They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but Love amid the ashes surely is the opposite. The author's writing has transformed a well-known Bible book into a tapestry of vivid imageries and colour that leaves a lasting impression on the mind.

Love amid the ashes brings the story of Job and Dinah alive, giving you a glimpse of Job's experience in the most difficult time in his life. That the author has taken the time to study other books, and the timeline is a remarkable tribute to her ability and skill and a worthy testimony of Job's faith.

When we read the Bible, we forget sometimes the backstory and how everything fits together. The timeline interlinked to give you a broad picture of life and how everything fits together. Though I have read of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, I never really gave her much thought. Now I am thinking differently about this beautiful woman and her faith. It felt like I was walking along with Job, as she nursed him back to life and a love so wide as the desert that formed against them.

Sitis was another wonderful woman worthy to be mentioned. We don't read about her other than that she told Job to curse God and die. Her name doesn't even appear within the book of Job. But through the historical background, we get a glimpse of this woman's path and her own restoration with God Almighty, before she left this earth. I think the author did a wonderful tribute to her as well. When you lose everything that is dear to you in one heartbeat, you lose it. I know a little of that myself. Therefore, my admiration for this woman just grew exponentially.

Job's path is written with so much empathy and understanding that I have a new admiration for this man who was loved by God. His strong character shines forth within each page. His relationship with God is a testimony of his true faith. What stood out most was the place where most of the story takes place, the ash heap in his kitchen courtyard. Here he was confronted with unbearable pain, rejection of his most trusted friends and betrayal of those who seek his position and riches for themselves. In the end, their greed and power hunger cost them more than just poverty or death.

On this ash heap, he had to learn to trust God unconditionally even though worms were eating his flesh away. The stench that accompanied him was unbearable to read but touching as you witness Nogahla and Dinah's devotion to care for him.

The supporting characters each played an integral part in this story, Aban and Nogahla, Nada and Sayyid, the widow, Esau, Jacob, Joseph, the three friends Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar. They created more depth and believability to the storyline and in the end, they all either withered or got to know El Shaddai through the lives of Job and Dinah.

The land of Uz played a big role in the story's buildup, as the author described the carved palaces and dangerous siq to enter the city. We don't always think about how life really was and the difficulties these people faced.

I love the role that the hoopoe played throughout the storyline. Its divine intervention at the most difficult times was always a sign of hope and trust in the divine plan of El Shaddai. A worthy ally who added greater depth to the plot.

A marvellous book that touches every part of our walk as we discover who God is and the relationship He wishes to have with us if we only let him.

Praise to the writer for this marvel.
Thank you for this wonderful gift. ( )

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This story is about the biblical character of Job and the people who stood by him during his suffering. It’s a very interesting story; since the book of Job in the Bible mostly consists of lengthy dialogues between Job and his friends, this story added a lot more plot points and additional characters to flesh out the narrative.

I loved the relationships that were formed between Job and the people who took care of him when everyone else had abandoned him. There was one scene in particular near the beginning of the book between Job and his wife, Sitis – whom I didn’t like very much at that point in the story – but the way Job treated her made it so clear how much he loved her, despite their differences and hardships, that I couldn’t help but root for them!

Another thing I loved about this book is the way it managed to make animal sacrifices seem beautiful. I’ve always thought of it as a very gross, messy, but necessary thing that the Israelites had to do to cleanse themselves of sin, but in this the focus was on the feeling of freedom and forgiveness that came when the weight of sin and shame was lifted. I will never think of sacrifices the same way again: it truly was beautiful! ( )

I am pretty leery about historical fictions that take their core premise from the Bible, but when I do give a Biblical historical fiction a chance, it is normally by Mesu Andrews, thanks to her obvious devotion to bringing Biblical stories to life. I finally had the opportunity to listen to her first book Love Amid the Ashes on audiobook, which focuses on Job, a Biblical character that is very well known for having his life taken away from him, and his faith tested, but what brought him to that point? How did he endure such excruciating strife, and what was his life like afterwards?

In Love Amid the Ashes we get to see Job's life played out, but told from the point of view of Dinah, a woman known in the Bible as Jacob's only daughter, and the woman that was obsessively pursued and raped by Shechem (reference Genesis 34). I enjoyed learning more about Dinah, seeing her life played out in a realistic way, and the love between her and Job.

Being true to "fiction" in historical fiction, there were liberties taken as far as the story in comparison to what we know from the Bible, and I have to admit that they were numerous, and several I did not agree with, but I believe that is based on personal preference, and doesn't take away from the Biblical account. Having the author's note at the end to explain her reasonings for taking certain liberties did help tremendously.

What bothered me more than anything was the simplicity. I felt like the whole story was "skin deep," not digging deeper into the characters and their motivations, which was bothersome to me, as I hungered to connect more with them, especially Dinah. The story itself was intriguing, but where is the emotion?

All in all I enjoyed this reading experience, and though there are some issues with the story itself for me personally, I would still recommend a listen. I do believe Mesu Andrews has only gotten better in her writing over the years but, even at the beginning, you can see that she has a gift for storytelling, and truly did bring Job's story to life.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions are completely honest, and my own. ( )

I'm not a historical fiction reader. However, the Biblical Historical Fiction books by Mesu Andrews caught my attention and I started with "Love Amid the Ashes". This book was wonderful. Very well-written, captivating, kept me wanting to read it all the way through. It was an engaging story and full of moments expressing the struggles and joys of faith in God. ( )