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Tim’s
average rating for
2024
4.0
really liked it
4.0
Abigail is a tender, thoughtful read. It opens up the little-mentioned Biblical figure of Abigail in a very POV emotional dimension. The book is terribly weak as an erotic novel, the violence and battle scenes are not well-developed, and the plot heightens around emotions and relationships, not King David's crowning. It is not great romance novel, and it's not at all a good world-building saga either.
Abigail's mind goes in a frenzy of emotional d Abigail is a tender, thoughtful read. It opens up the little-mentioned Biblical figure of Abigail in a very POV emotional dimension. The book is terribly weak as an erotic novel, the violence and battle scenes are not well-developed, and the plot heightens around emotions and relationships, not King David's crowning. It is not great romance novel, and it's not at all a good world-building saga either.
Abigail's mind goes in a frenzy of emotional directions during her marriage to King David. He's polygamous from the get-go, and she is his third wife. She spends a lot of time getting jealous of David's other wives. The story itself is very introspective, and chapter after chapter goes by with nothing more than a lot of internal dialogue. Take for instance,
She chided herself for being so ungrateful, for thinking anyone could compare to David or give her what he could not. She had lived with wealth and been the lone wife to a powerful man, at least on the surface, and nothing in that situation had satisfied her either. For David to even want her had seemed impossible when Nabal first died, for she feared no man would ever want her again. So why did she find sharing him so distasteful? Did she honestly think she was worthy of his love alone? He was the King! Kings took many wives. She'd known it from the beginning and accepted her lot with joy - at first...(p. 286)
She also has suspicions that David is sleeping with his other maidservants in addition to his wives. Abigail compares David to her first husband Nabal incessantly, and she spends a lot of time thinking about how much she loves David but can't stand to share him with his other wives.
Throughout the story, Abigail doesn't come across as a heroine or any type of effectual queen. King David similarly comes across like a wimp, spending a lot of time in retreat from King Saul, and even refusing to kill King Saul when he has the chance, because it would be dishonorable. He is also hyper-focused on his own introspection, thinking about God's law, even questioning himself in his polygamous marriages because he seems to be hurting Abigail's feelings. When David goes to Gath in escape from King Saul, Abigail prays to God and asks for all the help he can get. Abigail too prays to God, and it is clear from the storyline that the two of them are closest when they think about their faith. King David feels some remorse about his polygamy, giving his apologies to Abigail,
"When I read the words that warned kings not to take many wives, I assumed it meant not to do so only to prevent the king's heart from straying from Yahweh. Since I decided I would never allow such a thing, I saw no reason not to unite tribes and nations with marriage treaties." He glanced briefly away from her. "Though that's not the whole truth."
..."I was wrong, Abigail. Taking so many wives... I broke Yahweh's law. The hard part is, there is nothing to be done about it now. There are seven of you, and that is the truth of it." (p. 366)
He also suffers from painstaking introspection, like Abigail:
An internal battle waged in David's mind, common sense warring with desire. He'd avoided Abigail's bed to protect her, to keep from putting her through the agony of childbirth again. Yet here she was, still young and beautiful and arousing his own need of her. If Yahweh saw fit to give her another son, the boy would never usurp his older brother's rights to inherit his throne. And suppose Abigail was right? If her sin had caused Chileab's accident, what might happen to the next child born to them? What sin had she committed to cause Yahweh to allow such a thing?
He knew that sometimes Adonai visited the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. But that curse was for the unrighteous. Surely Abigail was righteous. Hadn't they both done their best to keep Adonai's laws?
