Reviews
PRAISE FROM THE UK FOR JANET SOSKICE'SSISTERS OF SINAI "InSisters of SinaiJanet Soskice has achieved the impossible - she has brought biblical scholarship to life. A gripping story of two spirited women determined to pursue the truth whatever the cost, with camels to boot. Wonderful." - Sara Wheeler "An extraordinary and compelling book, combining vivid travel adventures, wonderful characters, and absorbing journeys of the mind and heart. Janet Soskice brilliantly and accessibly unfolds one of the most gripping sagas of Biblical detection, while telling the story of two magnificent women who trespassed intrepidly in worlds that sought to exclude them." - John Cornwell "lively and inspiring double biography….compelling." - James McConnachie,The Sunday Times(London) "This rattling tale appears to come straight from an Indiana Jones adventure. A party of western adventurers face fiendish adversaries, grotesque and poisonous creatures and relentless sandstorms as they try to retrieve a long-lost biblical treasure….Janet Soskice has done an excellent job in piecing together the lives of two remarkable, and largely forgotten women who, like Moses, made a discovery at Mount Sinai that would transform their lives forever." - Marc Horne,The Scotsman, PRAISE FOR JANET SOSKICE'SSISTERS OF SINAI "Soskice deftly positions the twins' story in the wider and more profound context of ideas and discoveries of their age. With great clarity, she steadily and captivatingly unwinds the complicated threads of her narrative, explicating formidable scholarship while keeping the twins at the fore….[T]he redoubtable twins-sturdy, steady, passionately curious, generous as well as thrifty-will win the reader….Sisters of Sinaiis a bracing and moving book, not only a story of adventure, but also a reminder of the ardor, hardship and energy invested in the pursuit of knowledge in that endlessly inquiring and industrious Victorian age." - Caroline Alexander,New York Times Book Review "You needn't follow a particular religion to become engrossed in this enthralling narrative.The Sisters of Sinaiis a tale of grand adventure and far-flung travels, and it proves appealing even on that level. Soskice is so adept at making a rarefied subject accessible and vivid that the narrative seems almost cinematic.... Thanks to Soskice's compelling, well-researched book, these extraordinary women have been given the tribute they deserve." - Carmela Ciuraru,Christian Science Monitor "[L]uminous….by turns a rattling adventure yarn…and a testament to the power of perseverance." - Matthew Shaer,The Washington Post "This meticulously researched effort takes what for decades has been an intriguing footnote in the history of textual serendipity, and gives it the full examination it so richly deserves….The story of [the sisters'] spirited adventure on camelback to Mount Sinai…makes for an exciting adventure, which Soskice accomplishes with style and aplomb. I am reminded, in this effort, of Simon Winchester'sThe Professor and the madman, in which a theretofore ignored interlude in literary history…became a breakthrough bestseller." - Nicholas Basbanes,Fine Book Magazine "The Sisters of Sinaisets the extraordinary life story of two plucky women traveling in the Middle East-at a time when few people did-against the backdrop of swashbuckling Bible hunters, racing each other around the world to find the latest clue in the mystery of how the Bible was first written." - Colleen O'Connor,The Denver Post "In this delightful, true-life adventure tale….Soskice's pitch-perfect chronicle not only captures the spirit, the faith, and the determination of the remarkable Smith sisters but also exposes a significant scriptural controversy that continues to ignite scholarly debate." -Booklist "Engaging account….part travelogue, part biography and part tutorial in the art of translation and the preservation of ancient documents, Soskice lovingly and boldly presents this compelling story with simplicity and grace….expertly transform[ing] a complex tale into a deeply moving human story…. a splendid book on all accounts." -Publishers Weekly PRAISE FROM THE UK FOR JANET SOSKICE'SSISTERS OF SINAI "InSisters of SinaiJanet Soskice has achieved the impossible - she has brought biblical scholarship to life. A gripping story of two spirited women determined to pursue the truth whatever the cost, with camels to boot. Wonderful." - Sara Wheeler "An extraordinary and compelling book, combining vivid travel adventures, wonderful characters, and absorbing journeys of the mind and heart. Janet Soskice brilliantly and accessibly unfolds one of the most gripping sagas of Biblical detection, while telling the story of two magnificent women who trespassed intrepi
