Customer Reviews

Abigail: A Novel (The Wives of King David)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
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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)

After being included in being able to review this book for a blog tour, I knew I had to go and get my copy of Michal, book 1, in The Wives of King David series. I loved Michal so much that I couldn't wait to get a hold of Abigail and start reading it. Unlike Michal, which took me 2 weeks to read, I read Abigail in 2 days. It was just as amazingly good and powerful as book 1. I didn't want to say good bye to these wonderful Biblical people who felt like friends to me.

As with Michal, this book moved me beyond words. I was again transported back in time to a Biblical era that I fell in love with. I could feel myself there with Abigail and with King David. The feeling of that was so powerful. Smith, again, makes this a wonderful read by mixing Biblical dialogue from the Bible in with the fiction. Add that to the suspense of Abigail, not only being saved by King David but by King David also saving her, makes this a most wonderful edge-of-your-seat book.

I will look at 1 and 2 Samuel in a whole new light now, when I read my Bible. I will be drawn back to Smith's work on Abigail (and Michal!) and will want to read these two amazing novels over and over again! Words just can't explain! It makes me anxious for 2011 when Smith's third book in this series is released: Bathsheba....it can't get here soon enough!

Abigail is, like Michal, worthy of so much more than 5 stars but I will only give it 5 stars.....and I will recommend this story to EVERY woman out there.....I'm sure you will love it as much as I did! It is an amazing love story in an ancient time and you will feel so different (in a good way!) after reading this book and feeling a part of a Biblical era. If you would like to see my review of the first book in this series, Michal, please visit here.

*This book was provided for review by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group*

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.

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.

For her second novel in The Wives of King David series, Jill Eileen Smith explores the life of Abigail, David's third wife, who came to him while he was still living in the wilderness, running from Saul's never-ending attempts to end his life. As a widow and a non-royal, Abigail has a strikingly different background and perspective than Michal, David's first wife, whose story was told in Smith's first book. While Michal was a privileged princess, Abigail hails from a poor, but loving family, where she is given in marriage to the loutish Nabal in order to settle a long-standing family debt. For the innocent, God-fearing Abigail, her first marriage is a nightmare from day one, and the emotional and physical abuse she suffers takes an increasing toll on Abigail's well-being and confidence. But she never loses her faith, and when the opportunity comes save the household when Nabal foolishly incites the wrath of David and his followers, she seizes the chance to bring peace to the situation. Little does she realize that her extraordinary act of bravery will set her on a path to capture the heart of God's anointed, placing her in a position to impact the fate of her people through marriage to the future king.

Although many of the events in Abigail were also covered in Michal, the different female perspective, coupled with a greater focus on David's years in the wilderness, work together to provide a richer, more fully realized picture of David's life and character. Smith paints a portrait of David that breathes life into the extraordinary man of God seen in the scriptures, while also bringing to vivid life his flaws and human frailties, making him painfully human and relatable. When David begins to justify taking additional wives in order to expand his household, the result of his all too common human ability to rationalize his desires will have ramifications far into the future. Abigail, so different from her predecessor Michal, is fully fleshed out into the intriguing character that's only hinted at in 1 Samuel 25. Abigail is the polar opposite of her foolish first husband - beautiful and wise, the abuse heaped on her during that marriage could have broken her character. Though she struggles with fear, jealousy, and trust, Abigail never allows her experiences to define her; rather, her faith takes those experiences and refines her into a woman whose bravery, faith, and compassion make her a thought-provoking, unforgettable inspiration.

I didn't think Michal could be topped, but with Abigail Smith rises to the challenge and proves to be an even more gifted wordsmith and storyteller. Her passion for scripture and biblical history shines through each page, bringing Abigail's world to life in brilliant detail. Like Michal, Abigail spans many years, and the time transitions scripture quotations are handled better, resulting in a smoothly flowing, rapidly paced read. I really feel like Smith captures the mindset and customs of the time, because she manages to bring Abigail and David's love story to life with credibility - a feat that by today's standards seems nearly impossible given that Abigail competed with David's other wives for his time and affection. The social dynamic Abigail operated within seems so foreign, but Smith succeeds in presenting the reality of a woman's life during this time period in a compassionate and understandable way. Once the historical trappings are stripped away, what endures is Abigail's character and her unshakeable faith in an unchanging God who helps her overcome her fears and grants her peace in the midst of life's storms - a lesson in faith that still resonates today.

I love this series by Jill Eileen Smith. Not only is it an incredibly interesting time period, but Jill has a way of getting inside the heads of these people and making you feel a part of the story. My caution is that anytime you are reading Biblical fiction you have to remember that the author is writing their interpretation of true events. It can be difficult to separate the fiction from the fact, but I think that good Biblical fiction is invaluable for making old stories current and relevant to our lives now. With that being said...

Abigail is a fascinating woman. She is in a horrid marriage to a stupid man and she goes behind his back after he insults David and she rescues the lives of all the men on her husband's estate. Instead of letting anyone kill him, she continues to honor him and God takes care of the situation. At that time she becomes David's next wife. Little understanding just how difficult that would be years later. Would she regret her decision later? She could never be David's one and only love, but she could be a woman of grace and strength.

