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The Secret Chord: A Novel
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The Secret Chord: A Novel
Unavailable
The Secret Chord: A Novel
Audiobook13 hours

The Secret Chord: A Novel

Written by Geraldine Brooks

Narrated by Paul Boehmer

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

With more than two million copies of her novels sold, New York Times bestselling author Geraldine Brooks has achieved both popular and critical acclaim. Now, Brooks takes on one of literature's richest and most enigmatic figures: a man who shimmers between history and legend. Peeling away the myth to bring David to life in Second Iron Age Israel, Brooks traces the arc of his journey from obscurity to fame, from shepherd to soldier, from hero to traitor, from beloved king to murderous despot and into his remorseful and diminished dotage.

The Secret Chord provides new context for some of the best-known episodes of David's life while also focusing on others, even more remarkable and emotionally intense, that have been neglected.  We see David through the eyes of those who love him or fear him-from the prophet Natan, voice of his conscience, to his wives Mikhal, Avigail, and Batsheva, and finally to Solomon, the late-born son who redeems his Lear-like old age. Brooks has an uncanny ability to hear and transform characters from history, and this beautifully written, unvarnished saga of faith, desire, family, ambition, betrayal, and power will enthrall her many fans.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 6, 2015
ISBN9780698411586
Unavailable
The Secret Chord: A Novel
Author

Geraldine Brooks

Geraldine Brooks was born and raised in Australia. After moving to the USA she worked for eleven years on The Wall Street Journal, where she covered crises in the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. Her first novel, Year of Wonders, was an international bestseller and she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for her second, March. She has written three further bestselling novels, Caleb’s Crossing, People of the Book and The Secret Chord.

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Reviews for The Secret Chord

Rating: 3.773462731391586 out of 5 stars
4/5

309 ratings47 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I love Brooks, but for me this is not her best work. I never felt engaged with the characters and would have preferred a different narrator. Worth reading, but usually Brooks transports me, this time it was not happening.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I always look forward to reading a book by author Geraldine Brooks, and The Secret Chord was another story where this author breathed life into history by telling an ancient biblical legend, the story of David. Told through the eyes of his profit, Natan, we see a young shepherd’s boy rise to be the chosen one of God. He has style, charisma and a savvy knowledge of people and their desires. He is able to gather men to him, bind the various tribes and city states of Judah together into the country of Israel.Unfortunately David’s downfall turns out to be his family. He had been an unloved child of a drunkard, so when he had sons of own from his various wives, he pampered them and allowed no one to cross them. This in turn yielded a group of princes who were spoiled and jealous of one another. Like many great men, David could not see the weaknesses in his sons and this in turn lead to fratricide, treason and betrayal.This story of a magnetic yet flawed warrior king is exciting, interesting and a very good read given the author’s restraints of having to follow what the bible has laid out as key points in David’s life. The Secret Chord served to remind me why I remain a huge fan of both historical fiction in general and Geraldine Brooks in particular.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Told through Nathan, the book follows the story of David's rise to power and the consequences of his murder of Uriah. While the plot is well-known, the treatment of David as both a charismatic leader and a flawed human being offers a more human view of this great king.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another good story told by Geraldine Brooks. She brings the people and places of history to life with her excellent writing and storytelling skills.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Way better than anything I learned in Sunday School or religious ed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Talented historical novelist, Geraldine Brooks, brings the Biblical story of David into vivid relief by putting flesh on minor characters and providing character and political motivation for the David's sometimes incomprehensible actions. Narrated by prophet and kingly advisor Nathan (rendered as Natan in the book) the story falters only because the author is tethered to the ruthless realities of maintaining power in rivalrous times. White this assaults our democratic sensibilities, Brooks's well researched tale illuminates the conundrum when political and divinely sanctioned powers are joined.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Just not interested in the story of King David.