King David….the Psalm writer…the shepherd who killed Goliath…was married to many women. He is a bit infamous for his adulterous affair with Bathsheba. Jill Eileen Smith is an author who looks beneath the obvious, looks all the way back to David’s first love, Michal and asks what if? Smith takes Michal and creates a flesh and bone woman who will make the story of David come to life in an entirely new way. Michal is the first of The Wives of David series, and it promises to be breathtaking!
As you know by now, I am often skeptical of Biblical fiction. So, as I read Michal I pulled out my Bible and read along in first and second Samuel. Jill Smith follows the progression of David’s rise to king accurately, and she takes the reader deep into the culture of the day. As you read, you become immersed in David’s life and experiences, but you feel the terror, the sorrow, the anxiety that must have existed in the household of Saul as he tried to kill David. You feel Michal’s heartache for the man she loves as she has to help him flee for his life. It’s as if you are living the life of Michal and viewing the events of the day through her eyes.
I cannot imagine the research involved in writing such a sweeping novel! The time periods progress naturally, and the reader is moved ever so easily through the events recorded in the books of Samuel. Michal takes nothing away from the Scripture, but causes the reader to remember that the people of that time were just as we are today – sinners in need of redemption. They are blessed when they obey, and suffer dire consequences when they choose to disobey.
Michal is a fantastic beginning to what promises to be an unforgettable trilogy of books! I recommend this novel for anyone who wants to experience life during the period of time that David rises to kingship. It is an unforgettable experience.Purchase your copy today!
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