The League of Lilith - eBooks.
You are buying a zipped file containing eBook editions of this 420 page book in ePub and Mobi formats. (Print 2011, eBooks 2013). ISBNs: ePub 9781927260203; Mobi 9781927260210
Sarai, a Biblical Studies lecturer, learns a great and terrible truth – a core knowledge she must impart to a successor. Will she choose society wife, Jen, or bondage and discipline prostitute Kat? The lives of these two women collide in unexpected ways around Sarai, while in the wings lurk a coven of Wiccan witches, and the dark desires and dealings that threaten Jen’s husband, Wilkin. To what lengths will he go to get the heir he desperately desires?
Has Womenkind surrendered its sacred duty? Does Sarai know the secret to the world’s survival or has a life of radical feminism driven her insane?
Set in pre-quake Christchurch, The League of Lilith is an explosive novel that builds relentlessly to a dramatic climax. • • •
Review by Rev John Meredith December 2020
Rosalie Sugrue is a very experienced writer and, for this book, is joined by her son, Troy.
There are two inter-related groups of characters in the story. One is a group studying a tertiary level paper on ‘Biblical Text and Women.’ Readers are invited to share with the students as they are exposed to the voices of biblical women that have been submerged within the text. These are voices that have been silenced by being interpreted by those who have sought to maintain biblical support for the dominance of men in church and society; but as Professor of Divinity Ann Loades has said, only feminist interpretation (of the Bible) can begin to restore the dignity of women.
The other group is a group of Wiccan witches who affirm female identity as an essential aspect of wholesome life. It is unfortunate that ‘witches’ have come to be identified as figures of malign intent as, for example, in many children’s stories and in Macbeth. Witches have always evoked suspicion because they have questioned tradition. Wiccan witches should be seen, however, as devotees of a non-theistic religion emphasising the importance of living in harmony with nature. In this sense they embrace environmental principles for a healthy world and universal goodwill.
Lilith is a mythological figure affirming the universal oneness of creation where there are no boundaries of gender, ignorance, suspicion, desire to control others or to shape the world according to a selfish human plan. Ultimately there can be no hard lines separating the league of Lilith from the biblical concept of divine creativity. As one reads this book subtle theological insights keep emerging.
On the back cover Margaret Mayman has written: This is an intriguing story of a non-dominant culture that dips into the myth of Lilith and provides readers with another lens on patriarchal religion. … Powerful friendships among the women transcend the barriers of class and race. The novel draws on current feminist biblical interpretation that is theologically sound without being didactic. An enthralling yarn which would be ideal for book group discussion.
It may also challenge readers to reappraise long-held views and, without undue effort, to think more open-mindedly.
• • • Reader response video
Praise for the print edition:
“This is a page-turning book, an intriguing story of a nondominant culture that dips into the myth of Lilith and provides readers with another lens on patriarchal religion. Likable and unlikable, the characters are engaging. Powerful friendships among the women transcend barriers of class and race. The novel draws on current feminist Biblical interpretation in a way that is theologically sound without being didactic. An enthralling yarn, which would be ideal for book group discussion."
Rev Dr Margaret Mayman, St Andrew’s on The Terrace, Wellington
“…a book that really captures my interest and engages my head and my heart… Do you recognise Lilith of the title? In Jewish mythology she was Adam’s first wife, having been created at the same time and from the same earth as Adam but who left Eden because she refused to become subservient to him. Alternatively, Lilith was regarded as a demon. Many of the writers who contributed to the development of modern-day Wicca express special reverence for Lilith, regarding her as the embodiment of the Goddess and protector of women but who subsequently became demonised due to the rise of patriarchy.
The League of Lilith interweaves themes of women, sexuality, pregnancy and childbirth with chauvinism, and contrasts contemporary attitudes to women with those of the Bible. The story concerns the lives of women from very different back