Guilt pricked at his conscience even as his flesh yearned for her. He too had broken Adonai's laws, if he were truly honest with himself... (p.333)
Abigail, for her part, asks God to give her
Abigail doesn't come across as a major feminist force to be reckoned with. In her mind, she thinks herself too insolent and too brazen to her husbands, but in the few times she stands up and faces her husband's wrath, it comes across weak and reactive at best. For instance, when Nadal beats her, it is because he is drunk and bully-like, and her comments about God only serve to anger him further,
Yes, my lord, but if the servants become aware that you would lay a hand on your wife, they may turn against you, and then who would help you to shear your many sheep? And you cannot forget that Adonai is watching, and you would not wish to break His law and--"
His palm connected with her cheek so fast she didn't see it coming..."(p. 43)
Even when she wants to announce to Nabal that she used his food stockpile to feed David's army, she has her brother Daniel come to her aide, and somehow God strikes down her husband while he is ready to kill her. Even afterwards, she cares for him while he is on his deathbed. Abigail comes across so pious, and so focused on God's plan that even when one of her maids infers that she may be sleeping with Nabal, Abigail feels compassion:
The thought brought a dull pain to Abigail's heart. She ached for justice - both for Nabal for his selfish cruelty, and for Zahara if she was guilty of destroying Nabal's unborn seed. But at the same time she wanted them both to repent, to bring them both to the knowledge of Adonai's peace.
Law warred with mercy in her heart.
Oh, Adonai, what do I do?(p. 89)
Jill Eileen Smith wants to put out the message that Abigail is very wise and close to God, and so is King David. Based on their rock-solid faith, the marriage between Abigail and King David seems to be a great match.
He ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I do not pretend to understand why Adonai allowed such a thing. Surely he could have stopped it from happening.
..."Perhaps I have sinned," she said, begging God in silence to forgive her yet again. "Perhaps if we offered him a sacrifice... we musn't hold it against Adonai, my lord. We deserve nothing from Him. We can only beg for His mercy." She looked at him, praying she had not offended him with her gently reprimand. Someday he would grow weary of her wisdom if she wasn't careful.
His hands rested on her shoulders, his look thoughtful. "We will ask Abiathar to offer a sacrifice on your behalf."(p. 332)
Abigail is probably the only woman in the Bible to be re-married, in fact she's very happily re-married, and the book is a nice take on marriage and polygamy. The shared faith of Abigail and David permeates and solidifies their marriage, and although the story is weak in terms of real action IMO, the POV for both characters really sinks in. Readers who want to see these biblical figures as real, breathing humans should give Jill Eileen Smiths' books a chance.
3 STARS ...more
Abigail's mind goes in a frenzy of emotional d Abigail is a tender, thoughtful read. It opens up the little-mentioned Biblical figure of Abigail in a very POV emotional dimension. The book is terribly weak as an erotic novel, the violence and battle scenes are not well-developed, and the plot heightens around emotions and relationships, not King David's crowning. It is not great romance novel, and it's not at all a good world-building saga either.
Abigail's mind goes in a frenzy of emotional directions during her marriage to King David. He's polygamous from the get-go, and she is his third wife. She spends a lot of time getting jealous of David's other wives. The story itself is very introspective, and chapter after chapter goes by with nothing more than a lot of internal dialogue. Take for instance,
She chided herself for being so ungrateful, for thinking anyone could compare to David or give her what he could not. She had lived with wealth and been the lone wife to a powerful man, at least on the surface, and nothing in that situation had satisfied her either. For David to even want her had seemed impossible when Nabal first died, for she feared no man would ever want her again. So why did she find sharing him so distasteful? Did she honestly think she was worthy of his love alone? He was the King! Kings took many wives. She'd known it from the beginning and accepted her lot with joy - at first...(p. 286)
She also has suspicions that David is sleeping with his other maidservants in addition to his wives. Abigail compares David to her first husband Nabal incessantly, and she spends a lot of time thinking about how much she loves David but can't stand to share him with his other wives.
