| Title | : | Love Amid The Ashes (Treasure of His Love) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0800734076 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780800734077 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 411 |
| Publication | : | First published March 1, 2011 |
Love Amid The Ashes (Treasure of His Love) Reviews
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I have never been that into reading Biblical fiction; however, this book was beyond incredible. I loved how closely it followed the story of Job while also bringing in other Biblical characters and some creative ideas that really made the story pop. The characters were thoroughly created and had so much depth and you really got to see them grow throughout the book.
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Since the horror of her experience at Shechem, when her brothers bathed a city in blood in the name of honor, Jacob’s only daughter Dinah has lived under an oppressive cloud of shame. A virtual outcast in her own family, Dinah’s knowledge of healing and herb lore earns her a place as her grandfather Isaac’s nurse. But from his deathbed, Isaac sends Dinah’s future down a path she never expected by ordering her to marry into Esau’s clan. Though regarded as a fallen woman, Dinah is covered by the covenant promise bestowed on her father’s line – a promise that through marriage she could bless her uncle’s family. Only one man from Esau’s clan steps forward to honor Isaac’s wish – Job, the wisest man in the East, offers his oldest son in marriage. On the journey to Job’s home, Dinah is awed by this righteous man’s ability to look beyond the rumors and accept her as she is, in spite of her past. Job’s desire to see Dinah restored, if only she’ll have the faith to accept Yahweh’s forgiveness, plants the first seeds of hope in Dinah that she might have a future free of condemnation.
But shortly after their arrival, Dinah’s hard-won hope and fragile faith are tested as her newfound friend and benefactor loses everything. Overnight, Job is stripped of family, wealth, and servants, and when his household and riches are reduced to rubble, the man himself falls prey to a crippling illness. Covered in painful sores, with his very flesh decaying before his eyes, Job is reduced to living in piles of filth and waste, sustained by Dinah’s healing knowledge of herbs. Through the horrifying reality of being brought so low, Job clings to his faith in Yahweh’s greater plan, and Dinah finds fresh purpose as his friend and healer. But when those closest to Job array against him in judgment, Job and Dinah’s tenacious faith is brought to the breaking point. In the face of shattering loss and crippling pain, when all hope seems lost and heaven is silent, can faith and love overcome the weight of unspeakable tragedy?
Love Amid the Ashes fascinated me from the moment I discovered the novel’s premise, and it’s been one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I never considered the possibility that Job lived during the time of the patriarchs, that the man famous for his suffering could be a contemporary of Jacob and Dinah. Mesu Andrews weaves together two lives, shattered by horror, into a breathtaking portrait of God’s never-failing, sustaining grace. Dinah receives all too brief mention in the scriptures, raising more questions than answers when one stops to consider her perspective of Shechem’s destruction. How does one cope with being branded a wanton temptress when as a young girl a mistaken night of passion leaves her hands covered in blood, bereft of any hope of an honorable future? As for Job, Andrews’ portrait of the man’s faith in the midst of crushing sorrow takes one’s breath away. Because of the construction of the Book of Job, it’s been all too easy for me to fall into the trap of forgetting that Job was a living, breathing, fallible human being. Despite the text’s many passionate declarations of faith in the midst of suffering, it’s too easy to forget Job the man and the human suffering that birthed the book’s chronicle of faith in trials. Andrews brilliantly fleshes out Job’s life and character, giving context and emotional resonance to the man that makes his suffering even more compelling and his faith even more inspiring.
