Customer Reviews

Pearl in the Sand: A Novel

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Historical fiction is one of my favorite books to read, but historical Biblical fiction? My all time favorite. Although I was supposed to be finishing another book I just couldn't resist sitting down to sneak in a few pages of this book based on the story of Rahab. However, once I had read a few pages I just couldn't quit.

I have always thought one way about Rahab, but reading this book with the explanations of their culture brought in made me think differently. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Salmon asks for her hand in marriage. I won't tell you what he says, but it took my breath away. I am probably showing my ignorance, but it was so beautiful to me because we are all like Rahab.

"Pearls in the Sand" ranks right up there with "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers and "The Chronicles of the Kings" by Lynn Austin.

It goes on my "must read" list for 2010!

Picture a woman who is betrayed by people she trusted, whose whole world falls apart and who builds emotional walls around herself to survive and avoid feeling the pain. Is this the author of a New York Times bestseller or a guest on the latest Oprah? Not exactly.

This woman is Rahab - the prostitute mentioned a few times in the bible - so skillfully brought to life by first-time novelist Tessa Afshar in "Pearl in the Sand" (Moody Publishers, 2010), that the story which takes place during and after the fall of the wall of Jericho transcends time and breathes life into a character full of the same fears, heartbreaks and joys we experience today.

The first reference to Rahab, in the Old Testament book of Joshua, tells how she hides Israeli spies in her house built into the wall of Jericho, brought down by Israel. Later we learn that she and her family, all spared during the siege because of Rahab's actions, settle permanently in Israel. She's referenced in other books, but no further clues about her destiny appear again in Scripture until we read in the Gospel of Matthew that she was married to a man named Salmon and had a son named Boaz.

Afshar has merged these few details with historical, biblical and archaeological information to create a sweeping tale of a woman's life and the complex relationship between her and Salmone (the author chooses an alternate, less "fishy" spelling for the name of her novel's hero). Just how does a prostitute from Jericho end up married to an important leader of Israel and the mother of Boaz, who was in Jesus' genealogy? The answers and the details laying their foundation make for excellent historical fiction, wrongly classified by some as romance.

The story involves some romance, of course, but the relationship between Rahab and Salmone hardly follows the formula of a handsome hero rushing in on a white horse to save a beautiful damsel in distress. Rahab has spent her whole life taking care of herself and doesn't exactly relish the thought of men coming into her life after having been sold into prostitution by her father as a means of providing food for the family. Society and religion brand her worthless and ruined. Salmone agrees, at least at first, until he's rebuked by Joshua.

"Pride is the bane of the righteous," the leader of Israel tells his soldier friend. "On the outside you may seem more upright than a woman with such a past, but God sees us from the inside."

Joshua places Rahab and her family under Salmone's care and he starts to get to know the woman hiding behind a wall of hurt and emotion.

The two marry, but the honeymoon never really begins as the couple can't figure out how to chip through the bricks of pain and insecurity that Rahab has erected, fortified by Salmone's judgment. Metaphorically, the fate of Jericho's and Rahab's walls are the same when God razes years of history and purges the past. It isn't until the dust clears that Rahab can see herself as a treasure, just like the pearl in the earrings given to her by her husband - a gem formed by years of protective layers protecting an initial hurt.

"Pearl" is a moving book. These are richly penned characters whom we get to know slowly and very well, much like we get to know people -- by journeying alongside each other through good times and bad. Discovering the depth of Salmone's feelings speaks to Afshar's skill in not depending solely on the point of view of the female protagonist.

The novel remains with us because of its relevance in modern times. Rahab's are lessons we're still learning today.

"I was really disappointed with God," yesterday, Rahab reflects, when he fails to answer her prayer request. "Why wouldn't the Lord answer my cry?"

She later comes to realize, however, that by not answering her prayer, God was able to enact a plan much bigger than the one she envisioned and one which offered an immediate solution to her being ostracized by the women of the village while bringing her faith to the attention of the man who would become her husband.

The story also remains with us because we'll never read again about the battle of Jericho without remembering there were people on the other side of that wall, or trudge through those long lists of "begats" without realizing that all of those names were real people with real stories just like ours.

Rahab struggles with her father's betrayal, with her self worth, with trying to separate past sexual encounters from the marriage bed and with forgiving herself. At one point she wonders whether she'll ever be remembered for anything besides her profession. Today we know her as a direct ancestor of the Messiah. That God can use any one of us, despite our pasts and mistakes, just like he did Rahab, isn't a bad lesson to learn in 2010 either.

Likely to be a contender for a 2011 Christy Award, "Pearl" is an oasis in the sometimes rather barren desert of Christian fiction. Readers must agree since the book, just released days ago, already is in its second printing.

Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar is a fabulous novel about Rahab from the Bible. I can't believe it took me so long to discover this great one! If you haven't read it yet, you certainly need to! It's a MUST read!

I have always loved the Biblical story of Rahab. What a picture of God's grace and redemption. The author takes the parts of Rahab's story that we do know directly from the Bible and then she fills in with a fictional story of what could have happened. The foundation is always the Biblical story, with the events that took place and characters from the Bible. I really love the way she wrote this story!

I felt as if I stepped back in time and met Rahab. From the minute I picked up the book and started it, I did not want to put it down. I read this one is just over a day because I just couldn't put it down. Even during the parts where it's taken straight from the Bible, and I really knew what was going to happen, I still found myself riveted to the pages. The author brought the Bible to life!

I VERY highly recommend this book to anyone. It is very beautifully written with an amazing blend of fact and fiction. It's suspenseful, dramatic, entertaining, and packs a powerful message! I absolutely cannot wait for more from this incredible author! I am definitely a new fan!