I can not recommend this series by Jill Eileen Smith highly enough!

The book Abigail is a fascinating look into the life of King David, from the viewpoint of one of his wives. As an avid reader of scripture, I was pleased with the biblical consistency and accuracy of the story as the author showed specific scripture verses that her chapters are based upon. More exciting is the author's ability to place the reader into a completely different setting. Her descriptive use of words were so effective, I thought I could smell the smoke from the feast, taste the flavor of the figs and inhale the spices from the other foods. With each chapter, the author is able to place her readers right into the middle of King David's life. Brilliant!

I received an advance copy from Revell Books for review, and I enjoyed this book so much, I purchased a copy of the first book in the series, Michal. I would permit teen daughters to read these books, because they demonstrate relationships based on Biblical values. The author, Jill Eileen Smith, has homeschooled her sons and her writing style reflects a nonthreatening approach to teach young women about the value of placing God first in their lives.

The Bible is a wonderful book which provides us with many details about the lives of many people. Jill Eileen Smith is a wonderful author who is providing us a fictional glimpse into several of these people in her `The Wives of King David' series. The first book in this series is entitled `Michal: A Novel.'

Jill' second novel in this series is entitled `Abigail: A Novel.' Her life is chronicled in the Bible primarily in 1 Samuel 25. Jill fleshed out her story using a lot of research. She studied the Bible and visited Israel for her research, and I would assume she also used some extrabiblical resources. As a seminary student, I was very impressed with the detail in this book. She uses details that are found in the Bible, such as the Urim and Chummin (see 1 Samuel 14:41) and a parapet (see Deuteronomy 22:8), as well as providing details such as the fact that unleavened bread was cooked on a heated rock. She did a wonderful job of transporting me back to the period one thousand years prior to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Jill paints a wonderful and solid portrait of a faithful, honorable, beautiful and intelligent woman. Abigail had the displeasure, prior to her marriage to David, of being married to a dishonorable man by the name of Nabal. He was a selfish and wicked man, and he treated her with malice and unkindness. Despite that, she took action to protect Nabal from harm. Ultimately, the Lord protected her from this man by striking him down, and allowed her to be favored by David, the future king of Israel.

David is portrayed in a very complimentary light. He is definitely `a man after God's own heart' (Samuel 13:14). His decisions are made with Adonai as his main focus. And he comes across as handsome and charismatic - just as I am sure he was!

I appreciate Jill helping to bring the people from the Bible into more vivid life and light. It is always helpful to flesh out the stories so that they are more available for the current readers who may have little knowledge of daily life in the period of the Old Testament. The characters in the book are three dimensional. In addition to Abigail's beauty and intelligence, Jill is not afraid to show her as being selfish and jealous at time. And David, in addition to his charisma and battle acumen, has bouts of pride and lack of faith. I am grateful that Jill adds dimension to Abigail and to David, while not adding to or detracting from Scripture.

I look forward to reading `Michal,' which is in my collection. The next book in the series will be entitled `Bathsheba,' and will be released around February 2011. There has been so much speculation on the motives of that wife of David; that will definitely be an interesting story! The next series which Jill is working on will be the wives of the Patriarchs.

This book was provided to me by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, for review purposes.

Reviewed by Andrea Schultz - Ponderings by Andrea - [..]

Abigail: A Novel (The Wives of King David) by Jill Eileen Smith is about Abigail a beautiful and strong willed woman is betrothed to a handsome and rich man, Nabal. On their wedding night he is drunk and disrespects her father. Abigail tries to honor and respect her husband. Every day he abuses her but she keeps her head high. Her family decided to join a wandering tribe whose leader is David and he is traveling to avoid King Saul. King Saul does not like and respect David. David is destined to become King one day, and Saul is not fond of the idea. Abigail is released from her abusive husband when he suddenly dies. What is Abigail to do? Who will take care of her?
She is free and can move on with her life. With the help of her brother, Daniel she is taken in and protected by David. He marries her, and she is very happy. Although David marries many other wives throughout the story, he relies on her wisdom to help him serve God. Can David lead his people and still obey God? That question and many more are answered in the book.

Turmoil marked her life--what price must she pay for love?


My Review-
Although, I have not had the pleasure to read the first book in the series, I was able to read Abigail with no difficulty. Abigail is a wonderful book. I felt her pain, her triumphs and her happiness. It was realistic and believable. It showed how women lived in Biblical times, and it was well researched. I look forward to the next novel in the series Bathsheba.

I received a copy of the book from Revell and I was not compensated for the review of the book.

Abigail by Jill Eileen Smith brought to life King David's life, daily struggles, and humanity. Many times we have the tendency to place people up on a pedestal, but I admit I cringed several times while reading about David's many wives. David is a great man, one after God's own heart, but he had many weakness' and women was one of them. Polygamy is never good and is never how God intended marriage to be. I found Abigail to be an enjoyable read and gave me a wider perspective of how life could have been like for King David.