Andrews’ debut embodies everything I love about biblical fiction. When an author has a passion and heart for the story, they can take the “dry bones” of well-known and loved biblical characters and imbue the individuals immortalized in the scriptures with the vibrancy of the life they once lived on earth. And that life, that previously unimagined yet now fully realized world they inhabit within the pages of a novel like Love Amid the Ashes makes lives such as Dinah’s and Job’s relatable in a fresh new way. The reality of suffering and trust in a believer’s life is such an individual, very personal thing with which to grapple, and this side of heaven one’s understanding cannot help but be limited by our humanity. As someone who’s struggled with “whys,” I freely admit my own tendency to focus on circumstances, or the emotion of the moment, forgetting the sovereignty of the God who holds my future in His hands. Andrews’ beautifully realized, heartfelt portrait of Job and Dinah is a powerful, inspiring reminder of the fact that my God transcends the whys, and when it seems that no answers are forthcoming, that doesn’t mean that He holds me any less securely in the palm of His hand.
Love Amid the Ashes shines with Mesu Andrews’ passion for scripture, and her lovingly crafted portrait of Job’s life cannot fail to inspire a deeper appreciation and study of the biblical text. This is a humbling, challenging novel, and I pray that no matter what your situation, you’ll be reminded of God’s ability to bring beauty from ashes. Hope endures, God’s love never fails, and my Redeemer lives – let the story of Love Amid the Ashes take root in your soul, and take heart. Circumstances may devastate, people may fail you, but God never changes. -
I am a huge fan of biblical fiction, and this book did not disappoint me. Although I am familiar with the few verses in the bible about each character involved in this story, I was very intrigued by how the author combined them to merge various stories into one thread. The final product included some twists and turns that took me by surprise.
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What I liked:
1. The book cover.
2. The character of Job (he was the most believable and stable of all the characters).
3. Message of God's love and forgiveness. The love that Job had for God even with the terrible misfortunes and his witness to those around him.
4. The use of scripture at opening of every chapter.
What I didn't like:
1. Overuse of metaphors, similes, and description (facial expressions and body language) to the point that I wanted to scream. Ex. "Jacob raised his chin once again, as though grief and remorse would slide off his hard exterior like water off a bird's wings." I could handle one or two of these, but not one or two per page!
2. Unbelievable character actions. Ex. Esau and Jacob at 100 years old had temper tantrums like 2 year olds.
3. Sub plot with Job's wife, Sitis, and her evil admirer Sayyid was a ridiculous way to bring extra conflict into the story. He was so obsessed with Sitis that all his servants looked just like her. Really? Gag. And later, he was easily killed off.
This is a debut novel, so I would expect some newbie writing mistakes, but I could hardly finish reading it. -
I thoroughly enjoyed Andrew's take of Job's story from the Bible. It has been a while since I've read the book of Job, and this novel definitely sparked an interest in re-reading it again. I suppose I had never really and truly thought about the misfortunes that he had to go through and how easy and how justified he would feel to turn his back on the beliefs he had held dear.
I also thought it was clever that Andrew's thought to connect the story of Jacob's daughter, Dinah, to Job's story. At the beginning, I wondered how they would connect and questioned how plausible it actually would be, but the author provides an explanation to how she came to include her in the story based on other histories from around that time. Of course, she is not saying this really happened, but just what could and may have happened.
The supporting characters added a lot of depth to the story by being catalysts for some of the misfortunes that fall on Job. The Bible doesn't explain the story behind the slaughtering of his herds and servants, and I thought Andrews approach to this part of the story was very creative while still staying true to the other events in the story.
I know people always say that a person has "the patience of Job," but honestly Job in the Bible wasn't necessarily patient--he was human, and he had human questions of why God would allow such terrible things to befall him. Throughout the entire story, Job retained his human quality, which made him believable for me as the reader. The same can be said for Dinah's character as well. I suspected her of being a bit too good to be true, as in, strong no matter what, etc, etc, but I shouldn't have been worried--while she was strong in her faith, she still needed the words of God and the words of her friends to rise above the hurtful words and accusations of others.
My one minor qualm was that at one point in the story Dinah made a decision that wasn't very believable and came across as really naive. All of the other events felt true to the story.