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'm always enjoy the pleasant surprise of a historical fiction book that all at once takes me to a new place, does well with the characters, and is still true enough to the real events. The Secret Chord is such a combination. It was a gift, so I didn't know what to expect. I ended up reading most of it in just a couple sittings, because I enjoyed the story. David's rise and fall is well known. Brooks makes the story that much more alive, telling it primarily through the lens of the prophet Nathan.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A very fine retelling of the story of David, one of those characters most of us from a Judeo-Christian background know a bit about, but would find difficulty in putting it all together. With her usual writing skill and gift for storytelling, Geraldine Brooks does this for us and uses the device of telling the story through the eyes and voice(s) of the prophet Natan. It is very easy to empathise with Natan (it must be very hard not knowing what you have prophesied until someone else tells you) and the story flows well. Like another reviewer I had some difficulty when there were several timelines moving at once, but this soon worked itself out. The characters throughout are memorable. Overall a really good read from which I learnt quite a bit. Recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a great story. King David has already been written a great deal, and much is known about him. Brooks is now packing his life in the form of memoirs of his seer Natan. It shows the life of David from the perspective of his mother, brothers, women, nephews and sons. Everyone puts a jigsaw puzzle to the whole. Depending on whoever thinks about David, he sees him as a great man without fault and blame, or his weaknesses, which have often led him and his family into misfortune.The story is written with love. It captivated me from the beginning.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be the best novel I'll read during this newly birthed year. Geraldine Brooks does a splendid job of portraying both the life of and the world of David. I'm far from being an Old Testament scholar, but it appears to me that she's taken the narrative as it appears scattered through multiple OT books and fleshed it out with a complex but believable human being.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the story of the Biblical King David, as told by his seer and adviser Natan. The author, through Natan, offers a shrewd dissection of the nature of power. David is charismatic, driven and courageous. He manages the competing factions around him with charm and guile. He builds alliances based on friendship and marriage, but he is also brutal and ruthless.The story is told with immediacy, energy and rich characterisation. It is unflinching in its portrayal of both military and political conflict and so has relevance well beyond its beautifully realised setting.*I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love historic fiction so really looked forward to reading this book. It was very well written, beautifully as a matter of fact- I have read some of her previous works so looked forward to this one too. I can't actually say I didn't like the book and if I said I was disappointed that wouldn't be totally correct either. I can't put my finger on how, exactly, I found it lacking except to say that I found myself eager and wanting to end it and get on to another book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Starting a bit slow a repetitive but picks up 1/3 in and is an engaging report of the life of King David
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Geraldine Brooks retells the Biblical story of David, fleshing out the main character through the eyes of the prophet Natan. Natan conveys the stories of David’s childhood, his tribal battles, and his many wives, numerous sons, and lone daughter. All the well-known pieces are included – tending sheep, slaying Goliath, stealing Batsheva from Uriah, and composing psalms. The book contains vivid Old Testament wrath and brutality. David’s character is portrayed in striking detail, with all his strengths and flaws on display. The other characters come across as rather thin. I have now read four books by Geraldine Brooks. I liked this one, but my favorites are People of the Book and Year of Wonders.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Slow read- confusing at times due to Brooks using Hebrew names/places...not told in chronological order either... Better towards end...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love Geraldine Brooks' grasp of history. She brings alive, in vivid detail, stories we thought we knew. The story of King David is not a flattering one. He was a soldier, his life filled with violence and, shall we say, strong appetites. Yes, he united the tribes. But often by violent means. And he often acted in selfish self-interest. The story is told through the eyes of a prophet who foretold his success and sorrows. Well done!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have absolutely loved 3 of Geraldine Brooks' novels, but this one I found disappointing.

