Author: Mesu
Andrews Genre: Life,
romance My rating
on a 1-10 scale: 8.5 high Type: Historical
fiction Number of
pages: 412 Time
period: 800s B. C. (Bible times) Publisher
and price: Revell, $14.99 My overall
opinion: Contrary to what you may assume from a precursory glance at the
title, this story is not focused on Jezebel (though she is certainly a player
in the grand scheme of things). Rather, this book concentrates on her
grand-daughter, Jehosheba. As you may have noticed, it’s got over 400 pages,
and each page has a lot of words – definitely full. Despite this, it’s never
boring! Mesu managed to absolutely pack this book with Biblically accurate
information, events, and people. She brings to life characters and stories that
may otherwise seem stuffy – but truly aren’t! The whole book has a realistic
feel and a gripping story. I could definitely identify with what Jehosheba
felt. It’s absolutely worth reading! I highly recommend it for those of you who
love Biblical fiction, or anyone looking for a creative and unique story set in
Bible times. **Revell sent me a free copy of this book for review. I wasn’t
required to post positively or paid in any way for this review. All opinions
are my own. **
Welcome, Mesu! This
is your third Biblical fiction book, right?
Yep!
Earlier today I reviewed your newest book, Love in a Broken Vessel. It's based on the Biblical story of Hosea and Gomer. What is the hardest
things about writing a fictional book based in Biblical fact? Great question! Good fiction must be believable to be engaging,
but we serve a miraculous God—and miracles by their very nature are
un-believable! What reader, in their right mind, is going to believe a
righteous man would forgive his prostitute wife for repeated acts of adultery?
Seriously. But the Bible says Hosea did it, so making the Truth BELIEVABLE is
the biggest challenge I’ve found. Our God is too big for believable! So making
the main characters believable is most important, which means they must be
flawed—like you and me. Their lives are messy. Sometimes it’s tough to see a
biblical character we’ve idolized suddenly fictionalized to express his doubts,
his fears, his sins. For other readers, it’s quite liberating to think even the
heroes of faith struggled as we do. At the end of the day, I keep reminding folks…MY
BOOKS ARE FICTION! And my goal in writing them is to always stir hearts to a
passion for God’s Word.
I can definitely see
how making it believable could be a huge challenge. Now, I’ve got to wonder…what
has inspired you to choose more obscure Biblical characters like Hosea and
Gomer?
I NEED to understand God’s Word. It’s a compulsion, really.
When I was a kid, my parents and grandparents argued about doctrine, and I
thought I’d never come to any real conclusions about my faith. I was wrong.
After a few years of serious and systematic study of the Bible as a single
story, I certainly don’t know all the ins-and-outs, but I know enough of the
history to know my future. And I feel secure in the God Who reveals the Truth
to anyone who seeks Him with their whole heart. My first real quest began with
the Song of Solomon and ended with the book, Love’s Sacred Song. I wanted to
know about the woman who inspired that kind of love in King Solomon—a man with
700 wives and 300 porcupines (I know, concubines—but I’d be a porcupine if I
had to be a concubine!). Then I wanted to know Job’s wife’s name, and I wanted
to find out from historical documents if she got a bad rap or she was really
that surly.
That became my debut novel, Love Amid the Ashes. For the third book, I was intrigued by a prophet
who would marry a prostitute of so little renown. Her abba Diblaim was
mentioned nowhere else in Scripture, and Gomer seems plucked from the rotten
apple tree. Where did she come from? Had they known each other before? Was
there anything in Jewish legend that might help shed light on who she was?
These are some of the questions that helped fuel my curiosity for Love in a Broken Vessel. Love it! What is the
biggest thing you’d like a reader to take away from Love in a Broken Vessel?
I want someone to turn the last page and know beyond a
doubt—“I am not too broken for God to fill with His love.” I think sometimes we
hurry to serve, to pour out the love God pours in, but those months I spent on
a sickbed taught me that sometimes God simply wants to love us. He doesn’t care
what we DO for Him. He wants us to sit still and be filled. Let Him pour Himself
in—fill in the broken places, soak up His healing presence. Yes, at some point,
He’ll find a perfect use for us “cracked pots” as Patsy Clairmont calls us. But
for a little while, let the Lord minister to those broken places. Feel His
overwhelming love.
