Again another interesting novel from Angela. It's good to be reminded of history & how story telling is part of our lives. Seeing God faithfully reward those that seek his face and acknowledge his power & love is helpful to me today.

This second novel set in what Christians generally refer to as the Inter-testamental period was interesting.
Many Western Evangelicals have not read and will not touch the Old Testament Apocrypha, believing it to be heretical in some way (no doubt as a result of confusion with some of the dubious content a pseudo-gospels of the NT Apocrypha).

Which is a shame, because it recounts some fascinating historical events. I've read some parts of it, although not the 2 books of Maccabees, which relates the exploits of the Jewish priestly family who rebelled against the Greek King Antiochus II, who tried to ban the practice of Judaism and the keeping of the law in the 2nd century BC. I know something about them before reading this, but not a lot.

This novel, briefly, was supposed to retell the story of the times from the perspective of Judah Maccabeus, the most famous of five sons who led the rebellion, and his fictional wife Leah. It starts out as a traditional romance, with Leah seeing her arranged marriage as a way to escape her abusive father, but then struggling to find her place in her husband's family.

The situation then becomes more difficult when observant Jews like the Maccabees find themselves on the wrong side of the law, as the authorities try to force them to worship pagan gods. From about halfway through, there are a lot of battle scenes, and details recounting military campaigns so that the romance takes the back foot. I personally don't mind that, because I prefer straight out historical fiction with some romantic elements to fluffy romance, with some superficial 'history bits' thrown in. I understand that might not be according to everyone's taste though.

I think what got to me was how the plot fell back on one of the usual tropes of the romance genre, which was some kind of misunderstanding keeping the characters apart/from developing their relationship. In this case, the 'misunderstanding' was that Leah supposedly hated violence: because her father was violent, she believed that her husband would physically abuse her as well. Then, when he started going to war, she became convinced it was all the more likely he would start beating her up. Thus, Leah started acting like a total brat, throwing tantrums; and using emotional blackmail to try to force her husband to change and do what she wanted or provoke him into divorcing her.

This made it harder to warm to or sympathize with Leah, particularly because after being married for years in which her husband had given no reason to assume he was inclined to domestic violence or had an inherently violent nature, she still suspected that he would suddenly turn: because of what happened in her childhood and because he was a warrior.
It was just a totally unrealistic and inconsistent attitude. Fighting to preserve the freedom of his people and their religion did not mean he would be abusive to her. There's a big difference. As usual, the whole problem was resolved by talking (why couldn't they have done that earlier?), and prayer: which is not a problem, but is pretty typical in religious fiction.

After the resolution, Leah developed more to become less annoying, and the story improved. So it was a decent read overall which breaks from the typical HEA ending. (Spoiler Alert) Which, in hindsight, I thought was a good thing, since real life doesn't work out like a fairy tale a lot of the time. Recommended for lovers of historical fiction which is lighter on the Romance side.

I requested an ARC from the Publisher via NetGalley and listened to the audiobook which I purchased of my own volition. I was not required to write a positive one, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Angela Hunt is fast becoming one of my favorite Biblical fiction authors. She knows how to weave in a beautiful story with characters you can easily sympathize with a come to care about.

Leah and Judah are such characters. Their love story starts out innocently but quickly they find themselves married and discovering what love really is.

The story of Jewish persecution is so sad and to know that is goes on for years makes it even more so. Overall, a wonderfully written story that you will enjoy.

A copy of this book was given to my by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I have always found it interesting that the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes is prophesied in Daniel, and yet the account of the Maccabees’ courageous stand against him is not part of the official Biblical canon (although it is a part of the Apocrypha in I & II Maccabees). The story of the Maccabean Revolt is well known to Jews through the annual celebration of Hannukah, which commemorates the rededication of the Temple following its purification, but it’s less well known to Christians unless they’ve studied the prophecies of Daniel or intertestamental Jewish history. So when I found out that Angela Hunt’s next book was going cover the Maccabean Revolt, I was eager for a front row seat.

Having said that, it’s a pretty ugly and brutal time in Jewish history, and for that reason, I think it was a great decision to make the historical events the backdrop for what is in some ways a coming-of-age story—and a moving one at that. From a young girl who lived her life in constant fear of her father’s violence and doubted HaShem’s love, Leah grew to be a woman of strength who could see HaShem’s loving hand even in the midst of her sorrow. But it was not an easy path.

One of the greatest strengths of this novel is Hunt’s portrayal of Leah’s and Judah’s characters; they were complex, but entirely believable. Judah was both a gentle giant and a ferocious warrior, and Leah’s struggle to understand and accept this was a big part of her journey. So too was her struggle to understand genuine love in all its different guises—both here on earth and from HaShem in heaven—and to reach a place where she could offer that love in return, particularly to Judah. It’s a testament to Hunt’s storytelling ability that this maturation in Leah was so convincing amidst the upheaval and violence she so abhored.

