Harvest of Rubies
by Tessa Afshar
Harvest of Rubies gets how many stars?
I loved this book! In fact, I think Tessa Afshar is quickly becoming a new favorite author for me. I love her wit and sense of humor. The characters nearly leap off the page! The settings, emotions, scenery is real and palpable.
So why did I only give it 4 1/2 stars–not 5?
Because I couldn’t bring myself to give it 5 stars since it didn’t have a strong biblical storyline. The book refers to Nehemiah (the biblical prophet) and is based on the historical context of Israel’s captivity in Persia; however, the details in the plot never enticed me back to Scripture. My personal litmus test for biblical fiction is that it must send me searching for the details in God’s Word.
- What about the story is fact, and what is fiction?
- Did God really say that?
- Did that biblical person really DO that?
I didn’t have any of those questions because the main characters were biblical characters, and my PERSONAL PREFERENCE is to read about those folks.
Was HARVEST OF RUBIES worth the time to read?
ABSOLUTELY!!! I examined my heart and let the Lord work some of the lessons in my spirit that “Sarah” (the heroine) learned herself. In fact, I’ll probably read this wonderful again! I’m fascinated by Tessa’s mastery of the writing craft and can’t wait to get my hands on her next book!