Throughout the story, Abigail doesn't come across as a heroine or any type of effectual queen. King David similarly comes across like a wimp, spending a lot of time in retreat from King Saul, and even refusing to kill King Saul when he has the chance, because it would be dishonorable. He is also hyper-focused on his own introspection, thinking about God's law, even questioning himself in his polygamous marriages because he seems to be hurting Abigail's feelings. When David goes to Gath in escape from King Saul, Abigail prays to God and asks for all the help he can get. Abigail too prays to God, and it is clear from the storyline that the two of them are closest when they think about their faith. King David feels some remorse about his polygamy, giving his apologies to Abigail,
"When I read the words that warned kings not to take many wives, I assumed it meant not to do so only to prevent the king's heart from straying from Yahweh. Since I decided I would never allow such a thing, I saw no reason not to unite tribes and nations with marriage treaties." He glanced briefly away from her. "Though that's not the whole truth."
..."I was wrong, Abigail. Taking so many wives... I broke Yahweh's law. The hard part is, there is nothing to be done about it now. There are seven of you, and that is the truth of it." (p. 366)
He also suffers from painstaking introspection, like Abigail:
An internal battle waged in David's mind, common sense warring with desire. He'd avoided Abigail's bed to protect her, to keep from putting her through the agony of childbirth again. Yet here she was, still young and beautiful and arousing his own need of her. If Yahweh saw fit to give her another son, the boy would never usurp his older brother's rights to inherit his throne. And suppose Abigail was right? If her sin had caused Chileab's accident, what might happen to the next child born to them? What sin had she committed to cause Yahweh to allow such a thing?
He knew that sometimes Adonai visited the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. But that curse was for the unrighteous. Surely Abigail was righteous. Hadn't they both done their best to keep Adonai's laws?
Guilt pricked at his conscience even as his flesh yearned for her. He too had broken Adonai's laws, if he were truly honest with himself... (p.333)
Abigail, for her part, asks God to give her
Abigail doesn't come across as a major feminist force to be reckoned with. In her mind, she thinks herself too insolent and too brazen to her husbands, but in the few times she stands up and faces her husband's wrath, it comes across weak and reactive at best. For instance, when Nadal beats her, it is because he is drunk and bully-like, and her comments about God only serve to anger him further,
Yes, my lord, but if the servants become aware that you would lay a hand on your wife, they may turn against you, and then who would help you to shear your many sheep? And you cannot forget that Adonai is watching, and you would not wish to break His law and--"
His palm connected with her cheek so fast she didn't see it coming..."(p. 43)
Even when she wants to announce to Nabal that she used his food stockpile to feed David's army, she has her brother Daniel come to her aide, and somehow God strikes down her husband while he is ready to kill her. Even afterwards, she cares for him while he is on his deathbed. Abigail comes across so pious, and so focused on God's plan that even when one of her maids infers that she may be sleeping with Nabal, Abigail feels compassion:
The thought brought a dull pain to Abigail's heart. She ached for justice - both for Nabal for his selfish cruelty, and for Zahara if she was guilty of destroying Nabal's unborn seed. But at the same time she wanted them both to repent, to bring them both to the knowledge of Adonai's peace.
Law warred with mercy in her heart.
Oh, Adonai, what do I do?(p. 89)
Jill Eileen Smith wants to put out the message that Abigail is very wise and close to God, and so is King David. Based on their rock-solid faith, the marriage between Abigail and King David seems to be a great match.
He ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I do not pretend to understand why Adonai allowed such a thing. Surely he could have stopped it from happening.
..."Perhaps I have sinned," she said, begging God in silence to forgive her yet again. "Perhaps if we offered him a sacrifice... we musn't hold it against Adonai, my lord. We deserve nothing from Him. We can only beg for His mercy." She looked at him, praying she had not offended him with her gently reprimand. Someday he would grow weary of her wisdom if she wasn't careful.
His hands rested on her shoulders, his look thoughtful. "We will ask Abiathar to offer a sacrifice on your behalf."(p. 332)
Abigail is probably the only woman in the Bible to be re-married, in fact she's very happily re-married, and the book is a nice take on marriage and polygamy. The shared faith of Abigail and David permeates and solidifies their marriage, and although the story is weak in terms of real action IMO, the POV for both characters really sinks in. Readers who want to see these biblical figures as real, breathing humans should give Jill Eileen Smiths' books a chance.
3 STARS ...more