Dog Days In Bedlam by David James Trapp
BUY IT NEW
- $19.95 Online price$17.95 Member price(Save 10%)Limited Time Offer! Everyone receives the Member Price on books.
See Details
Reserve it at BN.com & pick it up in 60 minutes at your local store.
Enter a zip code
Customers who bought this also bought
Product Details
- Pub. Date: February 2003
- Publisher: Publish America
- Format: Paperback, 147pp
- ISBN-13: 9781592862924
- ISBN: 1592862926
Synopsis
Thousands of years ago in the destitute village of Bedlam, two young lovers, Hershel and Ofra, struggle to flee from Orion, the evil king of Aipotu. Hershel is the village outcast, the son of a prostitute. Ofra is the daughter of the village elder. They must love each other secretly. But when the king arrives and they both fall victim to royal tyranny, they openly turn to each other as they desperately seek refuge. When their escape becomes impossible, they sacrifice themselves for each other, and by doing so they enshrine their love for eternity. This is a timeless story of the costly but glorious triumph of love, faith and courage!
Customer Reviews
Dog Days In Bedlamby Anonymous
Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings
August 03, 2004: I picked up Dog Days in Bedlam because I'm a sucker for historical fiction of all time periods. This book, although set in a pre-Roman/pre-Christian Middle East (at least I think so), is less historical and more like a folk tale, but it was still a fun read. The story is set in the town of Bedlam is a which has not seen rain in many weeks. The land is parched and the Bedlamites, which incidentally is a synonym for lunatics, are downtrodden and poor. Of course it is now, when they are at their lowest, that their hedonistic king comes to visit. He takes the village for all it's worth. This causes even more trouble amongst the already troubled people, especially between the ridiculed Hershel, the son of a prostitute, and Ofra, the elder's daughter, who are just starting to gaze longingly at each other. Trapp writes the story of these two star-crossed lovers simply but tenderly, especially during those few private moments when Hershel and Ofra are alone. There are very few hidden motives that he does not express, and even the complex emotions of a mob are written clearly and believably. It's almost as if this were a story told around the campfire. A quick read, but satisfying. But this is an unrelenting book. If you're looking for a happily ever after or even a glimmer of hope, you'll find none for your main characters and only a little for this community which the reader ends up loving to pity. At some points you just want to call out 'How much can one person bear!' Trapp takes a realistic view of the harsh, desperate people that is appealing, even if it means our lovers are doomed. I applaud Trapp for not taking the easy road and bowing to a happy ending, it's still hard to come to terms with. Here's a little advice: after you finish the book, eat an ice cream or go for a walk out in the rain to remind yourself of the pleasures in life.
Dog Days In Bedlamby Anonymous
Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings
March 28, 2004: In biblical times, King Orion of Aipotu visits his loyal subjects struggling to survive in the impoverished Bedlam where he encourages the villagers that prosperity is just around the next hut. Though he knows his subjects lack food, he and his large retinue eat and drink everything in sight as is the want of a royal. Orion also awaits his pleasure with the town?s prettiest virgin, Ofra.............................. However, the elder?s daughter loves Hershel the brothelite, whose mother was the local prostitute. Hershel shares Ofra?s feelings, but has always felt his station in life is beneath that of his beloved. Still rather than allow the king to legally rape her, Hershel and Ofra plan to flee together, not realizing that the elders including her sire and the regal elite will never allow them to simply leave as she is intended to pleasure the monarch............................ DOG DAYS IN BEDLAM is an intriguing vividly harsh descriptive take on life in the days before Noah. The biblical society is filled with brutality as Kings take care of their hedonistic needs while insuring the scribes turn them into heroic caring figures for posterity (who writes the history books?). The villagers are not much better than the royal sharks as they survive using ?virginal sacrifice? to appease their decadent leaders while shamming as if it?s for their God. The audience will never look at history or the bible the same way as this well written thought provoking novel is easy to read due to as much to a paradigm switch as to rape, murders, and other cruelty. David James Trapp makes a strong case that violence is as biblical a norm as ?an eye for an eye?....................... Harriet Klausner
loading...
loading...
loading...