Book Review--Abigail by Jill Eileen Smith, The Wives of King David, Book 2

I have loved Biblical fiction since reading Quo Vadis, Ben Hur, and The Robe while in high school. It is hard to find modern day Biblical fiction that melds the great writing and characters that grab your heart while also not straying from the message found in the Bible.

The author has done a fabulous job on both points. Her writing takes us inside the minds of several characters, especially Abigail and David. We can feel their love for each other and also hurt deeply when they disappoint each other.

We watch Abigail grow from a scared and scarred widow to a woman fiercely in love with her husband, David. We also see David as he matures from a king on the run to the anointed King of Israel. And, we get a front row seat at the mistakes each one makes, causing us to identify with and root for them even more.

If you like Biblical fiction, or know someone who does, I hope you will treat yourself and them with this book. And, although the books don't have to be read in order, I highly recommend Michal also by Jill Eileen Smith. These books are both published by Revell and can be found at most Christian book stores or cbd.com or amazon.com.

Merry has an extra Merry Christmas present...

...as she is the winner of last month's book drawing for Love Finds You in Revenge Ohio by Lisa Harris! Congrats, Merry. You are in for a great read!

This month's book drawing will be for my gently used copy of Jill Eileen Smith's Michal--book 1 in the Wives of King David series. I read this book which was a gift from the author/publisher last summer while reading I and II Samuel in my daily Bible reading, so I can assure you that this book is very Bible-based, yet with the dialogue and prose and drama and emotions of great fiction writing. Jill started this book over 20 years ago, and if you want to read more about how it came about, check out the special site about all of her planned books in this series at http://www.thewivesofkingdavid.com/ or her personal site at http://www.jilleileensmith.com/ I can't wait to read the other books!

PS. Better state the simple rules for my monthly book drawings: All those with a US mailing addy who leave a comment anytime this month are eligible except for the previous month's winner--Merry!