book review: Austin, Keepers of the Covenant
Lynn Austin. Keepers of the Covenant: A Novel (Restoration Chronicles, Book 2). Minneapolis, Minn.: Bethany House, 2014.
I was pleased when this novel came available for review, as I have read several books by Lynn Austin and have always enjoyed them. Austin carefully develops her historical fiction with an eye toward accuracy and believability, and her characters engage in struggles more complex than I often see in this genre. Keepers of the Covenant is no exception. While I know Austin has written a number of books set in biblical times, this is the first I have read. I feared that I would find her fictional portrayal of biblical characters more stilted or less believable than her novels set in America, but this didn't prove to be the case. I felt Austin did well in imagining, and thoughtfully portraying, the types of struggles Ezra and his fellow Jews would have experienced during and after the fateful proclamation orchestrated by Haman that forms the foundations of the book of Esther. I don't want to give away the plot, although clearly the Bible itself serves as "spoiler" of the big-picture narrative. Suffice to say that the personal narratives Austin interweaves in the biblical story make for compelling reading.
One of the things I like best about Austin is that her characters really grapple with questions of law and gospel, faith and doubt, mercy and judgement. Her female characters are strong, and are just as likely to offer key insights as the men of her stories -- even in a narrative set in a time and place where women's roles were unquestionably circumscribed. Her stories are tales of redemption, and not just for the obvious "sinner." I recommend Austin's work to any reader seeking a gripping story that isn't content merely to skim the surface.
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
I was pleased when this novel came available for review, as I have read several books by Lynn Austin and have always enjoyed them. Austin carefully develops her historical fiction with an eye toward accuracy and believability, and her characters engage in struggles more complex than I often see in this genre. Keepers of the Covenant is no exception. While I know Austin has written a number of books set in biblical times, this is the first I have read. I feared that I would find her fictional portrayal of biblical characters more stilted or less believable than her novels set in America, but this didn't prove to be the case. I felt Austin did well in imagining, and thoughtfully portraying, the types of struggles Ezra and his fellow Jews would have experienced during and after the fateful proclamation orchestrated by Haman that forms the foundations of the book of Esther. I don't want to give away the plot, although clearly the Bible itself serves as "spoiler" of the big-picture narrative. Suffice to say that the personal narratives Austin interweaves in the biblical story make for compelling reading.
One of the things I like best about Austin is that her characters really grapple with questions of law and gospel, faith and doubt, mercy and judgement. Her female characters are strong, and are just as likely to offer key insights as the men of her stories -- even in a narrative set in a time and place where women's roles were unquestionably circumscribed. Her stories are tales of redemption, and not just for the obvious "sinner." I recommend Austin's work to any reader seeking a gripping story that isn't content merely to skim the surface.
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
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