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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Ancient warfare, battle scenes, and executions; David's violence is central and unflinching
Language
Barely any
Period-authentic language; minimal
Sexual Content
Some
David's sexual relationships — with women and with Jonathan — depicted directly
Substance Use
Barely any
Wine and ancient hospitality customs throughout
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The cost of power, the failure of a brilliant man as a parent, the violence that shapes a dynasty
What this book is about
The prophet Natan is tasked by King David to record his life — the whole truth, gathered from those who knew him as a shepherd, a warrior, and a king. Geraldine Brooks's novel inhabits the biblical world with historical rigor and moral seriousness: David's sexuality, his violence, his genius, his catastrophic failures as a father. One of the finest works of biblical historical fiction, it makes the familiar strange and the legendary human.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
biblical warfare and executions depicted vividly
David and Jonathan's relationship explored
incest and sexual violence in the biblical source depicted
Reader Verification
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