I'm sorry, I am, but this is just excruciatingly dull. Had it gone on any longer I might have slipped into coma. In fairness, the first half isn't that bad. I was actually thinking of giving it three stars as, despite the appalling behaviour of everyone concerned - apparently mass murder and ecological destruction is perfectly fine if God orders such - it at least had interesting imagery and moved along at something like pace. Then, halfway through, the rot begins. The descriptions of the ark, and how it is built, and the clothes, food, ointments that follow are just interminable. And then they start being repeated, with pretty much only a tense change to vary it. I had to force myself to finish.

Honestly, I don't know who wrote this, but I have very strong suspicions. After all those very lengthy descriptions of the fancy, expensive things that Aaron must wear, the fancy, expensive things with which Aaron must cleanse himself, and the fancy, expensive things with which Aaron must be fed, it's a fair bet that one of his descendants was chomping at the bit to have the gravy train continue. ("No, no, it's not me who wants the jewel-encrusted breastplate. God wants me to have it.")

The best thing about this, by a country mile, was the genuinely interesting and well-written introduction by David Grossman. That I would happily read again.