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The Stones

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This is a massive book, not just in size but in scope and sweep. Eleanor Gustafson takes the story of David as recorded through the eyes of Asaph and brings meat and sinew to the life of David. As you read, you see David taking on passion and emotion, you begin to understand the raw brutishness of Joab and the psychosis of Saul. And that is only in the first three chapters.

It has been a long time since I have picked up a book and had difficulty putting it down; it is only the press of other obligations that prevents me from attempting to consume this work in a single sitting. Even for a lifelong compulsive bookworm such as I, the 601 pages (including the addendum) does present a challenge for a non-stop read.

There is a study guide in the works which is intended to assist in using this for a book study group. There is much to be gleaned here through a group discussion of the life of David, the one who calls our Savior,his Lord in Psalm 110:1

I found this book in a search for novels about the life of King David and placed my order, expecting yet another soft, doe-eyed portrait of the famous Biblical character. I was happily surprised by it.
As a soldier and veteran, I can be quite frustrated when much of Christian literature contains scenes of interaction among fighting men that ring hollow. The Stones is one of the only books I have read that both accurately reflects the intensity of war and correctly portrays the bantering and (sometimes) crude teasing of warriors with one another.
Some readers might be put off by Gustafson's willingness to confront these realities, but that is precisely what they are-realities. Part of what shocked me is how realistic the thoughts, conversations, and motives of the soldiers were, since the author is a woman. This might be viewed as a sexist comment, but I believe it is just as difficult for a woman to capture a man's thoughts as it is difficult for a man to capture a woman's, and Gustafson has succeeded beyond what I have read previously. If you have ever wondered what might have gone on around the campfires of David's army or in the halls of the royal palace, this is as close as you are going to get.
Beyond that, the spiritual depth and devotion to historical accuracy is remarkable in this novel. It paints on a broad canvas, yet never seems to be slow-paced. The descriptions of manners, customs, and the fascinating examination of cherem (the total destruction of enemies frequently recorded in Scripture) are top-notch.
An outstanding novel, and one that I am already recommending to friends. There is even a study guide, which I eagerly look forward to going through in a church Bible study.

I am being blessed by reading Eleanor Gustafson's THE STONES! Although I have read the Bible accounts of David all my life, and have preached on them all my adult life (I am a pastor), Eleanor Gustafson makes David's character (and those of the people who surround him) come alive for me in a wonderfully fresh way. Of course, I've known for years that she is an outstanding writer. But this book shows that she also has a vast grasp of Bible history, Holy Land geography, and, in addition, a magnificent, sanctified imagination. I heartily recommend this book.

King David's name conjures up images of a youth with a sling facing off a towering giant with near universality. We know of his triumph, renown as a warrior, falling-out with Saul, sin with Bathsheba, siring of Solomon, the rebellion of his son Absalom - and other salient facts. However, the details of his life: the many battles, wives, and moments of abandoned praise and utter dependence so easily slip through the cracks of the terse and often dry recitations of his accomplishments as King of Israel in scripture.

Drawing directly from biblical accounts of David's life, Eleanor Gustafson weaves scriptural and historical accuracy together with imaginative emotional nuances and interactions in The Stones, an epic work of biblical fiction. Though 600 pages the story moves along at a rapid pace. Covering a lifetime of spiritual and military achievement, the scenes must shift quickly while still imparting a thorough understanding of the explored events. There are no allowances here for Gustafson to slip into unnecessary wordiness resulting in a large novel where each page is filled with vivid action.

While remaining within the confines of cultural context Gustafson subtly probes the questions most modern readers encounter. Most notably she looks beneath the surface of plural marriage and the utter annihilation of God's enemies upon His request. Her touches upon these matters are light, and attempt to explore issues that may have caused some emotional difficulties even in a time when they were permitted, and at times commanded by God.

Gustafson's David is masterfully wrought. Illuming the heart and soul of a warrior poet, his passion, strength, bravery, and even ferocity lending themselves to his musical talent rather than the two aspects standing apart from one another. His inherent sense of deep loyalty, honour and love is offset by his all too human failings. A man like any other - David's sins are mercifully forgiven by God while the implicit promise of the Christ's child's birth through David's line remains, even through difficult times of chastisement from his heavenly father.