Backed as it was by Hunt’s solid historical research and masterful narrative, this was a gripping and emotional read.

Judah's Wife is a very special, enjoyable and amazing Jewish story of Judah Maccabeus. He is a special Jew related to the story of Hanukkah. Wonderful huh? The book also has War, fighting and violence but I didn't mind it because so does the Bible. It is about Judah and his wife Leah who had a hard, unstable childhood. She marries Judah, a very sweet, kind and gentle man. They fall under the rule of Antiochs V a descendant of Alexander the Great, not a nice guy and has a bad attitude about the Jews and what happens is..... If you like Biblical stories that come to life off of the pages this is the book for you. It is a very striking and so enjoyably interesting book that you will love.

Judah's Wife
A Novel of the Maccabees
by Angela Hunt
Bethany House
Bethany House Publishers
Christian
Pub Date 02 Jan 2018
I am reviewing a copy of Judah's Wife through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

Leah suffered a hard childhood. Seeking peace and safety she marries Judah, a strong, gentle man, for the first time in her life Leah believes she can rest easily, but the Land is ruled by Antiochs V a descendant Of one of Alexander the greats generals. He issues a decree that all Jews will conform to Syrian laws or risk death. Devout Jews who don't bow down to these laws risk all they have, and all they are to follow the laws of Moses.

Judah's Father refuses to follow the decree, leading to his death. But before he dies he asks his son to continue the fight or bear responsibility for what happens to the land of Judah. Leah wants nothing but peace so she struggles with her husbands decision. She finds herself wondering what kind of God would destroy the peace she fought so long for.

The story of the Maccabees, and the miracles is told through the eyes of Judah's Wife who learns love requires both courage and sacrifice.

I give Judah's Wife five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

What a wonderful story this is as it takes the rich history of Israel and weaves it into a tapestry that explains a little-known piece of the history of the children of Israel. A history full of turmoil and faith. Don't miss this book!

Recently, I found myself very interested in understanding the origins of Hanukkah. So I started looking at historical texts like the Books of Maccabees and the writings of Josephus, and I looked for lots of helps from others in understanding these ancient documents. Providentially, right in the middle of this search, I was asked to review an ARC of Angela Hunt’s next book, Judah’s Wife. I agreed, actually thinking it was Biblical fiction about Jacob’s son Judah, but then quickly found out that it was fiction about the life of Judah Maccabaeus, also know as Judas Maccabee, the human hero of the story of Hanukkah (because of course, God is the real hero!) I couldn’t believe God had sent me this book to read right as I was desiring to learn more about the origins of this holiday!

I so enjoyed reading this book! It met a desire I had to understand the story behind Hanukkah by making me feel as if I were right there, living it with Judah and Leah. I am so glad that Hunt chose to tell the story by alternating between their perspectives because hearing Leah’s perspective every now and again made the gruesome battles and rather boring tactical stuff that is the bulk of Judah’s story palatable and relatable. I said to my husband at one point that the book had more violence and fighting than I would have liked, but that the Maccabees themselves probably would have said the same thing about their lives so it was probably appropriate.

While others of Hunt’s books have bothered me because I felt like she took too much leeway with historical and Biblical facts, I knew so little about this period of history that I have no idea how much leeway she took other than what she discloses in the author’s note at the end, which was very informative and helpful to my learning. So that was not a problem for me with this book.

I think what I enjoyed the most about this book is how much I learned from the Maccabaeus family. I never realized how relevant their story would be to my life, but I was truly inspired by their refusal to compromise when it came to worshiping and obeying God. Whether the pressure to conform came in the form of persecution or in the form of promises of comfort and ease, they saw it for what it was and refused to stray from the path marked out for them by Scripture. This book added much to our family’s first celebration of Hanukkah, and I know I will return to it often as we celebrate in the future.

Angela Hunt brings to life yet another fascinating piece of history in Judah's Wife. Much as she did in Egypt's Sister-- the first in her Silent Years series-- Hunt uses the historical fiction genre to tell stories about people and places most modern Christians know very little about. Hunt's portrayal of the Maccabean revolt from an insider's perspective was masterfully accomplished. Leah's inner struggle to come to terms with God's will in her life and for His people, as well as her own journey to understand the nature of real love were equally beautiful. While the love story between Judah and Leah was more satisfying than the virtually non-existent one in Egypt's Sister, I still could have done with more. I realize that history-- rather than romance-- play the larger role in Hunt's works, but the amount of time Leah and Judah actually spend content in their marriage was short, and a bit rushed. While I understand their importance, and appreciate the historical accuracy involved, I also admittedly grew tired of-- and even resorted to skimming through-- the many, many battle scenes depicted in the novel. Overall, I enjoyed Hunt's latest, and look forward to future additions to the Silent Years collection.