Judah's Wife Book Review

The Silent Years

A Novel of the Maccabees

SUMMARY:  To be silent would be to deny their God.  To defy would bring the wrath of the king.

     Seeking quiet and safety after a hard childhood, Leah marries Judah, a strong and gentle man, and for the first time in her life Leah believes she'll have peace.  But the very nation Judah was named for has been conquered by a cruel king, who decrees that all Jews are to conform to Syrian laws or risk death for following the laws of Moses.

     Judah's father resists the decree, igniting a war that will cost him his life.  But before dying, he commands Judah to pick up his sword and continue the fight - or bear responsibility for the obliteration of Israel.  Leah, who wants nothing but peace, struggles with her husband's decision - what kind of God would destroy the peace she has sought for so long?

     The miraculous story of the courageous Maccabees is told through the eyes of Judah's wife, who learns that love requires courage . . . and sacrifice.

REVIEW:  The author is upfront about this novel.  While some of it is based on writings of the time (battles, certain characters, some events), quite a bit of it is the author's imagination.  With that being said, Angela Hunt did an excellent job filling in what she imagines happened during the last part of what is referred to as The Silent Years - the 400 years between the last Old Testament prophet's writing and the start of the New Testament.  

     The Maccabees are known to biblical scholars as the family who fought for Jewish rights during a very difficult time.  As Judah's wife, Leah would have a front row seat to everything that happened in this family.  I struggled with Leah and her decisions and actions at times.  She comes from a very abusive household so, when gentle Judah comes calling and offers marriage, she sees it as her chance for a life of peace.  When Judah decides to take up the cause his father started, she tends to turn inward and doesn't share her thoughts and feelings with her husband.  But, as the story moves on, I understood her a little better. The example of what she thought a wife should be and what she should endure was not what her sisters- and mother-in-law showed.  As Leah learns to trust the Lord and Judah more, I like the changes I see in her character and actions.

     This is a great book.  I like how the author takes a little known part of history and develops characters and a complete story line that seems plausible.  If you are interested in bible history, and can keep a little bit of an open mind, I think you will be pleased with this novel.  Make sure you read the Epilogue and Author's Notes.  It just adds to the story.

This book was provided by Bethany House for review without compensation.

Angela Hunt has published more than one hundred books, with sales nearing five million copies worldwide.  She's the New York Times bestselling author of The Tale of Three Trees, The Note, and The Nativity Story.  Angela's novels have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry awards, such as the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Christian Book Award, and the HOLT Medallion Award.  Romantic Times Book Club presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.  She holds both a doctorate in Biblical Studies and a Th.D. degree.  Angela and her husband live in Florida, along with their mastiffs.  For a complete list of the author's books, visit angelahuntbooks.com.

Delilah Book Review

Treacherous Beauty
A Dangerous Beauty Novel

SUMMARY:  A Complex and Compelling Glimpse at One of the Bible's Most Notorious Women

     Life is not easy in Philistia, especially not for a woman and child alone.  When beautiful, wounded Delilah finds herself begging for food to survive, she resolves that she will find a way to defeat all the men who have taken advantage of her.  She will overcome the roadblocks life has set before her, and she will find riches and victory for herself.

     When she meets a legendary man called Samson, she senses that in him lies the means for her victory.  By winning, seducing, and betraying the hero of the Hebrews, she will attain a position of national prominence.  After all, she is beautiful, she is charming, and she is smart.  No man, not even a supernaturally gifted strongman, can best her in a war of wits.

REVIEW:  We all have our opinions of Delilah, the beauty who brought down Israel's judge, Samson.  Most, if not all, are not favorable by any standard.  But, have we ever stopped to think about what her life was like and why she betrayed him?  Angela Hunt's novel explores a possible path Delilah's life might have taken.  She suggests her life may have started out as one of privilege then, due to circumstances beyond her control, she is forced to betray someone she loves.  Since there is no extra-biblical sources to pull from, the author does an astounding job developing a plausible background and story, following the account in Judges 13-16 as close as possible.
     The author did a wonderful job drawing me into the story and keeping my attention, even though I knew the Old Testament tale.  Now, while Delilah made some choices I didn't agree with, I found myself developing admiration for her as she fought for herself, her son and the widow she lived with, facing many trials and tribulations.  One part I was not comfortable with was Delilah and Samson living together without the benefit of marriage but, as I stated before, it's based on verses in Judges.
     This is an interesting novel that you might find as thought-provoking as I did.

This book was provided by Bethany House for review without compensation.

Angela Hunt has published more than one hundred books, with sales nearing five million copies worldwide.  She's the New York Times bestselling author of The Tales of Three Trees, The Note, and The Nativity Story.  Angela's novels have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry awards, such as the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Christian Book Award, and the HOLT Medallion Award.  Romantic Times Book Club presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.  For a complete list of the author's books, visit angelahuntbooks.com. 

Esther - Royal Beauty Book Review

A Dangerous Beauty Novel

Book One

SUMMARY:  When an ambitious tyrant threatens genocide against the Jews, an inexperienced young queen must take a stand for her people.

     When Xerxes, king of Persia, issues a call for beautiful young women, Hadassah, a Jewish orphan living in Susa, is forcibly taken to the palace of the pagan ruler.  After months of preparation, the girl known to the Persians as Esther wins the king's heart and a queen's crown.  But because her situation is uncertain, she keeps her ethnic identity a secret until she learns that an evil and ambitious man has won the king's permission to exterminate all Jews - young and old, powerful and helpless.  Purposely violating an ancient Persian law, she risks her life in order to save her people . . . and bind her husband's heart.

REVIEW:  When I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure I was going to like it.  Hadassah was very superficial, seemingly only concerned with herself and how she could get Mordecai and his wife Miriam to be more lenient.  It's seem that a lot of her focus was on her looks (or the lack thereof, in her opinion) and wanting to be queen because then she would be known as the most beautiful woman in the world.  It was also written from two viewpoints - Hadassah/Esther's and Harbonah, the chief eunuch in King Xerxes' palace. The switch up took some getting used to, especially if I set the book down for a few hours.  But, once I remembered the author was writing from the viewpoint of a teenaged girl, I understand the preoccupation and the story started making more sense.  

     Some of the incidences and timelines in this book do not follow what most people consider common knowledge about Esther's story.  I like the author's explanation given at the end of the book.  She looked at historical records and biblical records, and tried to keep the story as historically accurate as possible.  While the timeline was different from other stories I've read, I found the information to flow easily.  This book is interesting and one I recommend to check out.

This book was provided by Bethany House for review without compensation.

Angela Hunt has published more than one hundred books.  She's the New York Times-bestselling author of The Tale of Three Trees, The Note, and The Nativity Story.  Angela's novels have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry awards, such as the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Christian Book Award, and the HOLT Medallion Award.  Romantic Times Book Club presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.  In 2008, she completed her doctorate in Biblical Studies and is currently completing her Th.D.  Angela and her husband live in Florida, along with their mastiffs.  For a complete list of the author's books, visit angelahuntbooks.com.