The saga of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar is the tale of origin for all three monotheistic faiths. Abraham must choose between two wives who have borne him two sons. One wife and son will share in his wealth and status, while the other two are exiled into the desert. Long a cornerstone of Western anxiety, the story chronicles a very famous and troubled family, and sheds light on the ongoing conflict between the Judeo-Christian and Islamic worlds.

Gordon carefully explicates what is generally thought of (at least by Jews & Christians) as Abraham's story, giving equal weight to each of the women who gave birth to his two sons. Since this story takes place early in the Bible, there are many instances of "firsts" which seems unexpected because concepts such as an intimate relationship with God is now an intrinsic aspect of the three faiths stemming from Abraham. Gordon incorporates Jewish and Islamic commentary as well as later parallels found in the Jewish and Christian Bibles to fully develop her arguments. While Christians and Jews may be surprised to learn that it was Hagar, the wife whom Abraham cast off (tho Islamic tradition says otherwise) who was the woman, and in fact the first person, to name God. It is in this naming and in the future of Hagar's son, Ishmael, that Gordon's encouragement toward reconciliation among the three monotheistic faiths is rooted. Similar in premise to Robert Wright's "Evolution of God", Gordon's narrower focus makes her work the more compelling. ( )

Really a joint biography of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, in which Gordon offers a literary reading of their lives based on scriptural and other sources. Too often, though, she seems to take pretty serious leaps of faiths, making conclusions where the available sources are ambiguous at best. I did appreciate the fleshing out of the Biblical stories using other sources from the Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions, though, and the writing was lovely. ( )

A very readable very scholarly discussion of Abraham's families and their antecedents in modern day religions: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. While this could have been very dry and borying, it wasn't. Gordon covers Abram's entire life from his call by God to leave his home and move to a new one, provides biblical citations for much of the journey, and goes all the way to Abram's death and burial. The research and notes are extensive and well-documented, but don't get in the way. Gordon looks at Abram's long journey and life through all prisms: Jewish, Christian and Islamic scriptures,( both the Bible and the Koran) as well as other historical and religious writings. She will present an incident or story and then explain how each religion views the episode, what learned teachers and rabbis have said over the years, and offer the pros and cons of each interpretation.

I thought when I started the book that it was going to be about Abraham and Sarah, but found that the title really referred to Hagar. In fact, I think when I got it, I thought it was another fiction like Diamont's RED TENT. It isn't fiction, and I definitely found myself enlightened by ideas I'd never heard before. Although it is deep reading, it is enjoyable and certainly recommended. ( )

First Impressions after 30 pages: Seems to actually be a work of historical fiction in the guise of scholarship. Many 'details' seem to have no more basis than those on many reality TV shows.
It has been interesting, and look forward to finishing, but I think the author would give Cecil B. DeMilles a run for his money. ( )