Book #6

Finally, finally, finally finished this book.  It was a long, hard one that I wasn't sure I would ever complete.  

Standing in the massive shadow of his famous father, young king Solomon wavers between fear and bravado, wisdom and folly. In the uncertain world of alliances and treachery, Solomon longs for peace and a love that is true and pure--a love that can be his cornerstone.

A shepherdess in the northern city of Shunem, Arielah remembers the first time she laid eyes on Solomon in Jerusalem when she was just seven years old. Since then she has known that it was her destiny to become his bride. When her father, a leader of their tribe, secures a promise from King Solomon to marry Arielah as a treaty bride to help unite the kingdom, it seems her dreams may come true.

But how can this simple shepherdess live as part of Solomon's harem? Can Solomon set aside his distractions to give himself completely to just one woman? Or will he let duty, deception, and the daily routine divide his heart?

Mesu Andrews expertly weaves the words of the Song of Solomon into this touching story of the power of love. Readers will be transported from the glowing fields of Shunem to the gleaming city of Jerusalem as they experience this rich and textured novel from a master storyteller. (picture and description from amazon.com)

Once I finally got about 3/4 of the way through it, I was ready to see what was going to happen, but those first tons of pages were challenging.  The author is very detailed in her writing and researched for years to make sure each detail was completely historical and exact.  I can usually appreciate that, but in this book it seemed to weigh down the story.  Also, I always have a challenge with reading books set in Bible times about stories from the Bible.  Francine Rivers does a pretty good job of it, but I always get uncomfortable ~ feeling as if I'm cheating about making some of these people more down to earth.  I'm sure they probably were, but still. 

So, I'm ready for some fluff after that!

O:)
Melissa