Abigail: A Novel (The Wives of King David) [Paperback]

Jill Eileen Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2010 | Series: The Wives of King David (Book 2)

Abigail's hopes and dreams for the future are wrapped up in her handsome, dark-eyed betrothed, Nabal. But when the long-awaited wedding day arrives, her drunken groom behaves shamefully. Nevertheless, Abigail tries to honor and respect her husband despite his abuse of her.
Meanwhile, Abigail's family has joined David's wandering tribe as he and his people keep traveling to avoid the dangerous Saul. When Nabal suddenly dies, Abigail is free to move on with her life, and thanks to her brother, her new life includes a new husband--David. The dangers of tribal life on the run are serious, but there are other dangers in young Abigail's mind. How can David lead his people effectively when he goes against God? And how can Abigail share David's love with the other wives he insists on marrying?
Jill Eileen Smith, bestselling author of Michal, draws on Scripture, historical research, and her imagination as she fills in the blanks to unveil the story of Abigail and David in rich detail and drama. The result is a riveting page-turner that will keep readers looking forward to the next book in this trilogy.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

EXCERPT FROM CATALOG
David. It had to be.
The sight of the king's son-in-law was nothing like she had imagined. In the stories she'd heard of him, he was the shepherd and singer and the man who would kill to marry the woman he loved. The last thought should have warned her of the fierce warrior who strode down the hill, gaze angry and proud. He was more handsome than Nabal, but his expression was as dark as Nabal's had been the night he had assaulted her the first year of their marriage.
Adonai, help me! Her knees grew weak, and she wasn't sure they would hold her, but she reined in her donkey just the same and slipped from its back. David's pace didn't slow until he stopped within an arm's length. She sucked in a startled breath. He was so close she could feel the strength of him, smell his sweat. Unable to stand without swaying, she fell to her knees and lowered her face to the dust.
"My lord . . . please, let me speak to you. Hear what your servant has to say." She stopped and waited for his response, her heart pounding.
Silence spanned between them like a wide chasm. She felt his touch on her head. "Rise and speak." His voice was quiet and hoarse, as though he didn't trust himself to say more.

From the Back Cover

What price must she pay for true love?

Her days marked by turmoil and faded dreams, Abigail has resigned herself to a life with a man she does not love. But when circumstances offer her a second chance at happiness with the handsome David, she takes a leap of faith to join his wandering tribe. Still, her struggles are far from over. How can she share his love with the other women he insists on marrying?

Abigail follows the bestselling Michal and continues Jill Eileen Smith's rich story of David's wives.


"With skill honed by years of historical research, made sharper still with a gifted passion for storytelling, Jill Eileen Smith crafts the story of Abigail in a way that takes us deep into the heart of King David and into the heart of a woman determined to follow God's will, no matter the cost to her--or to the man she loves."--Tamera Alexander, bestselling author of From a Distance and The Inheritance

"Smith's writing swept me back to ancient days and brought Abigail and David's love story vividly to life."--Deborah Raney, award-winning author of Almost Forever and the Clayburn Novels

"A rich tapestry of an era filled with love and longing that rings true across the centuries."--Siri Mitchell, author of Love's Pursuit



Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling author of Michal. Her research into the lives of David's wives has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in Michigan.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Revell; Reprinted edition (February 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800733215
• ISBN-13: 978-0800733216
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #41,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jill Eileen Smith is the author of Sarai, book one in the Wives of the Patriarchs series, and the bestselling author of the Wives of King David series. When she isn't writing, she enjoys spending time with her family--in person, over the webcam, or by hopping a plane to fly across the country. She can often be found reading, testing new recipes, grabbing lunch with friends, or snuggling one or both of her adorable cats. She lives with her family in southeast Michigan.

To learn more about Jill or for more information about her books, visit her website at www.jilleileensmith.com. You can also contact Jill at [e-mail]. She loves hearing from her readers.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Biblical Fiction! February 23, 2010

By C. Janes VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Abigail, as well as book one in the Wives of King David series, Michal, are hands down two of the best Biblical fiction books I've read in a very long time! I have always wanted to know about David and his life from his boyhood all the way to his place as Israel's king. Both of Ms. Smith's books give tons of insight on what it might have been like back then, and more specifically, what it might have been like to be the wife of a king.

