Abigail

Bestselling author releases new biblical fiction that tells the story of Abigail:

Her marriage to David and their life on the run

Turmoil marked her life—what price must she pay for love?

From Jill Eileen Smith, bestselling author of Michal, comes the latest biblical fiction in The Wives of King David series: Abigail.

Abigail's hopes and dreams for the future are wrapped up in her handsome, dark-eyed betrothed, Nabal. But when the long-awaited wedding day arrives, her drunken groom behaves shamefully. Nevertheless, Abigail tries to honor and respect her husband despite his abuse of her.

Meanwhile, Abigail's family has joined David's wandering tribe as he and his people keep traveling to avoid the dangerous Saul. When Nabal suddenly dies, Abigail is free to move on with her life, and thanks to her brother, her new life includes a new husband--David. The dangers of tribal life on the run are serious, but there are other dangers in young Abigail's mind. How can David lead his people effectively when he goes against God? And how can Abigail share David's love with the other wives he insists on marrying?

Available February 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

My Review:
I have to admit that although my middle daughter is named Abigail I knew little of the Biblical person other than she was a wife of King David. It was for this reason that I wanted to read this fictional account of Abigail's life.

Each of the five sections of the book began with just a few passages from Scripture and from there the story grew.  I am not a biblical or historical scholar but the story was believable in that it was plausible. The author used not only Scripture but also historical research and her imagination to convey a story that will not disappoint readers. Smith developed her characters, vividly described the settings and wrote a story of romance without unnecessary lurid details. I will be looking to read more books by Jill Eileen Smith.

I would recommend  reading the Biblical story of Nabal, David and Abigail in the books of 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles prior to reading the fictional account of Abigail if one is unfamiliar with these Old Testament books.

This book was provided to me by Donna Hausler of Baker Publishing Group; I received no monetary compensation for my honest review.