A historical novel imagines the riveting story behind the Book of Ruth Sitting beneath a tree in ancient Bethlehem, Osnath, niece of the prophet Samuel, examines a dusty scrap of parchment she found hidden in her relative’s scroll room. Scrawled on the decaying page is an intriguing message addressed to Ruth the Moabite—great-grandmother of David, the future king of Israel. Compelled to discover the truth about Ruth’s life, Osnath begins searching for the identity of Ruth’s nameless lover and the secret that is cloaked behind his anonymity. But as she digs deeper into the past, she finds her inquiries blocked by David’s brother Eliab. What is the long-buried truth he fears will come to light? And what is the threat that Ruth’s story poses to his family’s vast inheritance? Eva Etzioni-Halevy’s novel deftly interweaves history and fiction to create a compelling exploration of a prominent biblical figure. Told through the voices of both Osnath and Ruth herself,  The Garden of Ruth  transports readers into the ancient world—and offers a dramatic and thought-provoking new perspective on a well-known tale. Readers well acquainted with the Bible will appreciate Etzioni-Halevy's intriguing interpretation of the story behind the Book of Ruth. As the novel opens, Osnath, the 15-year-old niece of the prophet Samuel, arrives in Bethlehem with her grandmother to visit relatives. There, in a scroll room, she finds a scrap of parchment hinting at an illicit love affair involving Ruth the Moabite. (The wife of wealthy Boaz, Ruth is perhaps best known as the great-grandmother of David, future king of Israel and notorious slayer of Goliath.) Ruth's descendants, especially her great-grandson Eliab, are determined to keep their ancestor's secrets safe. But Eliab's resistance only stokes Osnath's curiosity. Could revelations about Ruth be scandalous enough to jeopardize the inheritance Eliab and his relatives are due? Romantic troubles also plague Osnath, whose feelings for Eliab range from lust to disgust. Etzioni-Halevy, an emeritus professor of political sociology at Israel's Bar-Ilan University and author of The Song of Hannah (2005), vividly evokes ancient Israel and the spirited men and women who called this striking landscape home. Add this to the ever-growing list of read-alikes for Anita Diamant's The Red Tent (1997). Allison Block Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Etzioni-Halevy (Emeritus, Political Sociology/Bar-Ilan Univ., Israel; The Song of Hannah , 2005) offers a beautifully sensitive, lustily feminist romance inspired by the Book of Ruth. The author frames her story of Ruth the Moabite several generations after the flame-haired widow married Boaz and lived with him in Bethlehem, embracing his Jewish religion. As the story opens, 15-year-old maiden Osnath, from Ramah, has come to spend time with her relatives, the clan of Jesse, in Bethlehem, at the prodding of her wise Uncle Samuel, who believes she can uncover the true story of great-grandmother Ruth. Able to read, Osnath tries to penetrate the scroll room guarded by Jesse's eldest son, Eliab, but he seduces her-compliant Osnath isn't sure she wants to fend him off. Her interest in reading Ruth's story only increases, however, when Osnath gleans from the scrolls that Ruth had an unnamed lover before she remarried Boaz-yet everyone insists on blocking her queries. Moreover, Osnath herself is not-so-secretly sleeping with Eliab's honey-tongued youngest brother, David, the shepherd who is soon anointed successor to King Saul and bequeathed in marriage to a princess, thus scorning poor Osnath. In tedious circuitry, Osnath ends up marrying her former nemesis, Eliab, perhaps only to get her hands at last on Ruth's story-although the sex is definitely hot, too. Thus Part Two shifts to Ruth's perspective as she recounts her famous tale of migration with her mother-in-law back to Naomi's home in Bethlehem, then meets the stolid provider Boaz-though first there is the delicate matter of a secret lover. The stories of Osnath and Ruth fulfilling their sexual identity nicely parallel each other. A brazen rendering of the biblical material breathes fire into a ripping good saga. -- Kirkus Reviews , Starred Review Eva Etzioni-Halevy is a professor emeritus of political sociology at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. She is the author of The Song of Hannah .