Oh My! For starters: Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a Sheaf of Wheat
Tessa Afshar writes books that take events in the Bible and puts them into a perspective both unexpected and highly entertaining. One thing you can say about Tessa's writings is that she researches the cultures and events of the times she is writing about. This book retells the love story of Ruth and Boaz. Do not forget that this is a novel--the parts of this story that fill in the blanks are all part of the author's imagination, but her imagination does a spectacular job of filling in those blanks. In the Afterword of the book, Tessa reminds her readers that reading her novels does not replace personal study of the Bible, because her books are fiction even though they are based on actual historical events.
The book opens before Ruth met Mahlon and describes the events that lead up to their coming together. Even after Naomi loses Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chillion, she stays in Moab for a time before deciding to return to Bethlehem. Ruth has no true ties to keep her in Moab and travels with Naomi back to Judah. When they get to Naomi's house, Ruth sees the deterioration from years of neglect and determines to work to make repairs. First she has to find work so that they won't starve. Her ability to listen to God takes her to glean in the wheat fields owned by Boaz.
Tessa takes this short book from the Bible and fleshes it out to make a compelling novel. This is the second book of Tessa's I've read, and I absolutely love her way with words.
Moody Publishers supplied a copy of this book for my honest review, there was no compensation for my opinion.
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