Rebekah: Christian Historical Fiction book review

    When her father dies and she is left in the care of her conniving brother Laban, Rebekah knows her life has changed forever. Her hope for the future is restored when she falls in love with her cousin Isaac, and their relationship starts strong. But marital bliss cannot last forever, and the birth of their twin sons marks the beginning of years of misunderstanding, disagreement, and betrayal. The rift between them grows wider and wider until it is surely too deep to be mended. And yet, with God all things are possible.

author Jill Eileen Smith

    In this second installment in the Wives of the Patriarchs series, Jill Smith uses her story-telling skills to paint a fictional portrait of the wife of Isaac, and mother of Jacob and Esau. Always remaining true to Scripture, this novel fills in the blanks to show us what may have been.  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 1 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.

Joy In Our Journey's review of Rebekah

    Twins.  I'm an identical twin, so of course the story of Jacob and Esau in the Scriptures has always appealed to me.  I just knew that Joy In Our Journey had to review this book since so much of it would revolve around - twins!

    This is a fictional but Scripture-based story, written in such a way as to fill in the many gaps of what is sparsely told in the Bible.  We are not really given many details from the Bible concerning Isaac and Rebekah, though theirs has always been a beautiful love story due to the way God ordained their paths together. 

    Although this story provides some extensive background on both Rebekah's and Isaac's childhood and young adult lives, as imagined by the author, the main body of the story is of the conflict between these two over the eventual fate of each of their sons, Esau and Jacob.  The great love between Rebekah and Isaac is constantly alluded to and their conflicts and ability to forgive come up over and over.  It is easy to imagine that all of this is quite true, but of course, much of it has to be credited to the author's imagination and her guidance by the Holy Spirit.  It does make a compelling story to read, and all of it could quite possibly be true!

    This is an emotional story, one that can easily be felt within the reader.  It brings tears at times because there is so much truth in it.  Many times, the reader is surprised by the truths that become evident concerning marriage and trust in a marriage partner.  The reward of true love is related over and over.  The feelings that parents have for each of their children and the conflicts they feel over what will eventually happen to these children is easily acknowledged by anyone who is a parent.  It is comforting to see how Isaac and Rebekah finally accept one another's views of their conflicts and how they eventually resolve them.

    A great story which compels one to go back to Scripture and read what is written there!

Coming up on Tuesday, February 19th:

    Jill Smith will be the featured guest on a Live interactive Video Chat Session sponsored by “Shindig” on Tuesday, February 19th at 7:00 pm EST!!  It’s free to attend, and you can meet Jill and ask any questions you have for her!  Go here to RSVP and find out more details about this event. 

    Join best-selling author Jill Eileen Smith as she presents ten facts and/or possibilities you might not know about the Patriarch Isaac's wife, Rebekah. Do you have a question about the people in the Bible you've always wanted to ask? Jill will take questions about biblical characters, biblical fiction, and about any of her books in the Wives of the Patriarchs or Wives of King David series. So please, plan to join them!

    Rebekah is available as of February 2013 at your favorite bookseller - from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

    I received one copy of Rebekah in exchange for my honest thoughts about this book.  No other compensation was provided.

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