14 h 59 minAudiobook6 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 14 h 59 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
As Roman armies close on Jerusalem, a young woman must hold to her faith—and risk a forbidden love.
In H. Rider Haggard’s Pearl-Maiden, Judea lives under Roman rule, and anger is rising. Jerusalem moves toward siege and ruin. Miriam, the young woman called the Pearl-Maiden, is devout and brave. In a city at war, she must find a way to survive without letting fear break her loyalty to what she believes.
Then her path crosses that of Marcus, a Roman whom many in Jerusalem see as an enemy. Their bond grows across divisions of nation, loyalty and belief. This historical romance brings adventure into the ancient world, where love carries danger and faith has a cost. The pressure comes from both the armies outside and the hard divides between people.
What you’ll discover
- A city near ruin Enter Jerusalem as Roman armies approach and anger against Roman rule rises.
- Miriam’s firm faith Follow a brave young woman who holds to belief when survival itself is uncertain.
- Love across enemy lines Feel the strain of Miriam and Marcus’s bond across the divisions that surround them.
- Loyalty tested by fear Explore what it costs to remain faithful when violence threatens what you hold dear.
- Adventure with bold feeling Discover Haggard’s bold storytelling in a romance shaped by war, danger and survival.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy sweeping ancient-world adventure, daring escapes, loyal friendships and love stories set against real history, from the fall of Jerusalem to the Rome of the Caesars.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A prison night and a vow to survive
- The king falls and the captives run
- A shipwreck, a birth and a new home
- A girl among the Essenes and the boy Caleb
- The Roman captain and a love with a barrier
- Tyre, Nero and the gift of pearls
- The doomed city and the tower
- Trial and chain on the Temple gate
- Faith, desire and what the story means
Who’s who
- MiriamA blue-eyed sculptor raised by the Essenes, gentle but brave, bound by her mother's dying command to marry only a Christian.
- NehushtaA Libyan chief's daughter and former slave, fierce and loyal, who guards Rachel and then Miriam with knife and cunning.
- MarcusA cheerful, honest Roman officer who loves Miriam and is willing to change much of his life to deserve her.
- CalebA proud, clever Jew raised among the Essenes, who loves Miriam with all his heart and will do almost anything to win her.
- BenoniMiriam's grandfather, a wealthy Jewish merchant of Tyre, hard and zealous, who later regrets how he treated his own daughter.
- IthielMiriam's great-uncle, a gentle Essene who takes her in and loves her in spite of the strict rules of his order.
- GallusA rough Roman captain with a soft heart who protects Miriam like a daughter after losing his own child.
- DomitianThe vain, cruel son of the emperor.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 14 h 59 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 6 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Pearl-Maiden
by H. Rider Haggard · 1903
Nehushta hides poison in her hair as she waits beside her pregnant mistress for the lions.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Imagine waiting in a Roman prison for the lions, with a child not yet born. That is where Pearl-Maiden by H. Rider Haggard begins, in Caesarea, in the days of King Agrippa.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A prison night and a vow to survive
The story opens in Caesarea, where King Herod Agrippa is holding games in honor of the emperor. Sixty Christians wait in the prison to be thrown to lions. Among them are Rachel, a young widow with a child on the way, and her servant Nehushta, a tall Libyan woman.
Nehushta is proud and fierce. She has hidden poison in her hair and swears she will kill her mistress rather than see her torn apart. An old prophetess named Anna tells her something different. The child will be born and will live out its life, and Nehushta must guard it.
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What is Pearl-Maiden about?
It follows Miriam, a Christian girl born in a shipwreck and raised by Essenes, through the Roman war on Judea and the fall of Jerusalem, caught between a Roman lover and a Jewish rival.
Why is Miriam called Pearl-Maiden?
Roman soldiers give her the name because of the pearl necklace that Marcus sent her and that she wears when she is captured. The name also reflects their affection for the sick girl they help to nurse.
Who are the Essenes in the book?
The Essenes are a real Jewish community who lived in the desert by the Dead Sea. In the story they are gentle, white-robed men who avoid women and sacrifice, yet agree to raise Miriam as their ward.
The author
H. Rider Haggard
1856–1925 · English adventure novelist
Henry Rider Haggard (1856–1925) was an English novelist. He was born in Norfolk, lived in southern Africa from 1875 to 1881, and later settled in Norfolk. He wrote King Solomon’s Mines (1885), She (1887), and Beatrice (1890). He also wrote about agriculture and rural life. He died in London.
More by H. Rider Haggard
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