I highly recommend Love Amid the Ashes for fans of biblical fiction and a plausible, well-thought story behind the story. I already have Andrew's other novel on my Kindle, and I'm so glad that I do! -
Dinah is Isaac's granddaughter and she has strict instructions after his death to go to Job's household and marry Ennon to advance the line of Esau since Jacob took the birthright from him. Dinah has been "soiled" she was raped by Shechem the son of Hamor, the prince of the land. Jacob's sons destroy the city, in Dinah's honor. Yet that doesn't take away the disgrace of Dinah. Dinah travels to Uz to marry Ennon, no sooner does she arrive than Job's household is destroyed. The man Dinah was to marry was dead, along with all of Job's cattle, and houses. Job's wife Sitis decides she is going to marry Dinah off to her best friend Sayyid who does not follow the ways of El Shaddai, and has wanted to marry her since they were children.
The book started out really strong with lots of action and strong dialog, once you got to Job's household, and he lost everything the dialog got slow and the book just drug. I was really disappointed! I didn't like the character Sitis, Job's wife, she was just pure evil and while it was not stated right out it seemed to be implied that because Dinah was there, and because his wife was not following the ways of God that is why all of these things happened to Job which was so not the case. I love Biblical fiction, and I think this one was just a miss for me. If you are a fan of Biblical fiction and enjoy a peek into a patriarchs life that you don't know much about than grab yourself a copy. -
I’m so so picky about audiobooks. Like EXTREMELY picky. I don’t know why, but the narrators voice has to be ✨perfect✨😂🙈. I don’t like it when female narrators do male voices in an exaggerated way...or when they sound like robots 🙈. You can tell when a narrator is trying a tad to much, if you know what I mean 😅.
Also, as a very visual person, my listening skills aren’t the best *cough cough*. You crazy humans that listen to podcasts or audiobooks in x2 speed are insaneeee!!! INSANE 🤣. I need a narrator that pronounces words clearly and slowly enough to comprehend while making dinner or washing dishes 😂✨.
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.*points at picture* people, these audiobooks are amazinggg!!! I won’t go on about Mesu’s amazing writing because you guys know how much I love her and her books, but I will say, I was an emotional mess after listening to these beauties 😭💗✨
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.These audiobooks are incredibleeee!! The narrator is a pro *claps emphatically* . These were so well done, I enjoyed them immensely! Thank you so much to @mesuandrews @justreadtours for allowing me to review this wonderful audiobooks! They exceeded my expectations !♥️♥️♥️
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As always, humans, all the opinions before mentioned are my own and were just influenced by my love for biblical fiction and good writing❤️✌🏼 -
2.4/ 5 stars
Love Amid the Ashes was hard for me to rate. On one hand, the faith content touched me deeply and on the other hand the writing style has completely prevented me from rating it any higher than this.
The book of Job, to me, was once generally about Job trusting God with his grief. He spoke his deepest feelings to God from a place that I was often scared to express. Love Amid the Ashes, reminded me how strong a relationship you must have to give those unedited feelings to God. And I loved that. Job's faith is a perfect example in this book of how simply being faithful can minister to others. As they say, "you may be the only bible someone will ever read."
I also benefited greatly from having forgiveness and its themes covered so well. I had never heard of defending the forgiveness that you are given from God or more to the point, believing so fully that no one can shame you once you know you are forgiven, not even yourself. I prayed on that mountain altar with them and it was an experience that I will never forget.
Mesu Andrews has written faith well, in my opinion. So the faith content gets a 5 star review.
But the writing style does not. It was very hard to read without feeling the constant overuse of metaphor, simile, the reactions of the characters being comically dramatic at times and feeling inappropriate at other times. All of this subtracted from the mood of many scenes throughout the story. It was very difficult to take a life threatening home invasion seriously with Dinah and Nogahla giggling in the background and equally hard for every emotion to be believable when characters would transition into tears over mostly everything. I am a strong believer of using tears impactfully in writing as opposed to casually.
The characters didn't exactly feel a hundred percent real so it was hard to truly relate with them. And I simply did not like Dinah that much. I understood her but I didn't like her. I liked Aban, Nogahla, and Job. Although Nogahla seemed more like an eight year old at times as opposed to fifteen.
