Abigail's Story (Women of the Bible)

A great story about the wonderfully brave Abigail from the Bible. Ann Burton paints a wonderful picture of a wonderfully brave yet normal woman who grew up in poverty and marries a monster to pay her brother's debt and keep her parents from being sold into slavery. She's sent into the country where she meets many of her husband's people who are starving. She also meets David who's an outlaw, slayer and future king. Abigail's a creative person coming up with a way to feed her husband's starving people and intervins to stop a war. A great story.

I think Ann Burton's books about Women of the Bible are the best! I have read 3 of her novels and I will never view these stories from the Bible the same way again. She really has a way of showing how these women lived and what their lives were like. PLEASE ANN, KEEP WRITING THESE BOOKS! THERE ARE MANY MORE WOMEN YOU COULD WRITE ABOUT!!!! If you haven't read these yet, you need to!!!!

It was a wonderful book, set in bible times. A fictional look at how they were real people. if you liked this book you would like Liz Curtis Higgs series Thorn in my Heart, Fair is the Rose and Wence came a Prince.

Abigail's Story is a fictitious novel based upon a little known but none the less important women from the Bible. Wonderfully blended with cultural enrichment from the era of King Saul , this reader found herself immersed into the day of a life of a poor potters daughter who's father riddled with what we know today as arthritis can no longer work the clay. Yet she provided for her family as she sales the clay she secretly turns herself. Events turn when she is forced to throw herself at the feet of the selfish, greedy,brutal Nabal as wife to pay off her brothers gambling debt lest her and her elderly parents by law be sold into slavery. Abigail's bravery bred out of necessity continues as the story once again takes a new direction as the "city girl" goes to the hills of Paran and must face the people her heartless husband starves as they tend his flocks. While carving a life among the herdsman and their clan she must ignore her heart that beats for the mysterious wandering Dal in the blue mantle. She is torn when she finally faces David, giant slayer, outlaw and future King of her people as commanded by the Adonai (Lord). Though she may be married to a monster she is still a married woman and must not commit adultery even if her husband rather see her dead. So when she must put her life at risk to intervene for the man she loves and for the people who have become her family only the one true Adonai can spare them. In the back of the book you will find a handy glossary as well as a short but interesting discussion guide. I look forward to Ann Burton's next two scheduled books in the Women of the Bible series beginning with Rahab's Story due this September.

When her father Oren who taught her to believe in Adonai and to make pottery, no longer could walk to the market, Abigail took over those chores as her older brother Rivai who should have done so was too much the foolish dreamer. Still she dreams of marrying for love and raising children together while worshipping Adonai. Her hopes for the future are shattered when Rivai owes a gambling debt to Nabal that he cannot pay. Abigail offers Nabal her hand in marriage as remittance because a family pays every member's debts; Nabal accepts. Being the Fool that he is,Nabal sends his spouse away to work with sheep. Although she still hopes to be a good wife, Abigail enjoys the solitude and the people she meets. One of those is David, who takes a liking to the proud strong young woman. However, when her husband the Fool refuses to provide food and liquid to a requesting David for his soldiers and actually insults the warriors, war seems imminent. Abigail tries to bring peace between the two men. Abigail is an interesting biblical character whose story is a short segment of the Book of Samuel. Ann Burton brings more than just Abigail to life as she paints a vivid deep look at a biblical time when Saul is the king. Ms. Burton through the first person account of the title heroine provides an intriguing glimpse at family life of shepherds, warriors, and artisans and obligations like debts. A glossary provides helpful definitions to what is a terrific biblical biographical fiction, the genesis of a new series. Harriet Klausner