Naomi and Her Daughters

Walter Wangerin Jr. is widely recognized as one of the most gifted writers writing today on the issues of faith and spirituality. Starting with the renowned Book of the Dun Cow, Wangerin's writing career has encompassed most every genre: fiction, essay, short story, children's story, meditation, and biblical exposition. His writing voice is immediately recognizable, and his fans number in the millions. The author of over forty books, Wangerin has won the National Book Award, New York Times Best Children's Book of the Year Award, and several Gold Medallions, including best-fiction awards for both The Book of God and Paul: A Novel. He lives in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he is Senior Research Professor at Valparaiso University. SPANISH BIO: Walter Wangerin Jr. es reconocido como uno del mejor escritor sobre las aplicaciones la fe y la espiritualidad. Su libros incluyen The Book of God [El libro de Dios], Reliving the Pasion [Recuerdo de la Pasion], Peter's First Easter [El Primer Domigo de Resureccionde Pedro], Mourning into Dancing [Como Cambiar el Lamento en Baile], The Manger is Empty [El Pesebre Vacio] y Little Lamb, Who Made Thee? [ Quien te hizo, Corderito?]. Wangerin vive en Valparaiso, Indiana, ocupa la catedra Jochum en la Universidad de Valparaiso, donde es escritor residente.

Naomi and Her Daughters by Walter Wangerin, Jr. is a fictional retelling of biblical events from the books of Judges and Ruth. Opening upon the recent brutal murder of Milcah, an abused motherless child whom Naomi unofficially adopted, the novel yo-yo’s between present and past events to reveal the tragic story of Naomi’s “first daughter” and the war that resulted. Toward the end of the novel, the focus shifts to the more uplifting, post-war story of Naomi’s widowed daughter-in-law Ruth and her love story with Boaz.

Wangerin is an iconoclastic storyteller, which results in Naomi and Her Daughters reading differently from a typical novel. It is written in third person omniscient, and events and facts are told to the reader instead of the reader discovering them within the plot and living vicariously through the action. Therefore, it is virtually impossible to connect with the characters and, thus, the story. Lacking in plot, the novel consists of scenes strung together, while constant time changes coupled with the sudden switch from one character to the next adds confusion. Several random Bible stories are injected throughout the novel, but they lack correlation to the current text.

Although based on Scripture, this is a dark novel, wherein God is portrayed as a far-away, almost unfeeling deity. Despite God’s favor returning to Naomi at the novel’s conclusion, it doesn’t alter the sense of distance from God felt throughout the book. The novel contains graphic violence and gratuitous vulgarities, thirty-five swear words (ten coupled with God’s name, which is also used as an explicative on its own), and countless extremely sexually provocative sayings and descriptions.

Any reader of Naomi and Her Daughters would most likely need a previous understanding of Old Testament figures and events, whereas those who do have the knowledge are less than likely to sit through such vulgarity. With small exception, the story as a whole is extremely depressing and, quite honestly, often offensive. – Emily J. Morgan, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

4 1/2 stars! Wangerin draws reader into the life of a woman marred by sorrow, bitterness and loss. The remarkably vivid and sometimes graphic scenes will have you on the edge of your seat. Characters and scenes leap from the page as readers get a fascinating glimpse into the lives of characters we thought we knew. SUMMARY: The life of Naomi begins with a daughter we never knew about. When the news of Milcah’s death is heard throughout the tribes of Israel, a war breaks out. When famine hits Bethlehem, Naomi, her husband and their two sons move to Moab, where bitterness and loss sear her soul. Naomi returns to Bethlehem as much different person. And it is in Bethlehem where we see the hand of God perform his greatest miracle yet. -- Romantic Times

Based on Judges and Ruth, Naomi and her Daughters weaves the history of ancient Israel into the drama of Naomi’s life as a storyteller-poet. Naomi enters the homes and hearts of the residents of Bethlehem where she ministers to their physical needs, and as their wise woman or Hakamah, teaches them their history. Wangerin’s Boaz becomes a grief-stricken wanderer through the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah as he remembers Naomi’s stories. With Wangerin’s descriptive tough, even characters briefly mentioned in the Bible seem to take on flesh and blood. Readers will come to care about the pain and struggles, the defeats and victories of Naomi’s contemporaries. The familiar story of Ruth and Boaz retold by this award-winning author affirms the founding of the lineage of Jesus Christ -- Christian Retailing

Good Christian fiction does what all great fiction does---it introduces us to characters and stories that make us think, feel and reflect. And this year’s crop is no different. From a retelling of a classic biblical story to a modern take on faith and family, our selections will have you reading late into the night. A versatile writer, Walter Wangerin Jr. has written fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. In Naomi and Her Daughters, Wangerin utilizes the books of Judges and Ruth to boldly retell an often-marginalized biblical story. Not a child’s Sunday-school version, Naomi’s life story is sometimes a tough read; the environment was harsh, the language rough, and women and children were treated as a second (or third) class during the Old Testament era. Still, timeless issues like murder, war, heartbreak and, of course, the power of love, manage to come to the forefront. Wangerin is adept at neither glorifying nor mollifying this pivotal biblical character, who changes not only the lives around her, but also the course of an entire nation. This novel might forever change the way you think about brave, heroic Naomi. -- Book Page

The indomitable and prolific pastor/teacher/author Wangerin, who most recently wrote about wrestling with inoperable cancer (Letters from the Land of Cancer), adds to his imaginative retelling of religious history with this midrashic amplification of the biblical story of Ruth and Naomi. The matriarch Naomi is given a detailed backstory: long before Ruth agrees to stay with her mother-in-law Naomi, go where she goes, and accept her god, Naomi has an adopted daughter Milcah, whose brief life is tragic and compelling. Ruth's husband, Boaz, is also given a history and family, as is the Moabite Ruth herself. The author is in his element; he knows the Bible, its cadence in English, and its terse and suggestive mythopoeic style. Women readers for whom the Bible is important will especially appreciate the valorizing focus of Wangerin's sensitive work. A short but profound tale from the Bible comes alive in the author's capable hands; while general readers can enjoy this, it is an obvious choice for church-based book groups. (Sept.) -- Publishers Weekly

4 1/2 stars! Wangerin draws reader into the life of a woman marred by sorrow, bitterness and loss. The remarkably vivid and sometimes graphic scenes will have you on the edge of your seat. Characters and scenes leap from the page as readers get a fascinating glimpse into the lives of characters we thought we knew. SUMMARY: The life of Naomi begins with a daughter we never knew about. When the news of Milcah's death is heard throughout the tribes of Israel, a war breaks out. When famine hits Bethlehem, Naomi, her husband and their two sons move to Moab, where bitterness and loss sear her soul. Naomi returns to Bethlehem as much different person. And it is in Bethlehem where we see the hand of God perform his greatest miracle yet. -- Romantic Times