I think that came across
very clearly. Do you have another book in the works yet?
I do! The Shadow of
Jezebel is scheduled to release March 2014 (Revell):
Princess Jehosheba (Sheba) wants nothing more than to please
her Baal-worshiping abba, Judah’s King, and his first wife Queen Atalyah, the
daughter of notorious Queen Jezebel. But when a mysterious letter from the dead
prophet Elijah predicts doom for the king’s household, Sheba realizes her dark
skills as Baal’s priestess reach beyond the world of earthly governments. When
both light and darkness align, forcing her to marry Yahweh’s high priest, Sheba
enters the unknown world of Yahweh’s Temple. Her husband shows her Yahweh’s
truth and a love beyond hope, but can Sheba overcome Jezebel’s lingering
torment? Can Yahweh use a fallen priestess to shine the unquenchable light of
His love to faithless Judah? The Shadow of Jezebel—Meet the woman who saved a
king, delivered a nation, and preserved the Light of the World. Wow, sounds awesome!
It’s going to be hard to wait until MARCH! Finally, what’s a random fact about
you that most people don’t know?
I eat a whole wheat bagel with butter and honey on it almost
every morning. Our grocery store bakery makes THE BEST bagels in the world, and
it’s a treat I look forward to every morning! (That and my coffee with French
vanilla creamer, of course.)
French vanilla
creamer – one of the best! Thanks so much for coming, Mesu.
Back to me... Readers, I encourage you to check out her website: www.MesuAndrews.com
Now for the giveaway! Want to read Love in a Broken Vessel? Of course you do …and if you haven’t
decided yet, check out this trailer:
Yup, it’s a good book. Read my review here. Enter in the Rafflecopter below! Only
United States and Canada addresses, please. Best of luck to each of you!
**NOTE: I'm sorry that it just says "An Awesome Prize" for what you're entering for...I forgot to change that to this book. And I don't want to change the widget now that it has entries! Forgive me, and rest assured -- you ARE entering the right giveaway.** a Rafflecopter giveaway
Series: No, but
Mesu has written several Old Testament Biblical fictions, including ones about Solomon
and Job.
My rating
on a 1-10 scale: 9
Type: Historical
fiction
Number of
pages: 442
Time
period: Bible times
Passage
from book: “Hosea
has been charged by God with a difficult task--marry a prostitute in order to
show God's people the nature and depth of his love for Israel. When Hosea goes
to Israel to proclaim God's message, the prostitute God tells him to marry
turns out to be his childhood friend Gomer. He finds her broken and abused,
unwilling to trust Hosea or his God. But when marrying Hosea becomes her only
choice, Gomer does what she's good at--she survives. Can Hosea's love for God
and God's love for Israel heal Gomer's broken spirit?”
My overall
opinion: Yay! A new favorite Biblical fiction author for me to enjoy! She’s
right up there with Tessa Afshar and Jill Eileen Smith. This mesmerizing book
is based on the story of the Old Testament prophet Hosea, who, as you may remember,
was commanded by God to marry a harlot to illustrate Israel’s relationship with
God. Of course, Mesu had to include quite a bit of fiction to flesh out this
book (based on a book of prophecy), but it all seemed accurate and was very
well done. I was especially impressed by how many direct quotes there were from
the Bible and specifically the book of Hosea. All worked neatly into the story!
This book naturally deals with some tough material, but Mesu handled it very
tastefully and without over much detail – though this still isn’t a book for
younger readers. That being said, it was an intriguing book and you won’t be
able to put it down! Do you like Biblical fiction? If so, definitely recommending
this author and this book.
Available March 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a
division of Baker Publishing Group. Or buy it through the link below. :) Enter the giveaway to win a copy! Click here.
**Revell sent me a free copy of this book in return for my honest
review. All opinions expressed here are mine and are honest. I wasn’t required
to post a positive review.**
