The Return to Zion (Zion Chronicles) [Paperback]

Bodie Thoene (Author)

Book Description

Series: Zion Chronicles | Publication Date: October 1987

The Jewish people, gazing down the vista of time, had longed for the rebirth of their nation. That day was now upon them, but could they endure its accompanying fury?

The first two books in THE ZION CHRONICLES, The Gates of Zion and its sequel, A Daughter of Zion, graphically portrayed the courage and hope of the Jewish people streaming into Israel after the Holocaust. The drama of history and the heart-stopping life-and-death struggle of a nation are captured by bestselling author Bodie Thoene in the lives of the people who live on these pages.

The Return to Zion opens during the final month of British occupation in Palestine. With Moshe the target of a dangerous conspiracy and Rachel imprisoned behind the walls of the Old City, David and Ellie marshall efforts in the last-ditch attempts of the Jewish Agency to arm its people against the onslaught that surely will come on the day the British forces leave Palestine.

ENGULFED IN DARKNESS AND HOPELESSNESS, THEY WONDERED WHAT DIFFERENCE THE PROMISES TO ISRAEL MADE NOW?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

BODIE AND BROCK THOENE (pronounced Tay-nee) have written over 45 works of historical fiction. That these best sellers have sold more than 10 million copies and won eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards affirms what millions of readers have already discovered-the Thoenes are not only master stylists but experts at capturing readers' minds and hearts. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers; Book Club edition (October 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871239396
• ISBN-13: 978-0871239396
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #884,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Never read anything I enjoyed so much. Spectacular!!!, May 5, 1999

By 

Megan Villa - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Return to Zion (Zion Chronicles) (Paperback)

Never have I come across a better author. Bodie Theone (tay-nee) is truly amazing. These books are full of drama. It's like the characters became my friends. When I finished the series, It felt as though I lost some good friends. I really don't know if I could be as entertained, enlightened and fulfilled by reading anything else after reading this series. Originally I was checking the series out one at a time from the library. But when I realized I'd finally found something I couldn't put down, I figured I better buy the whole series. I have never bought books before, because I've never found anything worthy of being read more than once. I was just so compelled and I want to share her writings with all my friends and family. She's spectacular. So is anything written by her husband Brock, who helps her co-write everything. It's almost like watching a movie, because there are so many plots intertwined. I was shocked to read the epilogue in RETURN TO ZION. You'll have to find out for yourself. Just don't start reading in the middle of the series. If I could never read another authors works but one it would be the Theone's. - Megan Villa

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book Series Ever, February 15, 2000

By 

Georgianne Barnett (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Return to Zion (Zion Chronicles) (Paperback)

Ever since I finished this series several years ago, I have been longing for another "Zion" series. These historical novels set in Israel are so spellbinding. The romance and intrigue keep you on the edge of your seat. Have never found anything to compare to this Bodie Thoene series. Am eagerly awaiting the new "Zion Legacy."

5.0 out of 5 stars Works as both historical novel and Christian fiction, September 5, 2010

By 

Nina M. Osier (Randolph, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Return to Zion (Zion Chronicles) (Paperback)

The British occupation of Palestine is in its final month, and the Jews living in the Old City in Jerusalem are within days of starvation. They are also freezing, as fuel supplies dwindle and every attempt at resupply meets with Arab ambush. Will they survive long enough to see a free Israel at last? And if they do survive that long, will their once friendly but now jihad-bent neighbors destroy them as soon as the British leave? That's the time and place setting for this third book in the Zion Chronicles, which follow characters familiar to readers from the Zion Covenant series as well as introducing new ones.

Rachel Lubetkin survived the war in Europe by servicing Nazi soldiers as an unwilling prostitute. For this the Old City's technical leader, Rabbi Akiva, condemns her. But others, including Akiva's own daughter, love the young woman who is about to wed Jerusalem native and freedom fighter Moshe Sachar. American war ace David Meyer, stung by the resurgence of discrimination against Jews in post-World War II America, flies for what will soon become Israel's founding government; while Ellie Warne, the Gentile reporter whom David loves, covers the conflict with dedication that often places her in harm's way. These are a few of the characters that people this book, with even the villains coming to multidimensional life as the story develops.

That story moves quickly and stays faithful to the history it recounts. The authors weave their characters' faith journeys, which are by no means always smooth ones, into the novel with almost seamless naturalness. This is a book worth the read for both those who prefer Christian fiction, and those who simply love a good, accurate, character-driven historical novel.

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of GRANITE ISLAND