are immortalized in the Bible for their sexual interactions (whether in marital or union or not) with men. It makes you weep for all the other women who did not/could not approach the palace, a sheltering tent or even a smile. What of the homely/ugly, the unsponsored, the sick? The presumably better lives of these few women cited causes one to wonder about the foundations of this society.
Rosenblatt gives these stories a very sympathetic treatment. They add to the understanding of history and ourselves.
I give this book 4 stars because so much complex material is digested for lay people like me to understand it. I cannot say I enjoyed it because there was too much repression and pain in the lives of these (few) heroines. Empathy among the characters, particularly the men to the women, is rare.
The inspiration for me is not in the stories but in how far societies of the world have progressed since this time.
May 5, 2018
I found more insights in Elizabeth Wurtzel discussion on Delilah in her book "Bitch in Praise of Difficult Women" than I did in the entirety of this book.
I think too often people overlook the women of the bible, so I am glad for a book that focus on them. If you have never thought about the role of women in the lives of the prophets, read this book to spark your interest. If you know a lot about the women of the bible or the Torah, a book that looks more at culture would be more helpful. However, I don't think this Rosenblatt respects 1/2 the women she wrote about. She blames Michal for David's many wifes, she talks about how its women's job to protect themselves from rape, and she talks way too much about the men and their feelings.
I think too often people overlook the women of the bible, so I am glad for a book that focus on them. If you have never thought about the role of women in the lives of the prophets, read this book to spark your interest. If you know a lot about the women of the bible or the Torah, a book that looks more at culture would be more helpful. However, I don't think this Rosenblatt respects 1/2 the women she wrote about. She blames Michal for David's many wifes, she talks about how its women's job to protect themselves from rape, and she talks way too much about the men and their feelings.
November 20, 2018
First, this should be the Women in the Old Testament. It does not encompass the New Testament.
Second, this book views the women only in how they applied to the males. While the ancient society was like this, in this perspective the woman should be the focus. Being a good wife, yadda is important from this story but they were also autonomous beings.
Third, this is why rape culture continues in the Christian culture. FOrced to have sex with the king and bare his child while her husband is sent to the front line to die? That is no consensual nor is it a passionate love story. She basically says David was honorable because he took her and the bastard child in. No, he wasn't honorable. He broke one of the ten commandments and needed to humble himself and beg forgiveness.
As a woman who wanted to hear and understand the stories of these underloved heroes, I was sorely disappointed in teh sexualization and lack of care these women are given. (Esther's tale is labeled an act of seduction. *eyeroll*)
While technically well written, the themes are insulting and I will not recommend this book to anyone.
Second, this book views the women only in how they applied to the males. While the ancient society was like this, in this perspective the woman should be the focus. Being a good wife, yadda is important from this story but they were also autonomous beings.
Third, this is why rape culture continues in the Christian culture. FOrced to have sex with the king and bare his child while her husband is sent to the front line to die? That is no consensual nor is it a passionate love story. She basically says David was honorable because he took her and the bastard child in. No, he wasn't honorable. He broke one of the ten commandments and needed to humble himself and beg forgiveness.
As a woman who wanted to hear and understand the stories of these underloved heroes, I was sorely disappointed in teh sexualization and lack of care these women are given. (Esther's tale is labeled an act of seduction. *eyeroll*)
While technically well written, the themes are insulting and I will not recommend this book to anyone.
June 5, 2020
Engaging, interpretive summary of stories that many women will already know, because we have always looked for the feminine stories in the bible. Many of the 'back stories' provided by the rabbis are included as well. I had to chuckle when the story of Ruth and Boaz resting on 'the threshing floor surrounded by sheaves of newly cut barley stalks and breathing in their fresh scent'. Surely, newly cut stalks would have remained in the field until they were gathered and threshed, separating the component parts. Even recently swept threshing floors would have the prickles of straw and dust from harvesting operations.
April 10, 2019
I enjoyed reading this different perspective of the bible. Using the Jewish tradition of midrash, Ms. Rosenblatt fills in the blanks left in the stories surrounding women in the bible. I sometimes found her wholesome takeaways a stretch, and perhaps felt they met a traditional agenda or were based on the chaste lens with which she approached the scriptures, but overall it was an interesting read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in looking more closely at the role of females in biblical times.
September 8, 2021
non-fiction analysis of selected women in the old testament of the Bible. Interesting view that differs from the traditional Biblical view of these women. The author makes some intuitive leaps reading between the lines. Some of these make sense to me and some not.
The book is a reminder of how different life was in Biblical times. Fierce tribal loyalties and behaviours. While some human behaviours transcend the millennia, I'm not sure that I can accept all of the assumptions that the author makes.
It was a worthwhile read for me to step outside of my own box of assumptions.
The book is a reminder of how different life was in Biblical times. Fierce tribal loyalties and behaviours. While some human behaviours transcend the millennia, I'm not sure that I can accept all of the assumptions that the author makes.
