3.5 stars (3/10 hearts). I haven’t read much biblical fiction and it isn’t my favourite genre by a long shot, but I have dabbled in a few books of tha3.5 stars (3/10 hearts). I haven’t read much biblical fiction and it isn’t my favourite genre by a long shot, but I have dabbled in a few books of that type and having read + enjoyed other books by B.M. Baker, I thought I’d give this one a shot. I wasn’t disappointed.
I haven’t ever paid a huge amount of attention to the story of the Shunemite in Kings, but this book really changed my perspective on her and and I appreciated how the author dwelt on her faith and service. As a girl whose dreams are currently being met with a “not yet” from the Lord, and who struggles deeply with body image, I identified very much with Carmella’s pain in infertility + her shame over her size & looks. I also appreciated how Elijah (and his servant) was done—very accurate to the Bible and nothing over the top.
The biggest thing I struggled with was the weaker writing style, and specifically the consistent misuse of “alas,” which seemed to be treated as replacement for “ah” most of the time. I found myself jarred from the setting somewhat frequently. But I was touched by the message and I appreciate seeing the life of a Bible woman from a simple, everyday lens. Whoever she was, the Shunemite woman has a lot to teach us. And there was a good message about societal shunning of different people.
If you enjoy Biblical Fiction, I’d definitely give this one a try, and if you don’t, check out the author’s rom-coms and historical fiction!
A Favourite Quote: Had it been her own fault all along? Was it her bitterness that had robbed her of peace and joy? Now that was something to ponder. A Favourite Humorous Quote: Gareth had taken her and Wekesa and they had tallied the number of houses together, noting which was theirs… mostly for Carmella’s sake alone. Gareth and Wekesa seemed to have an internal sense of direction that she lacked....more
4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I honestly didn’t expect to like this book, and I really didn’t intend to read it, but a friend lent it and I was pretty sure4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I honestly didn’t expect to like this book, and I really didn’t intend to read it, but a friend lent it and I was pretty sure I would be asked what I thought of it, so I decided I’ve better be able to give an educated reply. The very first page blew me away. Wow! I did not expect to be so hooked! Of course, I know the story of Esther very well, but I couldn’t put the book down.
Also, the cover. OH MY HEART THE COVER IS GORGEOUSNESS. I love it so much.
But back to the story. I haven’t really read any Biblical Fiction before, so I can’t compare this to anything else. But I have never read anything set in Persia and that exotic setting really intrigued me. I found that the writing was remarkably well done. There were one or two places that felt a little more modern, but other than that, I was never jarred away from the 470s/460s B.C.
The characters were really what got me. Xerxes was such a fascinating character. I shook my head at him, yet somehow I couldn’t despise him. I almost long to offer him advice and help sometimes. He seemed so lost, so afraid, so confused. He wasn’t at all what I pictured Ahasuerus to be, but he made a really interesting character for the story. Amestris was terrible, but a real cool villain and great addition, as was Atossa, even if she barely showed up. I hated Haman, of course, but I think the author did a good job with his portrayal. All the side characters were interesting and different (I especially like the eunuch). Vashti was a fascinating personage. I loved her, felt so for her, and wished she could have met Esther! Ah yes, Esther. I’m coming to her. But first, Mordecai. WOW. There isn’t much of Mordecai in the Bible, and the way he was presented here was very striking. I’ll touch more on that later, but he was extremely well done as a character. And Esther. She was just so sweet and genuine and I loved her so much and really admired her.
Now, the plot of this book was the other thing that really got me. Obviously, I know all this is speculation. The Bible only says so much, and Biblical Fiction is purely “what if…” scenarios. But I really enjoyed the different angles this story showed. I never considered, for example, why Vashti didn’t obey—I’d always seen her as a bad woman. I never thought of how Mordecai felt about Esther being taken. I’d barely considered how Esther herself felt. I knew nothing of the court and circumstances of it all, and I feel like this book really deepened the story and showed me there was more to it than just the bare bones I’d always skimmed over so casually. While NOT the story of Esther, it’s a great “fanfic” or “retelling,” if you will, and gave me a lot to think about.
From a writing point of view, the storyline was very well done—definitely gripping, and even if I knew the story, left me pretty much on the edge of my seat! The thread of suspense added by Amestris’ plotting was excellent. And I was particularly impressed by how clean everything was. Obviously, given the context, there was a lot of mention of spending a night with the King, being a virgin, sharing love in a bed—but that was basically it. Not more detailed than a passing mention. I wouldn’t hand this to someone over 18, and removed half a star, but I really appreciated how well everything was handled.
