Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Jun. 1, 2004 (Vol. 100, No. 19))
In the tradition of the adult novel The Red Tent comes this story of the biblical Flood, recounted by Re Jana, whose family leaves the marshes to find the ark. The passion Re Jana finds with Ham, son of the Builder, leads to a place on the ark, but this "safe haven," with the stink and sounds of the animals, starvation, and repeated (if not lustful) rapes by Ham's brothers, tests her in every way, even as she carries new life into the New World. Exquisitely detailed and intelligently written, this is a YA novel only in the broadest sense; no one would blink if it appeared on an adult list. Teens will find themselves alternately caught up in the story's tension, especially once the rain starts falling, and bored by some of the religious and philosophical underpinnings. There are subtly portrayed sexual incidents, too (including a relationship between Re Jana and Ham's wife) but these are small stitches in a vast piece that strikingly reveals the human condition at the hour of its destruction. Category: Books for Older Readers--Fiction. 2004, Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine, $17.95. Gr. 10 and up.

Francine Thomas (Children's Literature)
Brilliantly written, disturbingly brooding, this story is fleshed out with struggles of choice, courage, desperation and hope in the face of mankind's destruction. It is a universal story written from a surprising perspective, one that keeps the reader turning pages in spite of a pervading desire to finish it and shake off the gloom. Young Re Jana, her invalid mother and her father, a master builder of ships, leave their marshland because it is flooding. They travel on foot to the dry desert seeking their destiny--"a boat-shaped structure trapped in a web of vertical and horizontal girders." This is what people have been laughing about, but to those looking for work, there is a sense the project is being driven by something powerful. Provoost exhibits creative genius in weaving the smallest detail into a larger, unimaginable picture. The process flirts with sacrilege that cannot be proven and visions difficult to entertain. But it accomplishes a major goal--it makes the reader feel and wonder. No doubt an excellent choice for a book club discussion group, an ethics or literature class, it may be weighty for the young adult reader. The task of translating such a work inspires respect. Without doubt, the result is a testament to the prestigious awards for outstanding literature that Provoost and Nieuwenhuizen have earned over the years. Not a comfortable book, it is one that readers will embrace, or push away. Either way it will engender true appreciation for its literary talent and skill. 2004, Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, $17.95. Ages 16 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 13))
This beautiful, solemn, heavy retelling of the story of Noah's ark is narrated in first person by Re Jana, a dark-skinned young woman of a different race from Noah's light-skinned family. Re Jana's family journeys from marshlands to seek a rumored ship that's being built-inexplicably-in a desert. Nobody understands the project; only the Builder and his family know the purpose. Re Jana ponders (is it a landmark for posterity? a religious sacrifice?) while readers bear the brunt of knowledge about the upcoming flood. Re Jana becomes inextricably bound up in the Builder's family by falling in love with his son Ham, who returns her love, and by performing her special oil-and-water massages on family members. Suspense slowly builds as the lands dampen. Consider this poetic, substantial piece a YA/adult crossover. The ending is both sad and relieving as it touches both the bible and the modern political world. 2004, Levine/Scholastic, 384p, $17.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 13 up. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Donna Steffan (Library Media Connection, November/December 2004)
Anne Provost entices the reader into quickly changing events and vivid scenes of the familiar Biblical story of the Great Flood and Noah's Ark. Seen through the eyes of a young woman who refuses to surrender to fate and ultimate destruction, the reader joins Ra Jana as she leads her family and community of marsh-dwellers through this powerful chronicle against the strictly controlled lifestyle of the ark-builders. These are beautiful, yet tragic, counterpoint stories of a beautiful young woman, her family, and the son of the ark-builder who, as he rhythmically hammers the planks of the ark, studies music, silk making and tailoring, herbology, ceramics and metallurgy, astronomy, and other cultural elements to preserve the knowledge of the world. The strong mental images and the sharp colorful details of change and loss, courage and choice, and love and distrust drop the reader into a sizzling activity of ark building, animals arriving from far and wide, and the survival tactics of a young lover. This book captures the reader through richly described, multi-faceted themes, strong mental images, and sharp graphic details. This inspiring, ever-changing narrative leaves the reader breathless and dramatically moved. Highly Recommended. 2004, Arthur A. Levine (Scholastic), 384pp., $17.95 hc. Ages 16 to 18.

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2004 (Vol. 58, No. 2))
Flooded marshes threaten the livelihood of Re Jana's fishing family, and they head east with a guide in search of the enigmatic Builder who is rumored to be constructing a huge vessel in the middle of arid land. Re Jana's father cares little at first for the purpose behind the mysterious vessel; he's happy, like the rest of the laborers, to have the work, and he even respects the Builder himself: "He was passionate, he had a plan, it was not surprising he had won a special place in the heart of his god." As Re Jana catches the eye and secures the love of the Builder's son, Ham, information begins to spread concerning the prophecy of coming annihilation by flood; nonetheless the workers continue, certain that they will be sheltered on the commodious ark. Of course, they are wrong. Ham sneaks Re Jana on board as his concubine, her father is left to float in the stormy waters in a reed funeral boat he had built for his wife, and Re Jana is torn between her desire to flee with her unborn child from this family of zealots or to secure her future on promised dry land. Provoost's Builder is a cannily crafted amalgam of Scriptural Noah, with his messy family concerns and his penchant for wine, and Mesopotamian Ut-napishtim, a master at dissembling to keep the work underway. Although extra-Biblical episodes aboard the ark are melodramatic--Re Jana's sexual encounters with all the Builder's sons and Ham's wife, a shipboard fire, the survival of three persons outside the Builder's family, the suicide of the Builder's wife (clearly not destined to be the seed sower of legend)--teleological issues at the heart of the flood story are challenging indeed, and readers will long ponder whether salvation has been justly awarded to the righteous. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Levine/Scholastic, 368p, $17.95. Grades 9-12.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2005)
Re Jana moves with her fisherman father to the desert in order to escape the rising waters of the marshes. There they join up with the despised, ridiculed "Rrattika," a family building an enormous ark. This retelling of the biblical Flood story is packed with incident but overlong and tedious. Category: Older Fiction. 2004, Scholastic/Levine, 374pp, $17.95. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.

Christine Sanderson (VOYA, August 2004 (Vol. 27, No. 3))
Re Jana, a young girl from the marshes, comes to the desert with her family to escape the rains. These are no ordinary rains, for it is rumored that they will destroy the world. Once Re Jana arrives in the desert, she discovers the Builder and his family constructing a giant ship. Despite the differences in their cultures, she falls in love with the Builder's son, Ham. Their romance plays out against the backdrop of the Old Testament as they struggle to survive the great flood and reestablish civilization. This novel is a literal approach to the story of Noah. Two of every creature come to the desert to board the ark, a boat specifically designed to accommodate all of them. Provoost then embellishes the story by creating conflict. Through the characters of Re Jana, her boat-builder father, and her invalid mother, the author develops a clash of cultures between the tribes. Next she raises the question of why everyone except the chosen, including innocent children, must die. As the author states, "As we grow to adulthood the story gets more complex, doesn't it. This is, after all, the tale of how all life on earth was destroyed." Such questions remain unresolved throughout the novel, which concludes with a return to the biblical account. The novel is well suited for middle school libraries. It can be read in a purely secular context, but readers familiar with the subject through religion or history will find the story more engrossing. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P J (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, 384p., $17.95. Ages 12 to 15.