By the Waters of Babylon

by Christopher Farrar

When twelve-year-old Ya'el is taken prisoner by the -Babylonians, her ability to write saves her life. A girl scribe, unique in the Empire, she's destined for slavery in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar. Days later, her ruined city of Jerusalem is far behind. She struggles to survive on the long brutal trek, while strange dreams disturb her sleep. Her impulsiveness and passion for learning earn her hostility from fellow prisoners and murderous hatred from Babylonian guards. Desperate to avoid her looming fate, she's forced to confront her own complicity in the vitriol directed at her. And the dreams are getting stranger.

Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2020

Reviews

[Barbara Peabody · Rating 5 out of 5]

By the Waters of Babylon

Christopher Farrar’s debut novel melds the biblical with historical fiction. Ya’el, a precocious 12-year-old, is orphaned, captured, and being herded to Babylon during the Babylonian exile. By the Waters of Babylon is her story. Ya’el reads, writes, is inquisitive and intelligent, skills and attributes not accepted and threatening to men and women, alike. Undeterred by her social isolation Ya’el continues her learning during the forced march. She reads and interprets written scrolls with a willing teacher, scrolls that unbeknownst to her will become the Hebrew Bible. Mr. Farrar’s linguistic and biblical archeology knowledge is evidenced throughout the novel and in his addendums. The story this author created along with his biblical explanations has piqued my interest in furthering my biblical knowledge. A thought-provoking and engaging read, Ya’el makes you yearn for more of her life’s saga. I hope a sequel is in the works as I would like to read more about Ya’el’s life and her progeny.

[David Stowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who spent years researching Psalm 137 for my book, “Song of Exile” (Oxford), I always wondered about the conditions on the ground for the Judean exiles marching to Babylon. The Bible is almost silent. Christopher Farrar has done an outstanding job imagining this trauma, focusing on a plucky but plausible pubescent named Ya’el. He brings the terrain of greater Babylon to life—all its sights, smells, tastes, insects, dust and heat—along with the complex relationships among and between Judean captives and Chaldean soldiers. And he keeps us hooked in the suspense of hoping Ya'el will somehow survive all the perils that engulf her. We’ll never know how or by whom the psalm was written, but Farrar creates a compelling backstory.

[Kirsten J Bott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written historical journey

As an avid reader, I can be a pretty harsh critic and never finish a book unless it gifts me something- be it knowledge, an escape, admiration (for a character or the author), or best of all something that piques my interest, holds my attention and has me asking questions for long after I finish reading. Christopher Farrer’s By the Waters of Babylon offered all those gifts. It is set in a time and amongst people who I really knew nothing about, but through beautiful and descriptive prose, both the scenery and characters become vivid.

Highly recommended!

[Joan Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

E attorney necessity the beginning of a new one

The journey is difficult for captives, captors and readers who join the trek. With biblical guidelines, the author resurrects a time when life was short and cheap...where exceptions to gender and class roles were breathy limited. No Phoenix here.
Yet Ya'el, a female in the last whiff of childhood, by luck or G-d's design, fulfills the role of innuendos to those who knew, instinctively, the i!portanve

[Janis Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating Story

Meticulously researched and beautifully written, By The Waters of Babylon breathes life into biblical times. In a genre and time period dominated by the masculine point of view, it is refreshing to have a strong female heroine as a guide.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good; not outstanding, but worth reading.