    I found Natan's voice to be--awkward? Dry? I believe he tried to keep his emotions so in check that the dry narration may be a reflection of that, but that doesn't make it more interesting.

    I was also very frustrated with the endpaper maps--so many places mentioned in the text are not shown. How far are these places? And so many tribes named are not shown either. How do they all fit together? So many people mentioned do not appear in the list of characters. I am familiar with very few of the individuals or peoples, so was constantly referencing the list and the map, only to find no help.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    a retelling of the story of King David from the bible, in the voice of his prophet, Natan. The author elucidates the perspective of women with a modern sensibility. And David is presented as a very flawed hero.....but that is true in the bible as well.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of my favorite authors comes through again. This fictionalized account of the life of David (slewer of Goliath, king of Israel) presents a beautifully nuanced portrait of a man imbued with the power to do great good and also great evil. David's story is told through the voice of Nathan, the prophet who first foretold that God had anointed David to unite and lead the tribes of Israel. Nathan loves David deeply but is not blinded to his weaknesses. Brooks did a superb job of letting the readers feel Nathan's love and his pain for David, as well as his sense of helplessness to prevent the tragedies that informed the latter part of David's life. The secret chord of the title refers to David's tremendous musical talents, as a singer, lyricist, and harpist. Music and excerpts from what I presume are Psalms written by David fill the narrative, giving Brooks another language to help her readers understand David's power.I was familiar only with the barest sketch of the story of David, so I'm not qualified to judge how much or in what ways Brooks took fictional liberties with the accepted narrative from the Old Testament. And I suspect there are elements here that someone who believes in the infallibility of the Bible would find troubling, if not blasphemous. But for me, it was an extraordinary story of an extraordinary man, told in the most lyrical way possible.I read this book for the Reading Through Time group's themed read for the second quarter of 2016: Ancient and Biblical Times.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The fictionalized story of King David. A truly flawed individual, yet an outstanding leader the story follows the Biblical story told in I Samuel. The setting is not modernized, but reflects the Iron Age when these event actually took place. Natum, the prophet, is the narrator.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    While I loved People of the Book, unfortunately the subsequent things I've read by Geraldine Brooks I have not found nearly as engaging. This novel is about the Old Testament figure of King David and while I now am somewhat intrigued by this figure (and contemplating reading the Bible passages related to him), I can't say I truly enjoyed this novel. I felt the book was somewhat divided, as through the author started out on one track to tell the story and switched midway through. I will say that the author is an excellent writer, I just wished she'd spend more time developing this novel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the 2nd novel I have read by Brooks. I enjoyed this book because it dealt with a specific time frame(1000 BC) and the legendary character of King David. The book is told through the eyes of Nathan the prophet who was along side David for the key parts of his life. We see David's positive and negative characteristics. The brutality of the time is brought out by Brooks and reminds us of the difficulty of life during those times. The book was a little bumpy in its narrative but I found it a good read and it has caused me to delve more deeply into King David and those times. Read " March" by her. It won the Pulitzer prize and was an excellent book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The story of biblical David, Michelangelo's magnificent sculpture, as inspired by Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". This historical novel reads like a Greek tragedy - hubris, war, sorrow, children turning on their parents, gay men, and the eventual physical deterioration of the mighty. Solomon is actually the much more interesting character; too bad he was not the focus.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I was keen to read this since I was an avid bible student in my youth, and have visited Israel. However , it seemed so slow . I found myself preferring to find more lively accounts of these characters on the net, with lovely illustrations. I didn't like the alteration of the names , and I was constantly referring to the character list in the front of the book. The depiction of the relationship between Nathan and Solomon was charming. Where scholars were certain , Brooks took the airport novel option - like the robust homosexual affair between David and Jonathan. It was interesting to put myself in a culture that predates a police force , similar to the play 'Hamlet'., where the strongest win , justice is not assured. I was fascinated with the story of how David took over Jerusalem, by climbing up the town water supply tunnel.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This is historical fiction, a novelized account of the life of the Biblical King David, of David and Goliath fame. I had a very hard time getting into the book, as the first 150 or so pages were very slow moving and consisted primarily of accounts of battles, as David consolidated his power. I will say Brooks is quite graphic in her descriptions of gore and mayhem. I liked the second part better, as it incorporates the stories of Bathsheba, and the rape of Tamar. However, overall this is not a successful novel. In the end, I felt that I learned no more about David and his life than I could have learned in the episodic accounts I read as a child in Bible stories. Perhaps this was due to the conceit of having the novel narrated by Natan, David's prophet, so that I never felt I was in David's mind, learning his thoughts, learning what motivated him. Brooks has said that her purpose was to show David as a "flawed" character, and the book did this, as it relates incidents of evil and incidents of good (although one person in my Book Club called the book "David-bashing."). But the book never reconciles these inconsistencies, and there is no narrative arc--just a series of incidents in the life of David.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Lyrical and absorbing retelling of the life of David. Brooks largely strips the religious component from the story, and makes it a story of human triumph and failings. Narrated by his personal prophet Natan, the story begins with David's apotheosis with the slaying of Goliath, his eventual falling out with King Shaul and the bloody deeds he was forced into while fleeing for his life, his kingship, beginning in glory but eventually benighted by his lust and his brood of infighting children, and and slow decline. Natan is a very effective narrator, torn between his love and admiration for David and his disgust at David's frequent moral fails, such as his affair with Bathsheba, which leads to unexpected and long-lasting consequences. Natan is instrumental in the nurturing and education of David's youngest son Shlomo, who becomes a prodigy exhibiting signs of the great king he will become. Beautifully written economical prose that captivates, this a page-turner from beginning to end. Well worth the investment of time.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Secret Chord is the story of David of Israel from his childhood to his passing. Now I must confess all I knew of David was Michelangelo's statue and the story of David and Goliath. But David comes to life in all his glory and his failings in this book. Told from the perspective of his prophet, Brooks draws you in from the beginning. I laughed, cried and read on with suspense as the story unfolded. The use of old jewish names threw me a bit in the beginning, but not for long. I love history and I loved this story. - A copy of the book was provided for my unbiased review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I LOVED this book. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was wonderful, really bringing the book alive. Geraldine Brooks does not disappoint and she does an excellent job bringing King David to life, his strengths, his flaws, his kingdom.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The story of David is important to all three major monotheist, patriarchal religions. In retelling this story Brooks maintains the biblical traditional emphasis on ego, violence, and misogyny. There's no more emotional connection with the characters than there is in the bible, also there's no explanation of why god, or the name, would choose this very flawed man to be the leader of his chosen people. Or is it just that absollute power corrupts absolutely? People who like and are familiar with biblical stories will probably find this very interesting.