I have to admit that I struggled with this book a little bit in the beginning. Before I tell explain the reason why, I have to commend the author for keeping up with three overlapping storylines that span over both of her books. You see, Abigail does not pick up where Michal left off. Rather, it tells each story as it happened while providing little snippets here and there of what's happening elsewhere. While telling Abigail's story, the author kept me up to date with what was currently happening with David as he continued to flee for his life from King Saul. During David's portions of the story, he would occasionally allude to missing Michal, and how he wished he had taken her with him when he first fled from King Saul. I didn't mind that the story kept going back and forth between Abigail and David, but I found myself wanting to know more about Abigail and less about David hiding out in one cave and then another. That part seemed to be a little repititious since so much of it was already covered in the first book.

I thought the author did a wonderful job portraying Abigail's internal struggle between wanting to please God by honoring her marriage vows, and her desire to be free of her abusive husband, Nabal. Right after their wedding, Abigail was very outspoken with her belief in God and His laws, but Nabal does not want to hear any of it, and instead, he basically beats her to shut her up. As time goes by in their marriage, Abigail quickly learns that she's better off to keep silent and try to avoid the beatings if at all possible. I felt an incredible sadness when reading this because as we all know, not much has changed through the years with those types of relationships.

The most moving part of the book for me was after Abigail and David were married and she was with child. During that time, the author wrote that David penned Psalm 139 which is the psalm about how God knit us together in our mother's womb. Now I don't know if that timeline is accurate, but how it appeared in the story was simply beautiful. It was gradual, giving just a little taste here and there, and by the time the full psalm was written in the story, I was so overcome with emotion thinking about how God above truly does care about us from the very first moment of our lives.

There are some authors out there that, when they find their niche in writing, they need to stick with it. So, um, Ms. Smith....don't stop what you're doing! I was so impressed with your storytelling abilities as well as the loads of time you spent doing research to get everything just so. You definitely have great talent with this particular genre, and I can't wait to read what you've got in store with your next book...I'm really hoping it will be about Bathsheba. :o)

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Biblical fiction story I've ever read! February 24, 2010

By Michelle Sutton

Format:Paperback

This novel should be on the NY Times best-seller list. I'm not kidding! In fact, I don't think I've ever said this before about any book I've reviewed. For people who love Biblical fiction, this story should knock their socks off. I'll tell you why...

I was totally entrenched in the lives of the characters and the setting the entire time I read this book. I would've read it straight through if life hadn't gotten in the way. I loved the realism, the emotion, the romance, the way the characters communicated. And the whole multiple wives and the jealousies between them was masterfully done. The writing in this book was also top-notch. It was gripping and smooth with no jarring moments or clunky writing phrases. Can you tell I loved this book?

Abigail's story touched my heart, inspired me, and made me want to love people more. I also loved the multiple love scenes between Abigail and David. Hot, but tasteful, which is the way it should be. Very realistic and just edgy enough to make me want to say, "Go, Jill!" The way the author illustrated Abigail's marriage to Nabal was great, but it was even more exciting when her life touched David's. And when she had her first child I was impressed with how she showed David's handling of the situation and her misunderstanding it.

Here is the best part! Unlike a lot of secular Biblical fiction authors, Jill Eileen Smith shows David's imperfections and those of his wives with great taste and in a way that honored God. He was easy to love in spite of his flaws because she handled his character development so well, while at the same time keeping it true to the Scriptures. One of my favorite aspects of this story was how the author sprinkled various Scriptures into the scenes when they were appropriate. Wonderful, wonderful book and highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Ms. Smith's Abigail: My personal opinion on her take of Abigail December 2, 2010

By Lona S. Buggs

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I enjoyed the book but I did not fall in love with Abigail in this book. I thought she was depicted with too many modern western romantic notions of marriage which I don't find realistic for the time period. I didn't think she wrote Abigail as honorable as a wife I assumed she was to her fool husband Nabal. I did like the picture she wrote for Abigail as David's wife. I admired her more as David's wife than as Nabals when in truth I think it should have been her as Nabal's wife that we should have been made to fall in love with Abigail. I didn't like how the story jumped 5 years in one part in which her husband David had not touched her. She writes her as a woman who is so intimate with her husband but then she is quiet and without any drama to tell about going 5 years with out being physically loved by her husband. The jealousy, pain and might I say depression, the woman she 1st describes, would have went through. It was too much of a span in charater. Over all I enjoyed the book. So far it is the better story of Abigail I have read though I didn't fall in love with her. Oh, I was made to despise her David. Especially the way he treated Ahinoam. And I'm not sure if the writer intended to or not but it was almost as if she was trying to paint a picture of where it would have been understandable for David to seek comfort from another woman's arms. Perhaps she was just trying to portray his way of thinking in justifying his own actions. Either way it was a turn off. If any one knows of any other fictional novels of Abigail let me know I would love to read them.