Solomon is a young prince with only the hope of becoming king since his brother, Adonijah, is older than him. When Solomon meets Shulamit he is stirred by feelings he has never had before. After three days of knowing her he decides to make her his wife but discovers that they will be kept apart…perhaps forever.
This book had a sort of beauty. But I believe that it is only because the Song of Songs was used from the Bible. Other, than that, the book felt fragmented and distorted. Even if I had never read the Song of Songs before, I still would have known what parts of the book were from the Bible and which parts the author wrote. To take this particular book from the Bible and risk writing a novel is pretty risky. Mainly because the author would have to match the beauty of the words, which would be extremely difficult—if not impossible—to do. I admire the author’s attempt but I’m afraid to say that it fell far, far short. I will say that the book had a wonderful beginning. I loved how she started it with Solomon looking back on his life. It totally drew me into the story and made me interested. However, that is where I stopped loving it. From there on, Solomon’s Song had a vague, unresolved feel to it. It did not feel realistic at all. Solomon fell in love with Shulamit only after three days, which I think is just too unbelievable since they didn’t even spend much time together during those days. And they didn’t even think to ask each other what their names were during those days. Which I found utterly ridiculous because I know I would want to know Solomon’s name if I were in Shulamit’s position and vice versa.
I liked how the author incorporated Abishag the Shulamite from the Bible. I’ve read that story a few times before and know it well. When King David was old he couldn’t get warm by himself so the land was searched for a maiden to serve and warm the king. However, the author renamed Abishag Shulamit for some reason, which just added to the whole disjointed feeling of the entire book. Also, Shulamit was chosen as a new wife for the king, which is not the purpose the Bible originally states. Song of Solomon is more fictional than Biblical, which I was greatly disappointed in. There was some research done, but not enough for the book to feel fully authentic. Shulamit and Solomon kept on saying that they loved one another, but I could find no good reason exactly why they should. Surely, something happened between Solomon and his Shulamite to make them love one another so greatly and deeply. But in this book I could not find that something. I like the idea of Solomon falling in love with Abishag, but the execution of that idea was less than stellar.
I give Solomon’s Song 3 out of 5 stars.
*Moody Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book