Title: Ruth, Mother of Kings
Author: Diana Wallis Taylor
Pages: 259
Year: 2013
Publisher: Whitaker House
This is the second book by Diana Wallis Taylor I have read, and again, she has done a wonderful job of relating a fictional account of a character of the Bible. This story focuses on Ruth’s entire life from her early years onward and provides some possible explanations for information about Ruth as stated in the Bible. As always, the Bible is the source of truth, but I appreciated the inclusion of the background information on Ruth at the end of the book.
Readers follow Ruth from a toddler, who loses her parents to fever and is sent, along with her older brother, to live with her paternal grandparents. She is well-loved and grows up tending sheep in a small village in the land known as the Plains of Moab. She and her best friend Orpah watch as the family and wealth of Elimelech enter the Plains of Moab. Soon Ruth meets Mahlon, the oldest son of Elimelech, and they are married. No children result from their marriage and Mahlon dies after 10 years of marriage due to a “wasting” sickness. Ruth prays and senses God leading her to return to Naomi’s homeland, leaving behind all Ruth has ever known.
Naomi and Ruth arrive in the village and are given a place to live by one of Elimelech’s friends. They have a little bit of food, but Ruth knows it will last only a short time. She goes to glean at a nearby field as custom permits the poor to do. Unknowingly, she has chosen the field of Boaz, a kinsman of Naomi’s. Boaz takes an interest in Ruth and treats her with kindness. When Naomi learns where Ruth is gleaning and how well Boaz is treating Ruth, she sets things in motion to redeem her home and land and to provide for Ruth’s future.
It is just amazing to me how an author can take factual information and weave in fictional information to create a full and complete drama. The writing is great, and the characters given facets that are believable and relatable, bringing them to life right off the pages. The chapters are short and that keeps the story moving right along. This is a love story between a mother and daughter, husband and wife, brother and sister, elder and villagers, and most of all between God and his children. In this story, God blessed his obedient and faithful children after hardship with an abundance they could never imagine.
My rating is 4 stars.
Note: I received a complimentary copy for an honest review of this book. The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. Other reviews can be read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/ . Also follow me on Twitter @lcjohnson1988, FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/lisa.johnson.75457 ( )