Good Reads summary:
A multi-generational biblical saga of captivity, romance, faith, and redemption, set against the Judean exile in Babylon.
Everything changes for Sarah the day Nebuchadnezzar’s army storms Jerusalem. In an instant, her peaceful life on the farm is ripped her city sacked, her temple desecrated, her people enslaved. Marched across unforgiving desert sands to Babylon, Sarah and the remaining Judean people must find a way to keep their faith alive in a new and unforgiving home.
Displaced within an empire of strange gods and unimaginable wealth, Sarah and her descendants bear witness to palace intrigue, betrayal, brutal sacrifice, regicide, and a new war brewing in the east. Through every trial, the Hebrew people attempt to preserve their religion. Uri, Sarah’s son, transcribes incredible stories of prophets and visions, Creation and Exodus—stories that establish the central tenets of the Hebrew faith.
432 pages, Paperback
Published September 12, 2023
about the author
MICHELLE CAMERON’S Beyond the Ghetto Gates (She Writes Press, 2020) was awarded a Silver Medal in Historical Fiction by the Independent Book Publishers, won First Place/Best of Category for the Chanticleer Goethe Awards and was a Foreword Indies finalist. Her previous historical novel, The Fruit of Her Hands (Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Books, 2009), is based on the author’s thirteenth-century rabbi ancestor, Meir ben Baruch of Rothenberg.
Michelle’s novel-in-verse, In the Shadow of the Globe (Lit Pot Press, 2003) was named Shakespeare Theatre of NJ’s 2003-4 Winter Book Selection. In addition, it was performed at a variety of venues, including the Stella Adler Studio’s Shakespeare Benefit.
She lived in Israel for fifteen years (including three weeks in a bomb shelter during the Yom Kippur War) and served as an officer in the Israeli army teaching air force cadets technical English.
A director of The Writers Circle, Michelle teaches creative writing to children, teens, and adults in NJ and virtually. Residing in Chatham, NJ, with her husband, Michelle has two grown sons of whom she is inordinately proud. Visit her website for more information https://michelle-cameron.com.
Review from Coffee&Ink
Wow, what a story! I didn’t want to put it down—the author just pulls you right in to BCE Babylon with the characters and the setting. Many characters narrate here, and it’s a multigenerational novel, masterfully done.
In an era when human life means little, Sarah and Sarah’s family are forced from their farm to make the long journey to Babylon enslaved. They have stories to reassure themselves with, stories of their ancestors forced into slavery in Egypt and surviving. But they endure terrible trials before they can return to Jerusalem. So vividly done, I felt like I was there amongst the pain and sorrow, cook fires, blood and terror, music, and perfumed cruelty. The storytellers and how stories are made, absorbed, and passed on was just fascinating to read about—the author really makes you feel it all.
Highly recommended for historical fiction lovers seeking a truly wonderful immersive read.
More praise for Babylon
The extraordinary true story of the exile of the Jews in Babylon, and their miraculous return seventy years later. The tale is personal and powerful, passing through the experiences of several generations. Insightful, colorful, and fascinating. – Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author of Helen of Troy, The Memoirs of Cleopatra, The Confessions of Young Nero, The Splendor Before the Dark, and many others.
Babylon brings one of the most exciting Biblical eras to life in realistic, almost cinematic detail. You’ll fall in love with many compelling characters, especially Sarah and Chava, who leap right from the page into your heart. A thrilling and gripping read! – Lori Banov Kaufmann, National Jewish Book Award winner and The Christy Finalist for Rebel Daughter
Michelle Cameron brings the ancient world to life in a heart-wrenching story you won’t want to put down. Beautifully written, with imagery so vivid you’ll feel like you’re actually there. – Michelle Moran, USA Today and international bestselling author of Nefertiti, Cleopatra’s Daughter, The Heretic Queen, and many others
Michelle Cameron has written a unique and memorable historical tale, rich with Biblical and historical acuity, well-developed characters, vivid changes of milieu, themes of exile and adaptation, and wonderful ironic twists. Informative, entertaining, and evocative, Babylon is a book you’ll remember. – Mitchell James Kaplan, award-winning author of By Fire, By Water, Into the Unbounded Night, and Rhapsody
Fascinating from first page to last, Babylon is an intense retelling of the brutal exile of the Judeans from Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Michelle Cameron’s epic novel will keep you up late reading. – American Book Award winner Stephanie Cowell, author of Claude & Camille: a Novel of Monet and The Boy in the Rain
To read Babylon is to be completely transported to another time and place. Cameron’s impeccably researched novel is a lush and evocative page-turner. – Rebecca Kanner, author of Sinners and the Sea and Esther
Extraordinarily rich in detailed descriptions, Michelle Cameron’s Babylon takes you on a young Judean woman’s brutal journey of exile to Babylon and later to the victorious return of her extended family to Judea. Other characters are interwoven in this tapestry of captivity and all, through their trials, cling to the hope of God’s blessing and the return to their homeland…seventy years later. An excellent story. – S.A. Jewell, author of Solomon’s Concubine
Thank you NetGalley and Andrea Stein, publicist, for a copy to review.
Coffee And Ink 
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