Focus: "Escape from Egypt"

I decided to begin my summer reading adventures with a trip to the scalding hot land of Egypt, by reading Sonia Levitin's book, Escape from Egypt.


http://books.google.com/books?id=QHf3YI1FDAgC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1

Summary:
The book chronicles the Jews' escape from captivity and slavery in Egypt up through their journey through the wilderness to the promised land. The book features Jesse, a Jewish former slave, and Jennat, a half-Syrian, half-Egyptian girl, who fall in and out and in again of love with one another throughout the journey.

Review:
This book was one that I picked up secondhand at a library book sale for only 50 cents because I thought it sounded interesting. I'd had it sitting on my shelf for about a year when I finally decided to read it; and now that I've finished it, I have to say that I am glad I read it.

The book was simple and easy to read and moved at a reasonable pace. I never felt like the book was going too fast for me to keep up, nor was I ever bored as the book slowly dragged along. I was held captivated by the plot, and was always wondering what was going to happen next. Though the main plot points will be known to most readers, as they are taken from the Bible, there is enough added character development to create surprises and unforeseen tension.

The main part of the book that I enjoyed was the romance between Jesse and Jennat. I'm a sucker for love stories, and this one didn't disappoint. There was push and pull in their relationship, and for most of the novel it wasn't clear whether the two of them would end up together. Though it could be argued that this is an over-used plot trope, I thought that it was well-executed in this book.

This book gave an interesting and new perspective on the familiar Exodus story, and for that I would recommend it. Will it be remembered a hundred years from now as a classic work of literature? Most likely not, but it is however an enjoyable read.