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133 of 146 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An awesome book but....., May 25, 2005
This review is from: A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion #1) (Paperback)
I just finished "A Voice in the Wind" this evening and I'm already plowing through the second novel in the series. I read Francine Rivers first novel for the Christian market, "Redeeming Love", and was impressed with it. The Mark of the Lion Series lives up to the rave reviews, but I do have a few words of caution.
The novel is set in the Roman Empire of the first century and deals quite frankly with the society of the time. The story opens with the destruction of Jerusalem in 79 AD. Here we meet Hadassah and her family, trapped in the city by the Roman army. When Roman legionaires enter the city and slaughter its inhabitants, Hadassah's starving family is among their victims. Hadassah herself is taken prisoner and sold into slavery. The descriptions of death and war violence are vivid and this somewhat shocking opening sets the pace for the story to come.
Ancient Rome is probably one of the more captivating periods in history. The romance and splendor of the empire have been depicted in countless films and novels. Ms. Rivers effectively places the reader in the midst of this world, with all of its decadence and debauchery. While Hadassah is technically the main character, a great deal of time is spent developing the other characters in the story. These characters include Hadassah's owners, the Valerians, and a German gladiator named Atretes. Ms. Rivers deals very frankly with the sensual nature of ancient Rome. Many of the characters are promiscuous and the descriptions of the gladiator matches are graphic enogh to make you cringe. In all honesty I would have preferred less vivid detail. Sexual content is present. We don't read every lascivious detail, but we know that characters have slept together. The story deals with murder, abortion, idol worship, witchcraft and various forms of sexual depravity. Some have criticized the graphic nature of the stoty. However, as the novel draws to a close, we can see that Ms. Rivers has used these elements to show how depraved some of the characters are, throwing other character's virtues into sharp contrast.
Hadassah herself seems to represent what Christians should be. She falls just short of being too perfect, but one can't help but connect with her just the same. The climax of the novel is heart wrenching. This story is not about happy endings and we see virtually nothing resolved with the novel's cliff-hanger ending. However, we do see Hadassah mature into a model of Christ-like behavior that we should emulate. Aside from the graphic depictions of violent battles and the seemingly endless stream of debaucherous behavior, the story is engaging and powerful and will leave you with a great many things to think about in your own walk with the Lord. I would not recommend this novel for a young audience, however mature older teens might be able to handle it. Have the second book on hand as you'll race rather quickly through the last few chapters.
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46 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Surprise!, May 26, 2006
This review is from: A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion #1) (Paperback)
I don't normally read much in the way of fiction, but occasionally find historical fiction worthwhile for expanding the mind, so when an employee of mine recommended this book, I decided to give it a read. My initial assessment, after only 20 or 30 pages, was that Francine Rivers was a devoted Christian using her literary talents to witness for Christ. An admirable undertaking, to be sure, but I soon learned I underestimated the authors' ability. She has woven a tremendous story here and in the process, has reached out to disperse the good news of Christ through a captivating story.
I was first Impressed with Rivers as a writer by her glaring knowledge of the subject matter. Not just of the Christian aspect of the story, one would expect a Christian writer to well versed in that venue, but her knowledge and descriptive prose in battle tactics of two millennia ago. Weaponry is rather easy to comprehend with a little research, but to comprehend battle tactics of that era is a much deeper challenge and Rivers has mastered that challenge magnificently.
The story revolves around a young Jewess, her family killed by the Romans, taken captive and sold into slavery in Rome to a well-to-do Ephesian merchants family. She finds herself in the servitude of a Roman day Scarlett O'Hara, roughly a generation after the death and resurrection of Christ. Over what I gather to be roughly a seven year period in the service of the family, the young Jewess serves their every wish and has a profound influence upon all the family members, but is torn by her inability to make them understand her beliefs.
Rivers draws masterful parallels between Rome of 2,000 years ago and the U.S. today, particularly in the area of social decay, moral decline, juvenile disobedience and the overall degenerate social environment. Some might find this a stretch but readers well aware of the state of Roman society of the time will understand the correlations and know this is not just a writer using literary liberty to make a point. The truth is, the similarities of Rome, just prior to its fall, and the U.S. today are more than coincidental.
This is a well-told story with a message for all. It's not just run of the mill historical fiction, but rather a valuable work which will enrich the lives of readers open to its lessons. Upon finishing this one, I immediately ordered part II of this story.
Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com
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35 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why Did I Wait So Long?, January 21, 2002
This review is from: A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion #1) (Paperback)
The year is 70 AD. Hadassah has been captured at the fall of Jerusalem. Taken to Rome, she is bought to serve the Valerian family. The Valerians are having their own problems. Decimus, the father, is very traditional, yet his children, Marcus and Julia, embrace all the decadence Rome has to offer. Hadassah wants to share her faith in Jesus the Messiah with this family, but she cannot find the courage to do so. Meanwhile, Atretes has been captured in Germany and taken to Rome as a gladiator. As their lives intertwine, they will all face problems that will challenge who they are and what they believe. I just read this book for the first time, and can't believe I waited so long to do so. This is an amazing novel. The characters are strong, the writing is crisp, the plots are remarkable, and the detail given to ancient Rome makes it come alive. Every time I picked up this novel, I was drawn into its world and had a hard time putting it down. This was my introduction to the books of Francine Rivers, but by no means will this be my last. I am looking forward to finishing this series and exploring her other novels. She is truly a gifted author.
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