Tweede deel in een serie van vier over vrouwen uit het Oude Testament. Dit keer is Deborah de hoofdpersoon, die in het Bijbelboek Rechters (Richteren) voorkomt als profetes en rechter. Knap hoe een schrijfster uit een paar zinnen uit het OT een heel verhaal kan bedenken met een achtergrond die behoorlijk historisch is.
Een of twee beschrijvingen vond ik niet zo mooi of gewoon lelijk geformuleerd en het kostte me wat moeite om er echt in te komen. Maar verder een fijn inkijkje in een periode die we verder ons niet zo heel goed kunnen voorstellen.

Deborah's story is one of love, loss, and courage. Jill Eileen Smith brings to life the Prophetess who accompanied Barak into battle. She makes her human. Reminding me that the people in the Bible grieved like we do. They faced uncertainty in turbulent times as they tried to remain faithful to the law of Moses. There is a secondary story here that had more of my attention than that of Deborah and her service to Israel. A great listen from start to finish.

I really enjoy biblical fiction as it tends to make dig into the bible and examine the depth of it. This book was good, but not great for me. It had some very interesting history, but I felt a bit scattered as I read it.
I enjoyed Deborah's storyline, but Jael and Deborah's daughter were almost larger than life characters that took over the story. I was more interested in the secondary characters story than the main ones. I would have loved to see a little more development there.
But over all, it was a fascinating edition of this bible story played out, about a character many do not speak of as much.

This was a 4.5/5 star read for me. I absolutely loved it, but felt that a few parts ( especially in the beginning ) were just moving a little too slow for me. However, I would definitely recommend this book! I love how Jill really brought the characters to life and showed one possibility of how things were for Deborah and Jael. Give this book a try! I will be reading the rest of the series as soon as possible!

Deborah is portrayed as a strong leader and a sensitive, protective mother, making this powerful biblical figure accessible to readers. Her struggle to overcome her guilt over her failure to appreciate her husband, as well as her inability to control the actions of others, mirrors problems readers may face. She embodies a powerful woman with human flaws.

Deborah is respected for her ability to judge according to God’s law, and the visions that come upon her without warning offer guidance as the Israelites suffer under the cruelties of the king of Canaan. After 20 years, God shows her that it is time for battle, and that a woman will kill the brutal Canaanite commander. Can she set aside her fears and allow her fierce daughter Talya the opportunity to be that woman? (REVELL, Feb., 368 pp., $14.99)
Reviewed by:
Kerry Sutherland
- See more at: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/prophetess#sthash.Pi7y7RuJ.dpuf

Two words. SO...GOOD!

I really liked this retelling of the biblical story of the prophetess Deborah. There's isn't much in the scriptures about this woman, but I liked the personality and the imagined story that Jill Smith created for her. I think that it would have taken a strong-willed woman to be a leader at that time, and this story fits with that persona. I enjoy Ms. Smith's writing and look forward to continuing on with her Biblical series.

Well, I liked this book but, to tell you the truth, there was more that I didn’t like about it than things I did like. It just felt very… bleh.

What I didn’t like:
- I didn’t find any of the characters likable. Deborah was too critical, Talya was too immature, etc. I normally like when characters struggle with weaknesses because it makes them more relatable. However, in this book they didn’t really “struggle with” or try to overcome these things or even recognize that these flaws are a problem and need to be dealt with.
- the romance between Deborah and Lappidoth. I mean… it took over 25 years of marriage for Deborah to begin actually loving Lappidoth. Seriously?!
- the romance between Talya and Barak. Firstly, I am not a big fan of romances where someone has already been married before. Additionally, Barak’s attraction seemed purely physical at times and it almost felt like he was trying to ignore Talya’s dislikable personality.

The book just felt dry and “off”. I apologize for my inability to explain this well.

Overall, I liked it (or I guess tolerated it) but it has many flaws. Therefore, I am giving it 3 stars.


This review by Jenna Van Mourik expresses how I feel about the book a lot better than I can: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2945391765

I liked this one more than the one about Hannah.