There are many reasons I didn't like the writing and many reasons, I wish that I could have. I do believe this is Mesu Andrews debut novel? I have seen enough potential to read more of her works. I wish I could've liked this one more. -
Really enjoyed this and I appreciate the authors research for this book! The story of Job like you’ve never heard before.
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What I like about Biblical fiction is that the story I’m reading draws me to the Bible to read the sections the story refers to. This was again the case with Job. I found myself thinking - was that in the Bible and then reading the sections and see oh yes, didn’t remember it like that.
What I love about Mesu Andrews’ Biblical fiction is that she brings Biblical figures back to life with passion. And she even gives me some suspense. Even though I know Job’s story and know how it ends, I found myself wondering how the characters will get to that ending.
This was a beautiful story of God’s forgiveness and when he forgives you are truly a new creation.
Recommended to fans of Biblical fiction. -
LOVE AMID THE ASHES by Mesu Andrews is an amazing,inspirational biblical fiction about Job and Dinah. It is well written with details,scriptures,and depth. The characters are enduring,courageous,steadfast,suffer and romance. This story will bring the biblical story of Job,his suffering,his faith,his journey,loss,and weaves this story of the old testament to life. This story will weave beauty,steadfast faith,suffering and love amid the ashes together with vivid details.Job's tale is not only one of tragedy,but it is the story of his faith,and the beauty of Dinah.The author has threaded the story with explanations of Job's faithfulness to his God,reveals how suffering plays out in our life,and his interaction with Dinah.This story has a powerful plot with romance,passion,biblical truth,and will have you in tears. This is truly an epic love story with forgiveness,love, suffering,restoration and staying steadfast with your faith.If you enjoy seeing biblical characters of the bible come to life,than this definitely a story to read.While this is this author's debut novel,I can see others forthcoming.This is an author to be on the watch for in the future.This book was received for the purpose of review from the publisher and details can be found at Revell,a division of Baker Publishing Group and My Book Addiction and More.
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I enjoyed reading this fictional retelling of the Biblical story of Job. I found nothing in the book that directly contradicted the Bible; however, being a work of fiction, there are added characters and assorted assumptions throughout the story. The book starts with the death of the patriarch, Isaac and Job taking Dinah home to marry his son. Dinah is there throughout the devastation that hits Job's household.
"Seeing" Job's actions in the flesh, especially as he reacts to his initial losses provides a powerful example of relying on and remaining faithful to God in the midst of heavy trial. I also enjoyed the inclusion of Jacob's daughter, Dinah, in Job's life, and I appreciate the author's notes about her research indicating that this relationship was entirely possible. There is a beautiful scene of redemption for Dinah, that she later shares with other characters.
The book is beautiful with an attractive cover and a synopsis that creates interest. The characters are well-developed and experience change and growth throughout the story. The classic plot-line has interesting and emotional scenes as well as a few twists added. And most importantly the theme is strong and has a powerful impact. I would definitely recommend this book, with the assumption that readers will also read the book of Job and the Biblical story of Dinah. -
Overall I really enjoyed this story. I loved the fact that it is a narrative as I find the book of Job difficult to read due to its poetic language. I don't think I have ever thought about the extent of Jobs suffering until I read this.
My favourite part of the whole book is the fact that I started out disliking many characters but as God worked on their heart they transformed into beautiful people.
I really liked Dinah it was nice to read about her life after the Shechem drama.
This is my first book by Mesu and I love that she used scripture at the beginning of every chapter to help have biblical perspective as you read.
I like that Mesu states at the end that part of her goal is to get us to open our Bibles LOL. Well she achieved that for me as I have lots of biblical questions to dig deeper into Gods word.
I give 4 stars to Lisa Larsen for an excellent engaging audio performance.
