Abraham and Sarah

In this fictional retelling of the events of Genesis that include most of the life of Abraham, the man known first as Abram follows his invisible, mysterious God to an unknown land and often into questionable and misunderstood decisions. His faith in Elohim conflicts with almost everyone else's fear of their local deities. His beautiful wife, Sarai, later known as Sarah, plays a prominent role in many of the political and personal struggles, depicted as a clash of social and religious cultures. As events unfold, Sarah is painted in a harsh light%E2%80%94by turns covetous, spoiled, and discontent due to her childlessness. Her irrational behavior and vanity, in the eyes of the late Dorr (Queen of Sheba), drives much of the chaos involving her; Abraham; their sons, Ishmael and Isaac; and her maidservant, Hagar. The story spans more than 75 years, richly depicting the geographical and cultural milieu of ancient Israel and pharaonic Egypt. Most major events from the biblical account of Abraham's life are included, but plot details come at the expense of character development. The sometimes stilted and remote narrative voice relates a sprawling story full of characters readers likely won't care for very much. (Mar.)