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Abigail by Jill Eileen Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
BOOK RECAP:
Bestselling author releases new biblical fiction that tells the story of Abigail: Her marriage to David and their life on the run.
Turmoil marked her life—what price must she pay for love?
From Jill Eileen Smith, bestselling author of Michal, comes the latest biblical fiction in The Wives of King David series: Abigail. Abigail's hopes and dreams for the future are wrapped up in her handsome, dark-eyed betrothed, Nabal. But when the long-awaited wedding day arrives, her drunken groom behaves shamefully. Nevertheless, Abigail tries to honor and respect her husband despite his abuse of her.
Meanwhile, Abigail's family has joined David's wandering tribe as he and his people keep traveling to avoid the dangerous Saul. When Nabal suddenly dies, Abigail is free to move on with her life, and thanks to her brother, her new life includes a new husband--David. The dangers of tribal life on the run are serious, but there are other dangers in young Abigail's mind. How can David lead his people effectively when he goes against God? And how can Abigail share David's love with the other wives he insists on marrying?
Smith draws on Scripture, in-depth historical research and her vivid imagination to unveil the story of Abigail and David in rich detail and drama, for a riveting page-turner that will keep readers looking forward to the next book in this trilogy.
MY THOUGHTS:
Abigail was an enjoyable novel that brought to life the story of Abigail and David. Jill does a wonderful job of unpacking the details of culture and life in Biblical times that we do not always understand in reading the Biblical account. This books gives dimension to the felt Sunday School character you learned about as a child and brings color to the black and white pages of the Bible you read today.
I thought that Jill did well including all the Biblical information we have available through Scripture, but one needs to be cautious to remember through out reading this story that the majority of it is still fiction. Abigail is a wonderful book for any woman who wants to better understand the Bible times and enjoy a relaxing read at the same time. However, I am not sure that the emotional issues of this story are appropriate for younger teen girls. I would highly recommend Moms to read this book before allowing their teen daughter of to do so and then, if so, I encourage you to take advantage of the conversation that can come from having both read the story.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Jill Eileen Smith has more than twenty years of writing experience, and her writing has garnered acclaim in several contests. Her research into the lives of David's wives has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill is the author of the bestselling Michal and lives with her family in southeast Michigan.
BOOK DETAILS:
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3321-6
Softcover / 372 pages / $14.99
Published by Revell
You can go here to read an excerpt from the first chapter!
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This review copy was provided courtesy of Revell and is available February 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
