Abigail's Story

Starred review from June 1, 2005
Abigail has a brief starring role in the Old Testament as the shrewd intercessor for peace between David and Abigail's miserly husband, Nabal. Conveniently, Nabal drops dead, and David takes Abigail for his wife. We don't know much about Abigail's reaction when Bathsheba started taking baths on rooftops. But Burton fills in the gaps of Abigail's childhood, portraying her as a clever, modest young woman who was raised in poverty and forced to marry the repulsive Nabal because of her brother's gambling debts. She's likable and believable, and Burton brings the ancient setting to life at least as well as Anita Diamant in " The Red Tent" (1997), though without Diamant's sensuality and fierce feminism. This is the first in a series on biblical women. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)