Recommended for all those who enjoy Biblical fiction:) -
I love just about anything Mesu Andrew writes but I was hesitant to read this because of Job being the central character. I had already read the following three books in this series, but was worried this one would be horribly bleak. Despite my reluctance to give it a chance, the book kept popping up in my suggested reading lists. Then I saw that Jacob's daughter, Dinah, factored into the plot, and I decided to take the plunge. I borrowed the Kindle version from my local library, and I'm so glad I did! What a fabulous novel. I loved it so much I ordered a paperback copy from Amazon.
I realize this is fiction based on Biblical happenings and individuals, but I think Ms. Andrews did a fantastic job of weaving plausible story lines together. Joseph even gets to make an appearance, and many of the secondary characters stole my heart. Most of all, I liked seeing a possible conclusion to Dinah's story, something the Bible doesn't show us after the destruction of Shechem.
Yes, parts are grim, and there is heartbreak but there is also "love amid the ashes," and a glorious building and rebuilding of faith. I love the changes that took place in Job, Dinah, Sitis, Aban, and Noghala. This is a story about love and forgiveness. For fans of Biblical fiction, it's well-crafted and brings the Bible and the people who populated it to life. -
It's not what I thought would happen , but overall it was a good read
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In novel form the only real introspective I have had into the life of Jacob was through one of my favorite author Liz Curtis Higgs' retelling of the Biblical story of Jacob and his wives in a latter day Scotland tale in her Lowlands of Scotland series. The personality of the Jacob (Jamie) I knew there and the one I was first introduced to briefly in Love Amid the Ashes had me taken aback. But then none of us really know who or how he was as a person and we can only make assumptions due to the historical circumstances that surround parts of his life of which we are familiar. Putting that aside, I was quite taken in by both Dinah and Job in this story. Dinah once again is a Biblical character that I came to know through Liz Curtis Higgs' series (as Davina) I mentioned before in a fourth and later generation novel. I had not actually know the woman of the Bible before and from her I went into further question of who are these women and what can I learn from them.
As for my experience with Job. This is the one book that with a friend before school every Tuesday and Thursday morning we met in my car and read together through the entire book of Job word for word comparing our translations. I must tell you in that moment not only did I know a kindred spirit in my friend, but I also learned a great deal about "lovingkindness" that changed my life and perspective on God. So with having all this in my mind I was eager to step into the lives of Dinah and Job and see how things were on the front lines during some very hard times in their lives presented to us (readers) with the best of intentions through research and the imaginative mind of new to page author Mesu Andrews. (Plus there is the whole fact that my maiden name is Andrews and of course that helps.)
For one, this book starts with an absolutely gorgeous cover that really draws in your curiosity about this woman. Who is she? What was her life like? When as Christians we can find Biblical retellings that give us a bit of inspiration to imagine what the life of such a person might have been like at a certain point in time it makes it easier to realize that they indeed are/were real people that lived lives full of lessons so that we might learn from their mistakes.
I'm enthralled and look forward to Mesu's next book said to be in March 2012 about King Solomon.
*Thanks to author Mesu Andrews and Revell Books for providing a copy for review.*
Originally posted:
http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2... -
Having been a fan of Biblical fiction for many years now, I was very intrigued to read a story about the life of Job. Job's story in the Bible is not one that I've read very many times because frankly, it's a little sad and depressing, even though it does end well. I have to say that the fictional retelling of Job's story in Love Amid the Ashes really has me wanting to crack open this book in my Bible to get a better appreciation of Job's trials.
I really appreciated the genealogy flow chart at the beginning of the book because without it, I don't know if I'd have ever been able to keep all the characters straight! There are a LOT of characters mentioned at the very beginning of the story, and I admit that I was confused a number of times. However, had all of those characters not been introduced, I wouldn't have gotten a full picture of the people involved in Job's life.
I was also very grateful for the author's note at the end of the book explaining how she developed the story. I never would've thought of Jacob's daughter, Dinah, as being a part of Job's life at all, but thanks to the enormous research done by Ms. Andrews, it very likely may have been a reality. Because of that, I doubt I will ever look at Job's story the same way again.
