E-reading Rebel daughter by Lori Banov Kaufmann

 Name of Book: Rebel Daughter

Author: Lori Banov Kauffmann 

ISBN/asin: B08BYTKX6T

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Type of book: Jerusalem, Rome, siege, history, 65- 70 ME, war, temple, daily life, survival, slavery, rituals, Second Temple, starvation, resourcefulness 

Year it was published: 2021

Summary:

For fans of The Red Tent and The Dovekeepers!

Rebel Daughter transports the reader to one of the most dramatic and momentous events in human history – the destruction of Jerusalem in the 1st century. This stunning tale of family, love and resilience was inspired by a major archaeological discovery in southern Italy: the 2,000 year-old gravestone of Claudia Aster (Esther). The few Latin words chiseled into the ancient stone, proof of a very unlikely romance, shocked and intrigued scholars around the world.

Rebel Daughter is Esther’s story. An aristocratic young woman, she comes of age during the Jewish revolt against Rome. Esther dreams of so much more than the marriage her parents have arranged to a prosperous silversmith. Yet she is torn between her family duties and her own desires.

Meanwhile, the growing turmoil in Jerusalem threatens to tear apart not only her beloved city, but also her own family. As the alleyways turn into a bloody battleground between rebels and Romans, Esther's journey becomes one of survival. She remains fiercely devoted to her family, and braves famine, siege, and slavery to protect those she loves.

This thrilling and impassioned saga, based on real characters and meticulous research, seamlessly blends the fascinating story of the Jewish people with a timeless protagonist determined to take charge of her own life against all odds.

Characters:

Main characters include Esther and her younger brother as well as her family, then Joseph. There is also the former Roman slave, Tiberius. I have to say that Joseph is slimy and cares more for himself than anyone else. Esther is resilient and does the best she can under strenuous circumstances. Roman freedman Tiberius is best described as resourceful and someone who looks past people and doesn't give up on them. 

Theme:

Friends and life have unexpected encounters 

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative from Esthers point of view. It's very detailed, and definitely feels more modern and timely than historical. It's not anachronistic, but it feels all too real and all too human. Chapters are short and it rarely shies away from the unattractive parts of living through a siege and running out of options and foods. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

Lori Banov Kaufmann grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. She is a debut fiction author at the ripe young age of 61 having had a twisty, detour-filled career path.

She has a BA from Princeton University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. While in grad school, she and her husband Yadin wrote the Ice Cream Lover’s Guide to Boston. While this important addition to the literary canon never made it onto the bestseller lists, it did get the authors a lot of free ice cream!

The intervening years were filled with raising a family and working as a strategy consultant for high-tech companies. She even tried to invent a device to kill head lice (which sadly didn’t work!) Upon retiring from consulting, Lori went back to one of her first loves, writing.

As soon as she learned of the discovery of the first-century tombstone that inspired Rebel Daughter, Lori wanted to know more. She was so intrigued by the unlikely but true love story the stone revealed that she embarked on a more than ten-year quest with some of the world's leading scholars and archaeologists to bring the real characters to life as accurately as possible.

She lives in Israel with her husband and four adult children.

Opinion:

Honestly, it takes skills and a genius to make 1st century, nearly 1000 years ago, come alive and make it be so real and relatable to the modern day reader.  While the story was published this year, in 2021, I assume it was written several years ago, long before the pandemic and 2020 election. Yet a lot of emotions I experienced while reading it, made this one feel prescient, as if we all knew what was going to happen. It's good to see that despite the tragedies that main character endured, there is a continuation of her life, for better or worse. I also loved learning factoids about ancient Judaism and how possibly things were like back then. Also, big thanks for giving attention to something outside of WW2 and including a Jewish character in it. 

This was given for a review

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)