Customer Reviews

Unshaken: Ruth (The Lineage of Grace Series #3)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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Francine Rivers has become my favorite author. The story of Ruth has made me long to be an example of a Godly woman ,of this century. I can only struggle to put my feelings into words..when Francine Rivers paints beautiful word pictures in our minds as we read her work. Ruth and her devotion,I want to be like her!! As i look into my young daughters eyes..i am in wonder on how to raise a child to have such passion for God like Ruth. May the story of Ruth make everyone who reads of her, be inspired to continue on in their lifes journey with a new perspective.. Thank you Francine Rivers, for giving us deep soul searching books that challenge us women to go on...

When I first picked up this book, I began to read it with my safety net of doubt firmly in place. Most of the biblical fiction I've encountered over the years have been full of stiff dialog or narrowly researched story lines that lose the readers interest in it's quest to drive home a moral or spiritual point. This one is different.

Rivers tossed that bad habit of stiff dialog out the window when she wove together this partly fictional account of Ruth, Naomi and Boaz. As one of my favorite stories since I was a little girl, it was so warming to read more about Ruth, and I was delighted that Rivers kept her character true to her original, biblical presentation. She didn't try to remind us that Ruth was a girl like any of the rest of us, by pointing out her flaws or catching her in her weak moments. Instead she portrays her as a strong, faithful, trusting woman whose faith in God matures as she makes her new life with her mother-in-law after her husband dies. Rivers understanding and research of biblical culture and customs more fully explains the impact of Ruth leaving her family to move back to Naomi's home town, this enlightenment brings even more meaning to a story I assumed I already completely grasped.

Rivers also adds a great deal of humor in her character's dialog and actions. She gives the reader a great visua,l which is especially important when we already know the basic outline and outcome of the story.

I fully recommend this book to anyone who has read the story of Ruth and Boaz a hundred times and still finds themselves thinking about the details we might never know the full truth of.

Francine Rivers continues her excellent Lineage of Grace series with the story of Ruth. She follows the familiar narrative in the Bible as Ruth's husband and father-in-law die and she accompanies her mother-in-law Naomi back to her native Bethlehem. Throughout the book we see Ruth's courage and the faith she had adopted during her marriage to Naomi's son. She never stops believing that God will guide her to a better life and does not give in to the temptation of the false gods which surround her. Rivers has a way of remaining true to the Bible and yet fleshing out the stories so that they remain vivid in the reader's mind.

There are only two authors whose books I buy just because their name is on them, and Francine Rivers is one of those two. _Unshaken_, the latest in her Lineage of Grace series, simply reinforces my opinion. Her greatest gift is in realistic portrayal of characters. Ruth isn't a far-off character, but a woman with struggles, hopes, difficult emotions, and dreams just like I am. I can empathize with multiple characters in the book and learn more about myself through each of them. In the process of the book, I am given a better understanding of my relationship with God and am challenged to be a woman as Ruth was. _This_ is what I consider a true romance: nothing frothy, but deep, true, and pure throughout.

I know Ruth's story well, but this book was a wonderful "fleshing" out of the biblical version. It answers the questions of who Ruth was before she married Naomi's son, and why she felt it necessary to go with Naomi, even after Orpah turned back.

The situation Ruth & Naomi were in during their stay in Bethlehem could not be any worse. Gradually, the people of Bethlehem realized that although Ruth was a foreigner, she was a good and humble person who only wanted to provide for Naomi. The love story between Boaz and Ruth is romantic, in a way. How lucky they were to have Naomi as an intermediary.

Enjoy this book. I am going to continue reading the series.

The story of Ruth is one of my all time favorites, and I looked forward to reading Ms. River's adaptation with some anticipation. I was not disappointed. I was a bit bogged down in the end part where she tried to portray the couple as one who had problems to make them human and bring it to today. I look forward to the next book.

I have heard the story of Ruth's dedication to her mother-in-law Naomi, but again, Francine Rivers brings life and cultural context to this poignant Old Testament story. Naomi thought her life over when her husband and her two only sons had died. Moreover, she was a foreigner in this land her husband had brought her to years prior.

How God works in wonderful ways! And ways that are above our human understanding! This story brings awareness that human decision making based on human reasoning is so far from the glory that God would have for us. It this tale, this is evident in Elimelech's decision to "provide for his family because God was providing in the Promised Land;" in Ruth's decision to stay with Naomi rather than to return to her own family's prosperity, in Boaz's decision to wait on God for his wife--if he were to ever marry, in Ruth's decision to take Boaz's wise hand in marriage rather than accept a younger more handsome man. Each case demonstrates how much greater our life is if lived for the Lord! God provided to those that remained faithful to Him.

What a wonderful love story! A nice parallel to the previous generation of Boaz's father Salmon accepting a foreign woman, the Canaanite Rahab from Jericho, as Boaz takes Ruth, a Moabite woman, for his own. Another step in the direction of the birth of the Savior, Jesus!

I recommend this book and the others in this series by Rivers. I especially recommend reading the book and then going back to the Old Testament story and comparing.

After reading this book one can see how Ruth is an amazing inspiration. She is wonderfully portrayed as a virtuous woman who sacrifices all to care for her widowed mother-in-law. The care she gives Naomi is a true example of someone who loves faithfully and is committed to doing what is right, even when it could cost everything.

Francine Rivers pulls out things from scripture that are not typically considered, such as the cost to leave home and dangerous journey back to Naomi's homeland. Since Ruth was a foreigner, people probably rejected her, ignored her, or treated her poorly once she entered into Jerusalem. Details of Ruth's faithfulness and diligence are described beautifully.

This book is wonderfully written. I highly recommend reading this book along with the others in this series.

What else can I say? Francine Rivers is awesome and so is this entire series. Easy reading that you can't put down until you are finished.

She had so many factors againist her journeing to the promised land but she overlooked them and kept an eye on God. Never giving into the easy route but took care of her mother in law. She was a hard worker and a humble loving person. This story is great for the person who doesn't believe they are good enough but come out the shining star.