The strong themes of military camaraderie, filial love and battle strategy will certainly ring true for men, creating one of the rare Christian novels that male readers will enjoy as much as the large, female readership of biblical fiction. David is no namby-pamby, and the brutalities of military life are quite evident in this version of his life. While not needlessly graphic for gore's own sake, Gustafson's portrayal of war is realistic, and pulls no punches when it comes to the details of David's violent, kingdom-conquering empire.

Gustafson's integration of David's psalms within actual events in his life adds additional historic relevance to one of the most loved books of the Bible. So often we read the book of Psalms with an eye only to what these verses mean to us, and how they apply to our lives, rather than considering what they meant to the author himself.

With a large cast of characters from David's life: priests, warriors, foreign rulers, wives, concubines, children, prophets, musicians, and common folk - it's simply not possible to embue each individual with deep, rich characterization. Many players are simple sketches with basic attributes outlined. David himself is the masterwork, fully fleshed through his various roles, responsibilities and moods. Of his wives Abigail is the most prominent with her sure, practical management of his household. David's general Joab, Saul's son Joab, David's son Absalom and Asaph - the Levitical musician whose biographical writings form the bulk of the novel, his reflections the narration - are all respectably fleshed out.

Helpful character lists are provided both alphabetically and categorically for those of us who are confused by the Hebraic character names, and large number of names. A glossary is provided for the light spattering of Hebrew words (very few). One inclusion I dearly would have appreciated is a blackline map sketching out David's territory, that of his enemies and notations indicating the sites of major cities and battles.

Though extensive geographic descriptions and directions are provided in the text it was impossible for my mind to construct a mental map. My biblical geography knowledge is nearly non-existent and I'm spatially challenged. Much of this detail went straight over my head. If the shifting territorial boundaries during David's reign made a single map unfeasible, perhaps a pre-David, post-David, two map spread would be appropriate.

David's calling as a God-anointed warrior king during the Old Testament may seem foreign, even harsh to the sensibilities of New Testament Christianity. I've often wondered what it was about David that made him a man after God's own heart. Was it his heart for worship, his passionate longing, or repentant nature that led God to memorialize David in these terms, or some beautiful melody drawn for these aspects and more? Through The Stones I took one step closer to understanding and loving this mighty man who was much used and loved by God.

This is a wonderful read on the life of David. I find myself highlighting little thoughts, quotes, and even extended passsages. It is THAT good. I find it inspires, encourages me to reflect, and best of all it really breathes color and life into the familiar story of King David. It has an easy flow that is only interupted by one's own reflection and pauses to wonder, to say "Amen," and to whisper a prayer - "There but for the grace of God."

Buy this book - read it - and pass it own to all those you love.

Eleanor Gustafson captured the essence of the books of Samuel and Chronicles, adding the perfect amount of humanity and realism to draw the reader into her beautifully told tale, "The Stones". The story of the shepherd-boy son of Jesse who became King David is an absolute joy to read. Scripture comes to life in three dimensions and jumps off the page and into the reader's imagination as the exploits of David and Jonathan are regaled in retrospect by the Levite musician, Asaph. Following David through his faith-filled stand against the Philistine giant through every trial, failure and victory on the way to being the greatest king of Israel and a man after God's own heart, "The Stones" brilliantly portrays scripture with a bit of drama to whet the Christian fiction reader's appetite for a wonderful story.

Don't let the size of this novel intimidate you. It is completely worth the effort. It may be a bit long, but I believe it would be a wonderful reading group pick for those who would like to soak up the Bible along with their fiction. This is a terrific book!

The entire life of David (well, almost his entire life) is a long, ambitious tale for a novelist to re-create; but in The Stones Eleanor Gustafson has done remarkably well. Telling the story through Asaph, one of David's Levites, she indeed writes as a man likely would, employing a direct, no-nonsense style with little description of people or places. It is a style well-suited to her subject, focusing as she does on David's career as a warrior. In fact, there is almost as much spotlight on David's general Joab as there is on David himself, and the domestic side of David's life is relegated mostly to the background. This military slant, as well as her unsentimental, pragmatic and action-driven way of telling David's story, should appeal to men as well as women, and it makes for fast reading as well; although The Stones is nearly 600 pages of small print, it moves quickly.

Overall I think Gustafson has done well at capturing the essence of David: a man extraordinarily gifted at the big, hard things (the art of war and the art of music) but woefully inept at the mundane things (being an effective husband and father). The way she depicts dialogue makes the characters feel almost modern, yet she sticks to the Biblical account. I especially liked how she worked many of David's psalms into the narrative, and also the theme of stones that ran throughout the book.

One word on the dialogue -- about the only thing I didn't appreciate about this book was David's use of the word "b_____d", and that in its modern, expletive sense and not in its archaic sense as a term for a person born out of wedlock. Yes, it only happened two or three times, but that was two or three times too many. Her warning in the preface that this book is rated PG-13 notwithstanding, finding profanity in Christian fiction was totally unexpected and jarring. It was completely unnecessary to the story, and I'm puzzled that the publishers chose to leave it in.

The only other dissatisfaction I had with the book was the way the author interpreted Bathsheba. What led me to read The Stones in the first place was dissatisfaction with two other novels on David and Bathsheba that I had recently read. I was unhappy with the way both authors chose to interpret Bathsheba and her relationship with David, and was hoping this author would take a different tack. While I do think Gustafson handled it better overall -- her aforementioned unsentimental style meant that she (thankfully) did not turn the David/Bathsheba episode into a dreamy romance -- still I was dissatisfied that, for the most part, she interpreted Bathsheba in pretty much the same way as other authors have done: unhappy with her husband Uriah and physically attracted and drawn to David. Scripture is nearly silent on Bathsheba; it says she was beautiful, and that's it. So with the endless possible ways her character could be developed, why do authors all seem to go down the same path with her? If I were novelizing the story of David and Bathsheba, I would interpret her in a completely different way; I guess I'll just have to write my own version someday.

In spite of these two complaints, which aren't terribly major overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its complete departure in style from most Christian fiction currently being written by women. It is well-written and made for a nice change of pace. I highly recommend it and, for further study of the life of David, I recommend (besides the Bible, of course) Charles Swindoll's NF work on David (Volume 1 of his Great Lives series).

Eleanor Gustafson does an amazing job of bringing King David to life as well as all the characters who surround him. While remaining biblically accurate she has crafted a the story in a way that grips the reader. This book is a true page turner. This is one book that every avid reader on your list will love. If the reader on your list, particularly the male reader on you list, is complaining because there favorite writer hasn't turned out a new book recently, buy them a copy of this book for Christmas.

The Stones is a rich multi-course feast for lovers of historical fiction. Exhaustively researched and skillfully crafted, it plunges the reader into the time and place and brings the larger-than-life person of Israel's great warrior-king into sharp detail. Gustafson has done a remarkable job of weaving her threads, the warp of the Scriptural accounts with the woof of her creative explorations of the lives and loves of David and his court. No familiarity with the Bible is necessary to enjoy the tale, but those who know the Psalms and Old Testament accounts will enjoy the sudden recognition of ancient words coming alive - "You anoint my head with oil" takes on a whole new resonance after you read about Jonathan's surprise visit to his exiled friend.

Told from the perspective of the court musician, Asaph, the story traces David's rise to power beginning when he is an exile from the court of King Saul. The artifice of the biographer, reporting what he has learned from sources "inside" the story, works well for a modern reader accustomed to this form. Asaph's voice is very much a part of the tale, whether he is recalling his fascination as an aspiring court musician with the musically gifted king, or explaining earnestly that he learned details of life within the harem from his wife.

There are no plastic saints in this tale, no glossing over the horrors of ancient warfare or the womanizing that brought the King to disaster. Blood runs thick on the battlefield and from the altar. Gustafson rates her novel "PG-13" and it is definitely not a Sunday School storypaper. What it is is a ripping good tale, one that will carry you through a sea of confusing names beginning with "A" and on into the heart of one of history's, and faith's, great enigmas.

It's worth noting that while Gustafson is an evangelical, her fidelity to the voice of her narrator makes this a book that can be read and enjoyed by Christians of all denominations, faithful Jews and indeed anyone with an interest in the ancient world.

I can tell this book was written by someone smarter than I, and I enjoyed the stretch to broaden my mind. Even if you are not a Christian, this character is unlike any other in depth and passion. David is completely fascinating. You will see so much of yourself and others in him. So interesting to me (as a Christian) is the picture of God that this story of David brings out. This God is big, loving, forgiving, understanding, and complicated. To think that God created us in His image, and that David was a man after His own heart, is almost too much to comprehend. This story will reach you, strike a chord in you, and resonate in your spirit. Don't miss this experience!