I highly recommend Love Amid the Ashes for those who enjoy Biblical fiction. Ms. Andrews has challenged my thinking, and has encouraged me to thoroughly re-read the story of Job. I can't wait to see what she has planned for her next novel because as a debut author, she's hit the ball out of the park with Love Amid the Ashes! My rating is 4 stars. -
This book is awful...total trash! The author had a wonderful chance to explore the heartbreak and healing that women go thru when raped and instead chose to deny historical fact and turn Dinah into a vapid teenager who was so "love struck" after seeing Shechem that she willingly went home with him. Dinah's brothers are made to look like brutes rather than as men avenging the abuse of their sister. I get that this is historical fiction and that the author can change things but to deny even the basic facts of Dinah's life is disgusting.
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This was enjoyable and well researched, but somehow it didn't quite capture me.
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One of the best books I've read. I love when I feel the people in the Bible are real just like me. This is a much read!!
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I love reading Biblical fiction because it adds a layer of depth and understanding to stories I've heard a million times. Like the story of Job, for example, which is, in part, the story told in Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews. From the placement of his home in Uz (a troglodyte home carved into a cliff... how cool is that?!) to his possible lineage and familial connections to his potential marriage to Dinah, daughter of Jacob, so many details and descriptions created vivid images of the story in my mind and brought it to life. After reading the book, I went and skimmed through the book in the Bible, reading from my study Bible commentary as I went, and I was impressed by Andrews' Biblical accuracy.
She did create some extra characters that I didn't personally find super believable, although they definitely fleshed out the story and added a human element to the causes of Job's suffering. If I remember correctly, this is the author's first novel, and I felt like that was evident in some of the writing. It's hard to explain, but it just didn't seem as well polished as a more experienced author would have made it.
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book, and I especially appreciate that it inspired me to tackle reading and studying the book of Job again for myself. -
Absolutely a 5-star masterpiece!!! I truly don’t have adequate words…. All I know to say is this book has touched a deep place in my soul and reinforced solid Biblical truths and principles in my heart. I have so much respect and admiration for this author’s ability to thread the truths of Scripture with plausible fictitious details to accurately portray Bible stories - especially difficult ones like the story of Job - that not only entertain and stir up your emotions but also feed your soul. Undoubtedly this is a God-given talent and I’m so thankful!
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I was thankful to receive a review copy of a story many people quote from the bible and look to when they are suffering. The story of Job is a powerful one. Meus Andrews states in the author notes how she came up for the premise of her book Love Amid the Ashes! She says, “I hope you can see (through my extensive research) that biblical fiction is so much more than a fanciful imagining of how things might have been. It is truly my heart cry to know how biblical characters experienced the God I know today!”
Having read this gripping, heart wrenching book I can say Mesu has accomplished her goal. Not only did she show how biblical characters experienced God in their lives but she got up-close and very personal in showing the inner turmoil every character had endured watching Job suffer. No matter what came Job’s way he stood faithful to not curse God like his friends and family wanted him to but was a witness to the love he had for God no matter what happened in his life.
Love Amid the Ashes is not only about Job, and the impact he had on his community, family, friends and the world around him. But it’s also about Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob, who was violated by King Shechem. Her brothers avenged this act by killing the king and did some horrible things to the people that lived in the kingdom before they murdered them.
Dinah isn’t mentioned in the Old Testament much so the author had to dig deep to uncover facts she could use to make her story work. Through extensive research Mesu found a way for Dinah to cross paths with Job, a wise man and respected man in his community, who was highly favored by God, and who showed the love of God to everyone he came in contact with.
Soon after Dinah and Job’s paths cross calamity befalls Job. One messenger after the other reports horrific news to Job, first the report that his children are dead, then a report that all his live stock are slain and then to hear that his grandchildren are killed. Soon after that Job’s house burns down to the ground. Job is left homeless and penniless. His wife is used to living the good life and agonizes over their new situation even more so when Job gets deathly sick. She is willing to do almost anything to get money in the house and live the life she is accustomed to.
