Rebekah Book Review

Wives of the Patriarchs

Book Two

SUMMARY:  Can love heal the rift between two souls?

     When her beloved father dies and she is left in the care of her conniving brother Laban, Rebekah knows her life has changed forever.  Though she should be married by now, it's clear that Laban is dragging his feet, waiting for a higher bride-price to line his pockets.  But then Rebekah is given a chance to leave her home to marry Isaac, a cousin she has never even seen, and her hope for the future is restored.  Little does she know what a wondrous and heart-wrenching journey she is beginning.

     As Rebekah experiences the joy of young love and the bitterness of misunderstanding and betrayal, her resolve is tested.  When the rift between Isaac and her grows to wide it is surely too great to be mended, can she trust the God of Isaac's father Abraham to bridge the gap?

     Join bestselling author Jill Eileen Smith as she fills in the blanks around the life of the enigmatic Rebekah. 

REVIEW:  Even though there is not lot of information on Rebekah and Isaac in the book of Genesis, the author does an excellent job in "filling in the blanks."  I love how she tells Isaac's "story" showing what he might have been like and how almost being sacrificed by his father might have affected him, Sarah and Abraham even later in life.  Jill's idea shows how this might also have affected Isaac's relationship with his wife, Rebekah, and their twin boys.  When I read the story of Rebekah and Isaac, I often wonder why they each would favor one child over another.  This book helps the reader imagine what their lives might have been like before and after their marriage and why they might have made some of the decision they did.  The best part was getting a better understanding of two crucial characters in the history of Israel.  This is one of my favorite books so far.

This book was provided by Revell for review without compensation.

Available February 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Jill Eileen Smith is the author of the bestselling Michal, Abigail and Bathsheba, all part of the Wives of King David series, and of Sarai, book in the Wives of the Patriarchs series.  Her writing has garnered acclaim in several contests.  Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times.  Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan.