Monday, March 28, 2011

BATHSHEBA, by Jill Eileen Smith


Take a lonely woman and a wealthy man with too much time on his hands and you have the makings of one of today's television dramas. When the woman's name is Bathsheba, today's story goes back a couple of thousand years.
Smith has written an engrossing tale of King David and his most famous--or infamous--wife, Bathsheba. To students of the Bible, the tale is a familiar one--at least on the surface. But Smith brings the characters to life in such a way that you can relate to their humanity rather than dismissing the book as another Bible story that happened a long time ago.
I especially enjoyed how the author showed David as a man with griefs and longings that made him all too human. Now when I read the Psalms, I can picture the man who wrote them, and understand much better what prompted him to pour out his soul to God.
One would not have to know anything about the Bible at all to enjoy reading Bathsheba. The story grips the reader from the beginning and kept me turning the pages to see how the events would resolve themselves. This book is an outstanding example of well-written Biblical fiction, and a worthy addition to anyone's library.

3 comments:

  1. I am so anxious to read this book! I read Jill's first two and loved them!!

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  2. I really enjoyed the novel too. I also loved how Smith brought out the flesh and blood emotions of the people involved.

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  3. That's what I liked about it, too, Tamera. I feel like a "know" King David now.

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