We read in scripture of how everything was taken away from Job and then later given back more than he had in the first place without all the drama associated with this horrendous situation. The author reveals the heartache and struggle of a man losing his children (the loves of his life), everything he owned and his status in his community.
This author not only shows Job’s terrible situation but on the flip side she discloses Job’s hope and faith in God. Mesu brings scripture alive as she gives the reader a peek into what life might have been for Job back then. This Mesu Andrews pens an amazing story of Job’s authenticity, his passion, love for God and family and how he suffered well. He stayed faithful even when his body was in horrific pain. This story brings this story to life in a real way. You’ll never think of the book of Job in the same way.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St.Laurent
The Book Club Network
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I don’t normally read biblical fiction, but I have always heard that Mesu Andrews is a great author to try in that genre. I think this is a fresh look at the Old Testament and helped me connect with the characters while getting a new look at them. I think Mesu Andrews is an author that I will be checking out again. I definitely recommend her book!
I didn’t particularly like the narration of this book. There was just something that I didn’t like about the lady’s voice. It wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t my favorite. I think this is one book that I would like more as a paperback instead of audiobook.
I rate the book 4 stars and the narration 3 stars.
I was given a free review copy of the audiobook and have voluntarily left this review. The thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone. -
Audio book: Job is an interesting person to write about. He suffered so much loss and yet never gave up on God. I have a hard time reading it in the Bible every year, but understand more each year. I think this book helped me visualize even more the story of Job. I like the narrator chosen for the audio book. I can tell the author put a lot of time into researching for this story and appreciate the scripture at the beginning of the chapters. I definitely recommend this book. I received an audio copy of this book from the author. All views stated are my own.
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Thirty-five-year-old Dinah has cared for her grandfather, Isaac, for 15 years making her feel secure, capable and useful. When Isaac dies, Dinah doesn’t know what to do with herself but she knows she must keep her promise to her grandfather at all costs. That promise was to travel to the City of Uz and marry Job’s son, Ennon, who is 39-years-old. Before leaving with Job’s caravan, Dinah collects all her vials and herbs for healing as she knows the minute her greedy Uncle Esau arrives he will strip her home of everything.
Dinah meets up with a little Cushite girl named, Nogahla who pleads with Dinah to let her be her mistress for she has no one and nowhere to go. At first, Dinah laughs and tells the girl it’s silly because she herself is essentially nothing but a servant too. But the little girl is insistent and Dinah relents. Together they worked to carefully wrap Dinah’s vials for healing.
Esau absolutely despises Dinah and lets it be known when Job announces that their caravan wouldn’t be leaving for Uz until after they had eaten their evening meal so they could travel under the cover of darkness. Esau, with his hateful persona, spits out that they weren’t leaving until then because of: “..that woman…and she’s already been defiled!” Job was terribly upset and didn’t take those rude and harsh comments lightly and even though Esau was his favourite grandson, he wouldn’t endure his bossy tongue.
As the caravan leaves and begins travelling, Job becomes suspicious of his guide and this upsets him because he thought he could trust him, after all he did hand-pick him himself. The guide was pressuring Job to keep moving in the wake of a violent storm. With this on his mind, he told his other guides to keep moving. Job soon found out why the guide was hurrying them on through a raging storm for he had no idea what fate awaited them when they reached Uz.
The story of Job from the Bible is one of immense tragedy and one wonders how one man could remain so faithful in spite of the tragedies that befell him. If we all had a quarter of the faith that Job had, our world would be a much happier place. I would never have known this was a debut novel. Mesu Andrews writes with clarity, a studious insight into scripture and a knowledge that puts many of us to shame. I loved the way the story flowed without missing a beat. Love Amid the Ashes is a story of immense faith, tragedy, suffering, coping, love, and redemption, and allows us to gain a better understanding of both biblical characters, Job and Dinah.
