Rachel

I truly enjoy Biblical Christian Historical Fiction, this is the genre that I first started with when I became so passionate about reading. Interestingly enough, the story that I was reading at the time was a modified timeline and location of Rachel (or Jamie, Rose, and Lena in Scotland). From the past reads, I've enjoyed the writing of Jill Eileen Smith, but not quite as much as Mesu Andrews, however this was a great book, a truly good read.

As a student of the Bible and biblical women, I have never been much a fan of Rachel. I always found myself feeling for Leah and saw Rachel as a selfish child of a woman. Interestingly I never put much blame on Jacob, after all wasn't he a chosen one of God? Reading Jill's version of the Rachel story is an interesting experience. This time I really feel like I have more of an insight into Rachel's perception of the events that occurred and an optional theory that perhaps Leah wasn't quite so ignorant in her participation.

When a story of Biblical Fiction has me turning pages with eager enjoyment to see what happens next (even when I know the story forward and backward already!) and then I'm left on the last page with a desire to crack open my Bible and read the story in Scripture verse and then even a further desire to grab my Chronological Bible and read the stories before and after in time... that's when you know you've got a book meeting its purpose.

As a reader, I was fascinated to see these biblical characters through a new lens and to really see the child Joseph when I always think of him as an ignorant self-absorbed teen and later tortured man chosen of God and a perfect example of faith in the long run. Now I need more Biblical Fiction, what's next?
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posted: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2014/02/16/rachel/