But the message—oh my, the message! It basically breaks down into three parts. 1, even when God is silent or you think He isn’t there or isn’t listening to you, He is there, He answers, and He will be found if you seek Him—even if you’ve messed up. 2, fear, indecision, and procrastination costs too much. And 3, it doesn’t depend on you—it depends on God. You need to do the right thing, and He’ll take care of the rest. These themes were woven through the story with so much richness. They were definitely things I needed to hear and so well done.
Overall, I was very well impressed by this story, will definitely be trying out this author (and genre) again, and enjoyed this book greatly!
Content: besides content mentioned above: one mention of gruesome execution, lots of mentions of harems, concubines, secondary wives, calling women to your bed, etc. A few scenes between Vashti & Xerxes or Esther & Xerxes are romantic (kissing, touching, leading her to his bed, telling her to take off her cloak so he can see through her transparent gown) but undetailed....more
**Updated review to come upon reread. In the meantime, my updated opinion was featured on the historic fiction podcast The Gibson Girl Review! Listen **Updated review to come upon reread. In the meantime, my updated opinion was featured on the historic fiction podcast The Gibson Girl Review! Listen as my cohost Amy Drown and I discuss this novel at www.gibsongirlreview.com/season-1-epi...**
3 stars. It seems to me there are two main schools of thought/opinion on this book—those who absolutely love it, and those who bitterly condemn it. I am of neither extreme. Rather, I see both good and bad in this novel. I was always skeptical of it because as a rule biblical fiction is not my favourite and rather dangerous, in my opinion. But I wished to read it to see why it was so wildly poplar. And I ended up reading it far quicker than I thought due to unforeseen literary circumstances.
Our setting is a mixture of Israel and Greece, from 0 A.D. to 33 A.D. I am particularly fond of the Ancient Greece and Ancient Israel aesthetic/setting, so that definitely contributed to my enjoyment. I would have liked to see more of Ancient Rome though, given how most of the characters were Roman and not actually Greek at all. But that’s quite a minor point. The writing style, however, was a mixture of enjoyment and irritation for me. I felt that Wallace wandered a great deal and added far too much information or description at times, as well as extra scenes that didn’t really feel necessary…? On the other hand, there were times when he gave a one-sentence description that was really excellent. So perhaps it was just that I was in the wrong mood to enjoy his style, or maybe its the lack of humour in the narration—Scott and Dickens, for example, are also very verbose but there’s always a tang to their writing, even in narration. But I digress.
The characters were definitely the strong point of the novel. I liked Judah/Ben-Hur quite a bit. He was a sturdy, reliable, and (usually) moral young man. I enjoyed seeing his character change from child to man, and his storyline, overall, was really epic. I hated Iras (she was well done though!) and oh, Judah drove me mad for a bit!! #IYKYK Esther was the sweetest, loveliest thing. Simonides was fascinating and unique; and Ilderim was a great old sheik. Ben-Hur’s mother and Tirzah were great side characters, as was Malluch; and Amrah was a wonderful maid. Balthasar was a good old man, although I wasn’t a fan of his beginning (more on that later). Messala was the PERFECT (and terrifying) rival, Arrius was a splendid old Roman, and somehow Thord was a pretty cool character.
As aforementioned, I loved Ben-Hur’s story, which is 90% of the book. The accident, slavery, adoption, and so forth didn’t strike me as super realistic (idk… I just don’t know) but it was very entertaining and the book had plenty of excitement and crisis. (The chariot race lived up to its reputation, y’all). Also, the love triangle added a lot of feeling even if I hated it. XD And then the leprosy angle… yikes.
I was less of a fan of the biblical fiction part. The Nativity section in particular frustrated me. It was in some respects unbiblical, and in other aspects super cliché (ik, it’s a silly objection but for real). Jesus, also, was not presented fully accurately to the Bible. (Did Wallace not read Isaiah 53??) However, I appreciated how Wallace only gave Him the words that the scripture gave Him (except maybe in the healing scene?? I forgot) and only in two scenes did He do something not found in the Bible. The arrest and crucifixion followed the Gospel narrative very closely. In this part of the book I am divided. It is clear Wallace writes with great reverence and feeling, and that he is describing what he imagined the Crucifixion story to be based on the Gospel (he barely, if at all, added any elements). The whole scene really struck me with 1) how the whole world was represented there; 2) how Jesus really died for a jeering multitude; 3) how the Crucifixion scene must have looked to outsiders. It gave me a new perspective and a lot of thoughts. On the other hand, I’m still unsure about the morality of Biblical fiction, plain and simple.