It was a worthwhile read for me to step outside of my own box of assumptions.
January 29, 2018
3.5 stars. a little more preachy then i would have liked (inb4 its about the bible!!!!)
June 29, 2018
Loved this book and its introduction to the amazing women in the Bible. Disappointed it failed to at least mention Miriam and Deborah.
June 30, 2012
This looked intriguing when I saw it on the library shelf, and then when I looked at the GR description, I felt like I came across on the Internet before and opted NOT to add to my To Read list...
After my Bible book study group talked about doing a "women in the Bible" book next, I picked it back up again. (Spoiler alert: We will not be doing this book.)
in the Introduction the author says, "This book follows the ancient Jewish tradition of midrash, the constant reinterpretation of the Bible stories to derive from them new ethical and spiritual applications to meet the issues and concerns of succeeding generations" (xvii). And some of the chapters do really flesh out the female characters, often providing a different take on the story than the traditional one. But a lot of the chapters are more like just a general retelling of the story (sometimes focusing on the male more than the female).
The book is also strongly heteronormative (to the degree that I more than once said, "Are non-hetero folk really invisible to you?" -- example: "Further, polygamy is shown to dilute the intensity of feeling that is possible only between one man and one woman." [p. 91]) and I don't love the gender essentialism either (is that redundant? is gender essentialism implied in heteronormativity?).
On page 18, the author says: "The biblical term 'to know' is an elegant summing up of the intimate and in-depth understanding that grows over time in a sexual relationship. It means the opposite of whatever occurs in a one-night stand. (The Bible uses words such as 'come in into you,' 'lie with,' for loveless couplings.)" Given that English renditions of the story of Sodom use the verb "to know," my best friend looked it up in her Concordance. The Hebrew word ("yada") is in fact used in both those instances ("Now Adam knew Eve and she conceived and gave birth..." Gen 4.1 & "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them." ... Gen 19.5). One supposes it's POSSIBLE the Sodomites were being ironic... but the verb is also used in rape of the concubine in Judges, where the NRSV renders 19.25 as, "They wantonly raped her." So this doesn't fill me with confidence about Rosenblatt's scholarship and also serves to compound my feeling that she's often overreading the texts to get her preferred reading (I certainly do similar overreadings, so I would likely be more sympathetic if our readings lined up more).
There are some interesting ideas in here, and a lot of "meh," and a few things that made me want to throw the book across the room.
After my Bible book study group talked about doing a "women in the Bible" book next, I picked it back up again. (Spoiler alert: We will not be doing this book.)
in the Introduction the author says, "This book follows the ancient Jewish tradition of midrash, the constant reinterpretation of the Bible stories to derive from them new ethical and spiritual applications to meet the issues and concerns of succeeding generations" (xvii). And some of the chapters do really flesh out the female characters, often providing a different take on the story than the traditional one. But a lot of the chapters are more like just a general retelling of the story (sometimes focusing on the male more than the female).
The book is also strongly heteronormative (to the degree that I more than once said, "Are non-hetero folk really invisible to you?" -- example: "Further, polygamy is shown to dilute the intensity of feeling that is possible only between one man and one woman." [p. 91]) and I don't love the gender essentialism either (is that redundant? is gender essentialism implied in heteronormativity?).
On page 18, the author says: "The biblical term 'to know' is an elegant summing up of the intimate and in-depth understanding that grows over time in a sexual relationship. It means the opposite of whatever occurs in a one-night stand. (The Bible uses words such as 'come in into you,' 'lie with,' for loveless couplings.)" Given that English renditions of the story of Sodom use the verb "to know," my best friend looked it up in her Concordance. The Hebrew word ("yada") is in fact used in both those instances ("Now Adam knew Eve and she conceived and gave birth..." Gen 4.1 & "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them." ... Gen 19.5). One supposes it's POSSIBLE the Sodomites were being ironic... but the verb is also used in rape of the concubine in Judges, where the NRSV renders 19.25 as, "They wantonly raped her." So this doesn't fill me with confidence about Rosenblatt's scholarship and also serves to compound my feeling that she's often overreading the texts to get her preferred reading (I certainly do similar overreadings, so I would likely be more sympathetic if our readings lined up more).
There are some interesting ideas in here, and a lot of "meh," and a few things that made me want to throw the book across the room.
March 11, 2009
The lives of 17 women of the Bible are covered in this book. The preponderance of them are strong, assertive women. Inasmuch as it has been mainly men writing about biblical characters and interpreting their actions; it is refreshing to have a woman present a somewhat different interpretation of the meaning of Biblical women's stories.
June 14, 2012
I don't know the Bible all that well, being a heathen and all, but I found this reading of the female archetypes in this book fascinating. It started off really strong, but I felt toward the end she was stretching a bit to get her points into the book. I did find myself really interested in the assertion that parts of the bible may have been authored by women.
November 18, 2010
I didn't really read this--I got as far as I could, which was not far.
June 17, 2013
Very informative. Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews