Avishag

Lotan€s meticulously researched novel wears its mantle of scholarship lightly as it breathes life into a fascinating period of the bible €" the reigns of David and Solomon in Jerusalem, some three thousand years ago.

Of the scant female biblical characters, few are as intriguing as Avishag the Shunammite: a young girl brought from obscurity to the court of the aged King David, to warm the king's bed and stir his aged blood. Though €˜exceedingly fair€, she does not become the King€s concubine. Reticent and loyal to David, she becomes an unwitting magnet, drawing the attention of the kingdom€s most powerful men. As the sons of David€"Adonijah the Judean and Solomon the Wise stake their claims, it is Avishag who will play the decisive role in the bloody rivalry for the succession.