Besides this, I also had problems with Wallace’s theology at times (mainly in Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar’s talks), although at other times he made really good points. I was also bugged that Ben-Hur’s revenge was never addressed (I thought it was being built up and going to be dealt with gloriously in the end) and his salvation, as well as Simonides, was rather… flat? At least, there wasn’t much explanation for why they believed and what they believed? I expected something more… grand, I suppose.
To wrap up all my thoughts, I loved Ben-Hur’s story, I wasn’t so sure of Christ’s story, and I wasn’t a super huge fan of the author, but I really loved some of his aspects. I don’t think this book is really a masterpiece or a great epic, personally; but these are my own (not very incisive) thoughts. Take them or leave them, and make your own conclusions.
A Favourite Quote: Could he have taken the offer and said the word, history might have been other than it is; but then it would have been history ordered by men, not God--something that never was, and never will be. A Favourite Beautiful Quote: A hope had come to him, like a singing bird. He could hardly see the visitor or hear its song; that it was there, though, he knew; his feelings told him so. A Favourite Humorous Quote: First, the Sidonian gave the scourge to his four, and, smarting with fear and pain, they dashed desperately forward, promising for a brief time to go to the front. The effort ended in promise.
3 stars & 3/10 hearts. I greatly appreciated the message of surrender this little book holds. The details of the sea and shore were excellently well d3 stars & 3/10 hearts. I greatly appreciated the message of surrender this little book holds. The details of the sea and shore were excellently well done, and Leviathan was described exactly as it is in Job 41. And the cover is so well done!!
A Favourite Quote: “‘There comes a point in our lives when we must decide for ourselves. Will we surrender to the God of the Universe and place our trust in Him as our God, or will we fight against Him?’” A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “The dark brown wooden beam supporting the sail stood out, pointing heavenward. He followed it with his eyes, settling on the wisps of clouds and faint stars that speckled the dark blue sky, a tapestry of creation.”
*I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review but I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest opinions.*...more
3 stars & 3/10 hearts. This was an interesting read. It was well done, on the whole. My writer’s brain enjoyed seeing all those Bible scenes woven tog3 stars & 3/10 hearts. This was an interesting read. It was well done, on the whole. My writer’s brain enjoyed seeing all those Bible scenes woven together. ...more
2022 UPDATE Having slightly changed my perspective on biblical fiction, I intend to reread this book sometime soon and see what I think of it now.
20202022 UPDATE Having slightly changed my perspective on biblical fiction, I intend to reread this book sometime soon and see what I think of it now.
2020 REVIEW At first, I really liked this book. It is very, very well written. It’s also quite fascinating. But I quickly started getting uneasy when Jesus started to become a prominent figure. At first the book stuck pretty close to what He actually said in the Bible, but I was still uncomfortable at His being described. We weren’t told what He looks like and I don’t think it’s right for us to make it up… Then He had a full-blown conversation with Daniel, and that finished it. That is close to the end of the book, though, so I went ahead and finished it to see how it turned out. It ends with Jesus healing someone under Daniel’s eyes—and it’s a story found nowhere in the Bible. So because of this, I was really uncomfortable about this book and I really cannot recommend it, nor will I be rereading it. On top of all that, they also talked of the apocrypha and they mixed it so much with the Bible that I got confused what they were exactly talking about, and that also got me really uncomfortable. I’d love to try this author again, though, she has an amazing writing style. ...more
3.5 stars (4/10 hearts). I haven’t been much of a fan of “Biblical fiction” and I’m still kinda iffy about it. But this one had me tearing up. Having 3.5 stars (4/10 hearts). I haven’t been much of a fan of “Biblical fiction” and I’m still kinda iffy about it. But this one had me tearing up. Having just read John 19, it brought the Crucifixion story strongly to life and highlighted Jesus’ humility and love deeply. I also loved the poetic returning lines of “darkness without starlight, lighting storm without rain, the feeling of hopelessness and fear.” Finally, Tabitha and Jonathan were super sweet. And Jesus’s appearance was well done.
A Favourite Quote: “‘Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing,’ Yeshua cried out. “Jonathan winced and looked away. The words disturbed him deep within himself. Who was this Yeshua? What kind of man asked for forgiveness for those who called for and carried out his execution?”...more
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