Romantic Times

Reviewed by Kathe Robin, four stars

Kohn gives voice to the women of the Exodus as she recreates the Old Testament through the eyes of Moses' sister, Miryam, and his wife, Tzipporah.

Receiving a vision of the future of Israel, Miryam saves her brother's life so he can fulfill his destiny as leader of the Israelites. She relinquishes her chance for marriage to ensure that Moses becomes a prince of Egypt. She builds her life around him, so that when he is accused of killing one of Pharaoh's guards and flees, she is bereft. 

Tzipporah, a shepherdess dedicated to the goddess, is drawn to Moses when he arrives in Midyan. They marry and return to Egypt where she faces people who are painfully different from her. However, her greatest challenge comes from Miryam, whose jealous love for Moses is difficult for Tzipporah to bear and brings out her fears that someone will uncover the secrets she has hidden in her heart.

As Moses calls upon Pharaoh to "Let my people go," setting the plagues upon the Egyptians, leading the Israelites through the sea and into the wilderness, the women stand by his side. Through Kohn's exquisitely clean prose, we see them as flesh and blood, passionate, wise, jealous and sacrificing. They are no longer mere names in the Bible, but women like us.