Toby Press, UK, 2002
ISBN-10: 1902881559
ISBN-13: 978-1902881553

A novel set in King David's reign in Jerusalem, 1000 BCE. Inspired by the brief description of the "Shunnamite" in the Book of Samuel in the Old Testament, it depicts the setting of the "unified kingdom" of David and Solomon and the underlying causes of its eventual split into two kingdoms, Judah and Israel. It is mainly a romantic novel, and Lotan's favourite of all her writings.

"An astonishingly vivid recreation of King David's court, with all the legendary actors historicized, given temperaments and biographies, and shown in a moment of great drama and political complexity. Lotan's novel is like no other I know. Utterly free of cliché, her picture of life in Jerusalem of the 10th century B.C. is strange and compelling. And the portrait of the young beauty Avishag is a triumph."
--Donald Fanger, Harvard University (Author: Dostoevsky and the Romantic Realists)

“The description of David's City and the surrounding areas enables the reader to be transported to the region in the time of King David’s reign ... the writing is evocative of the land, its terrain, and the way of life that might have been in the time of King David. The language has a musical cadence that alludes to times past, and allows the reader to travel through time and space, creating a literary work that could have taken place three millennia ago… [This] novel …belongs to to a growing genre of Modern Midrash.”
-- M. Kaplan-Green, The Source Israel Online Magazine

"…in Lotan's novel [Avishag] comes alive as an intelligent resourceful young woman. "
(- Amazon.com customer review)

"…a wonderful escapist book. Just lie back and enjoy the sounds, smells, and feel of ancient Jerusalem. Growing up reading the bible, this book brought all the biblical characters of this period to life in vivid colors and made them human and real.
Avishag is a beautiful character, the exact opposite the stereotype of the biblical concubine. She's smart, independent, resourceful and powerful. ... - I loved it!"
(- Amazon.com customer review)

"The author writes from a knowledgeable standpoint in the eyes of a handmaiden often forgotten until you re-read the Bible itself. ... sheds light on the period of instability when David's sons vied for position. Add this to your library of biblical fiction."
(- Amazon.com customer review)

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