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Summary: Artful Storytelling
Review: No matter what genre he chooses, Orson Scott Card can't seem to write a bad novel. Biblical fiction isn't a "hot" topic, but after reading "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamont, I was curious as to how one of my favorite sci-fi authors would approach such a story.The story of Sarah and her husband Abraham is one I half-heard about in Sunday school as a child. Orson Scott Card brings it vividly to life so that the characters become more than just biblical figures, but real people with real lives, real doubts, and real faith. The book does start slow, but as I read on I found myself appreciating Card's ability to take time with the everyday aspects of Sarah and Abraham's lives rather than focusing entirely on the dramas and miracles of biblical proportion. Regardless of whether or not you agree with Card's basic religious assumptions or his interpretation of Sarah and Abraham's story, this book is still a great example of Card's artful storytelling at its best.
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Summary: All of Card's empathy, none of his great stories.
Review: Not surprisingly, this book had all the incredible characterization and empathy and human complexity that Card is so good at. Also not surprisingly, there's none of the incredible premises, settings, or plots that he is alos incredibly good at. He makes the biblical story human, but not terribly interesting. And Abraham has the same problem that a lot of his major characters do, he's never uncertian and never wrong in his infinite wisdom. That gets old. In general this was one of my least favorite Card books, but if you love the humanity in his writing more than the creativity, you'll love this.
Rating:
Summary: A Swift Read
Review: Orson Scott Card has not written the most profound of novels but he does create a multi-layered and complex character in Sarah. He shows her conflicting emotions and allows the reader inside the mind of a fascinating, yet elusive personality from the Bible. This is an easy read and very enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: Memorable
Review: Orson Scott Card is a great writer. I do not use the term lightly but it is justified in his case because I have yet to read a book by him that I did not love. Sarah is no exception. Card brings this Biblical character to life and makes her choices and decisions understandable. We will never know what the real Sarah was like but if she was half as compelling as her fictional counterpart then she was worthy of her place in the Bible. Card's Sarah truly seems capable of being what she was in the Bible - the mother of a nation. Neither Sarah of Abraham are perfect - they have faults. Abraham doubts Sarah when she should have had his trust, Sarah doubts the power of God when her whole life was proof of his power but ultimately they are compelling characters drawn artfully. Card has a gift of accurate and real portrayals of women. They are not cardboard cut outs existing to prop up the male but fleshed out characters in their own right. Like many of Card's tales I hated it to end. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I realised that it was time to leave Sarah. Even if you usually read Card for his sci-fi and fantasy give this one a try. Everything that makes him a compelling author in those genres are in evidence here.
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Summary: WONDERFUL BIBLICAL FICTION
Review: Orson Scott Card is a wonderful writer and capable of writing in so many different genres. In this novel, Card brings to life the story of Sarah from the Old Testament. Working from conjecture, poetic license and diligent research, Card details the life of Sarah from the age of 10 when she first meets her future husband Abram until the day she peacefully passes from this world knowing that she kept her faith with God. This is a great story of love, faith and trust.
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Summary: Not Exactly The Bible Story
Review: Orson Scott Card, who usually writes science fiction, turns his hand here to the story of Sarah, from Genesis. He begins with a spunky ten-year old "Sarai" and her bratty sister "Qira" who will later turn out, interestingly, to be Mrs. Lot. Card takes a number of liberties with the biblical story, but he has done prodigious research, and is able to make those almost prehistoric times, customs and peoples believable. I enjoyed the book and recommend it, but it has some limitations. The characters are one-dimensional and they never seem to grow or change. I was disappointed in the portrayal of Abraham's relationship to God--it was unique and unheard of for his time, not just another religious guy. Still and all, the book was most enjoyable and easy to read!
Rating: 
Summary: Tiresome
Review: Orson Scott Card, whose Ender and Shadow books stand as some of the most inovative science fiction of recent time, here tries his hand at biblical fiction. While his prose remain reasonable and crisp, his characters here become rather flat. Card's novel rendition of the first matriarch Sarah falls short for the reason much biblical fiction fails, the desire to turn the characters into paragons. Here Abraham is allways the perfect husband and the perfect servant of the Lord. Sarah's faith strays, but never for more than a sentence before it whips back into a state of spiritual perfection. Even the character's who serve as antagoinists, Hagar for example, never come to life. The result is unfortunate. The novel becomes deadly dull as we read how varrious saintly characters interact, except when a character is not a saint, in which case they are quickly forgiven. Conflict and genunie doubt are, at all times, here kept at a minimum. The most interesting thing about this book is the way it presents the Mormon perspective on the story of Genesis. Here Abraham, far from the first monotheist, is the carrier of ancient wisdom handed down along a direct line form Noah. This non-textual take is common among Mormon readings. However, it hardly makes this rather dull read worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good book
Review: Pretty darn good. I hadn't read much Bible fiction before this, but it's not half bad. This actually got me into reading my scriptures. It really makes the story of Sarah and Abraham come alive for you. It also makes the Pearl of Great Price easier to figure out, for any LDS people out there. My only complaint was that it made Sarah look like a total, spotless saint, and put all the blame for everything that went wrong on Hagar and Ishmael. She was a great lady and all, but OSC goes a little overboard with making her look good.
Rating:
Summary: Sarah - An Excellent Book
Review: Sarah was a book that I never expected I would like. I had heard about Orson Scott Card's previous books and I knew they were science-fiction based, so I wasn't looking forward to reading this book because I thought, "How can a science-fiction writer write a good story about a biblical character?"
I was reading this book with a book group and my expectations were not very high. Did I get a surprise!! Sarah is one of the best books I have ever read. It is the story about Sarah and Abraham from the book of Genesis in the Bible. The book flowed nicely and there was never a dull moment. By the end of the book, I felt as if I knew Sarah and Abraham personally and I got a better understanding of the biblical story from the Bible. I can't wait until the next book of the WOMEN IN GENESIS trilogy comes out. I will definitely be reading it. Sarah was an awesome book.
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Summary: An awesome story!!!
Review: Sarah, Women of Genisus was an AWESOME story. I simply couldn't put the book down and I had to read every word. It was a good, close dipiction of the life of what the real Sarah might have lived. I liked how he dipicted all the characters, and how the story stuck close to the Bible. I truely enjoyed this lovely story.
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