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.
Join bestselling author Jill Eileen Smith as she fills in the blanks around the biblical women behind the men we know well. Her in-depth research and creative storytelling bring Rebekah’s unique story alive with romance, heartache, and the power of forgiveness.
Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling, award-winning author of the Wives of King David series, the Daughters of the Promised Land, the Wives of the Patriarchs, and The Loves of King Solomon series. Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times.
When she isn’t writing, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, read stories that take her away, ride her bike to the park, snag date nights with her hubby, try out new restaurants, or play with her lovable, “helpful” cat Tiger. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan.
Contact Jill through email (jill@jilleileensmith.com), her website (http://www.jilleileensmith.com), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jilleileensmith), or Twitter (https://twitter.com/JillEileenSmith).
My Impressions:
I lead a Bible study at my church that combines an in-depth look at scripture and a book club experience. I chose Rebekah by Jill Eileen Smith to compliment our study. I have read many novels by Smith and am always amazed at how close to scripture her fictional accounts are. While there isn’t much historical detail of Rebekah and Isaac’s life, Smith does a creditable job fleshing out the characters we thought we knew. I recommend Rebekah for fans of Biblical fiction, especially if they want to use it as a springboard to dig into God’s word.
Rebekah spans the time period that is laid out in Genesis 24-28. The author recreates the ancient world bringing it vividly into the imagination of the modern reader. The novel focuses on the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah and the tension that is created by the favoritism shown by each towards their twin sons Esau and Jacob. What-ifs are explored in a plausible way. One member of our group stated that while they had always thought of the account of Isaac and Rebekah’s relationship as a love story, the story is a real marriage with real-life struggles common to all. Another member expressed that these were not nice people and that scenes in the novel made her read the Bible record more closely. That’s the benefit of well-done Biblical fiction, and Smith achieves it.
The final verdict from our group of 15? A unanimous thumbs up!
Recommended.
Great for book clubs.
Audience: adults.
To purchase, click HERE.
(I purchased a copy of this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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