A future believed lost to save her family.
A Canaanite harlot...disgraced and full of shame.



Impenetrable Jericho walls and an inpenetrable human heart. Neither can keep out the one true God.

Two spies...
stalks of flax on a rooftop...
a lie...
a promise...
a scarlet cord...
an entire family saved...

Falling in love...impossible?
Being worthy of love and forgiveness...how can that be?

A beautiful story of the span of God's love and forgiveness and how He can use anyone from anywhere to fulfill His plans.
Maybe this fictional interpretation is Rahab's real story.
I hope so.

In Jericho, Canaan Rahab grows up as a contented girl until her family becomes destitute. Though ashamed and humiliated by his actions, her desperate father turns innocent fifteen year old Rahab into a prostitute in order to feed the family. Rahab vows to face her harlot duty with valor and select those who can use her services. She is very successful at her vocation with plenty of wealthy patrons. In fact she is so good, she buys an inn abut to the city walls as her place of business.

When Rahab rescues two Israelite spies, they thank her for saving their lives by informing her that the Israelite army will attack Jericho and that God has told them how to breach the wall. In gratitude, the operatives direct her to place a red ribbon above her family door so that she and her kin are saved from the onslaught. The assault leaves the entire city dead except for Rahab and her family who seek to join the conquerors. Judah military leader Salmone is irate the spies made a deal with a prostitute because he fears she and her family will bring trouble and idolatry worship. However, Rahab shows her love for the Israeli God and soon the warrior realizes he loves and wants her as his wife. She loves him, but fears he will always reject her as a pagan prostitute.

This is an entertaining biblical romantic work of biographical fiction starring two wonderful lead protagonists (from the Book of Joshua) whose cross-starred love seems doomed. Their relationship starts rocky and continues to remain troubled even though they fall in love and marry. The pace is leisurely, but fits nicely in the tone of the story line and its strong message that it is not your birth but your actions in regard to God that redeems the soul as further accentuated (though not in this novelization) by the Old Testament story of their more famous daughter-in-law.

Harriet Klausner

Pearl in the Sand is a story that makes you think. Rahab's story could have been exactly what Afshar has written. I hope that it was because it is a beautiful story.

Sometimes Biblical Historical Fiction leaves me confused about what is true and what is not even close to true. Afshar has mastered the art of telling a Biblical story that engages the reader.

Pearl in the Sand
TitleAuthor: Tessa Afshar
Publisher: Moody Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-8024-5881-0
Genre: Inspirational/historical/biblical

I was absorbed in this book from the minute I began reading it. It has been a long time since I was an avid reader, but this book had me hooked. I did find it had me running to the Bible often to look up battles I could not remember and other Biblical references. Afshar did not disappoint me, as this romantic tale is intertwined deeply with Biblical accuracy. While many are familiar with the story of the fall of Jericho and may be familiar with the union of Salmone and Rahab from the book of Matthew, we are left to wonder in silence how such a union occurred. How did the Canaanite woman, known to be a harlot, become the revered and loved wife of one of Judah's sons? Afshar takes dramatic and literary license to create a story based in Biblical history to help us fill in the blanks of what could have happened to bring this couple together to become the lineage of Christ.
Afshar uses Pearl in the Sand to teach the reader how the Lord can take anyone from a life of sin and use them and their lives to define a purpose for the world and themselves as individuals. Through the story, Rahab and Salmone both discover how to find value and worth in themselves and then, in each other. The Lord leads Rahab through self-healing and then takes into a world where she learns to learn herself and others.
This book was different from many I have read in a long time. Pearl in the Sand moved me to tears at times, as Rahab experienced pain and tears of her own. Afshar does well by taking the reader into the depths of Rahab's character. This is one story that has made me think about interactions with other and members of my family. Its message was timeless and will remain with me long after the words of the author fade.

This is one book I would recommend to anyone, Christian or those who do not yet know Christ. It has already been loaned to my neighbor to read. You may read more of this review at [...]

Wow! This is the first book I've read by Tessa Afshar, but it will not be the last. I love historical fiction, especially Biblical fiction. It always amazes me how the authors interpret the Bible stories, adding details to the stories that are not in the Bible. Tessa Afshar does not disappoint in this exciting novel about Rahab.

I think most people will be able to relate to and fall in love with Rehab. She exemplifies traits that we all have and her character is so real. She struggles with forgetting her past and getting on with her life, and is only successful when she acknowledges her love for Salmone, and together, they seek God's help.

This book is full of adventure and romance. Afshar's descriptions of the environment are detailed and stimulating. Finding this book was like finding a pearl in the sand, a real treasure. I give this book 5 stars!!

I post to both Goodreads and Shelfari as Silverbill and have well over 1,000 followers on each. Also an Amazon Prime member with a growing list of reviews.

An old, old story told in a new way. A must read or in my case listen as I first recieved an audio version. Now I have an ARC (advanced readers copy) which make rereading an absolute joy.

The story of Rahab is an very old Biblical story taken from the book of Joshua. Rahab's family was a farming one, who suffered several crop failures. Her father wanted to sell Rahab as a temple prositute but Rahab refused to be made such a public display of. A wealthy merchant offered seasonal employ as a concubine, which Rahab accepted for the sake of her family. This is a season in which to read this compelling page turner. It seems 5 stars is hardly enough for this fantastic book.

This book offers a plausable filling in of the details of the biblical character Rahab. Based on brief mentions in the Bible, Afshar weaves a compelling tale of redemption and faith while fleshing out Rahab. One of those books you won't be able to put down until you finish.