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group". -
I adore Biblical fiction. And I love anything I’ve ever read (and now listened to) by Mesu Andrews. What an exceptional storyteller! Though there are fictional aspect to this book, Love Amid the Ashes immerses me in ancient times, customs, and Biblical happenings, giving me a better understanding of the stories of the Old Testament.
I’ve always been fascinated by Job and his extraordinary perseverance, faith, and redemption. I was surprised that Dinah’s story was melded with Job’s, and pleased that it truly made the story come to life for me.
Audio Narration: Lisa Larson’s voice is crisp and pleasant, and I wasn’t distracted by the fluctuating tones used for varying characters.
Audio Production Quality: The production quality of this audiobook is clear with no distracting noises.
Overall Opinion: Love Amid the Ashes is a meaningful and satisfying story, with interesting characters, some of which are fictional, but just as intriguing as the real ones, and packed with emotion. I enjoyed this audio version and look forward to listening to more of Ms. Andrews stories and Ms. Larson’s narration.
Dɪsᴄʟᴏsᴜʀᴇ: I ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʀʏ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ. Mʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴғʟᴜᴇɴᴄᴇᴅ. -
If you enjoy Biblical fiction, you might enjoy stepping back to the early days of the Old Testament, with Mesu Andrews' Love Amid the Ashes. We open with Jacob's disgraced daughter Dinah, two decades after the events at Shechem. She's spent the years tending for her grandfather Isaac. At the patriarch's death, she is betrothed to a man she's never met—the son of Job of Uz.
Yes, the same Job who has his own book of the Bible! Job and Dinah head to Uz with his caravan, bonding along the way. They arrive at the famed city on the same day that Job's sorrows befall him, immediately leaving Dinah stranded in a strange land with no one except her Cushite maid. When boils overtake Job's body, Dinah becomes his caregiver.
Job doesn't understand why God has stricken him. He's been a faithful and just man. He's honored El Shaddai to the best of his knowledge. Now his prosperity has been reduced to nothing and he's lost his children and his health. Who can he find to marry Dinah so she won't sink into the misery that has befallen him?
There were parts of this story that were quite interesting and thought-provoking. I've done some research about why the author brought these two timelines together, and it's not without precedent, though it goes against the Biblical timeline as I was taught it. It also throws in quite a few other Bible characters and events that made me tilt my head.
Probably my biggest question about this story was why the author chose to make Job's suffering so much worse than it was in the Bible account. Was it to bring home the depth of the loss, since we're already familiar with the tale? The evil neighbor and the idol worship of Job's wife did not make the story better for me. Also I wondered how all these people could live in the same valley, close enough to see into each other's palaces and observe all their comings and goings. That was too much of a stretch for my imagination.
The audiobook was well-read by Lisa Larsen. She did a wonderful job on the various voices, and her pronunciation and word flow was excellent. I would enjoy listening to more of her narration in the future.
I received my copy of the audiobook from JustRead Publicity. All thoughts in this review are my own. -
I listened to the audiobook of Love Amid the Ashes. I think listening to it took me on a little different journey than if I had just read it. For me it was an emotional book and felt like I was invested in the characters. I never would have thought about Dinah being Job’s wife but the author did lots of research and at the end she tells us why and what she found when she decided to write this book the way she did. Remember it is fiction of a real event.
Of course anyone that knows anything about the Bible has heard of Job, but to listen to the story told to you in detail was awesome. Such a great story of how God is faithful to His children. Job being so downcast after losing everything but yet still holding on to God is a story I can hear over and over again. Dinah’s part in this book really held my attention too and how Job would tell her about God. There were many details and characters that I loved. Loss, love and redemption are all part of this book. I think it’s written in a powerful way. Mrs Andrews knows how to get you involved in the characters.
If you have never read/listened to Mesu Andrew books do yourself a favor and get one if you like Biblical Fiction at all.
