Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews
Series: Book 1 of Treasures of His Love
Publisher: Revell (March 1, 2011)
REVIEW BY MAE CLAIR
I love just about anything Mesu Andrew writes but was hesitant to read this because she uses Job as a central character. I had already read the following three books in the series, but was worried this would be horribly bleak. Despite my reluctance to give it a chance, the book kept popping up in my suggested reading lists. Then I saw Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, factored into the plot which was enough to make me take the plunge. I always felt badly for her.
This book promised to address her future after Shechem, so, with more than a little trepidation, I borrowed the Kindle version from my local library. I figured if it was a bust, I wasn’t out anything, right?
Uh… duh! I should have just followed the Lord’s prompting to begin with. Talk about a complete surprise! I loved the novel so much, I ordered a paperback copy from Amazon.
I realize this is fiction based on Biblical happenings and individuals, but Ms. Andrews did a fantastic job of weaving plausible story lines together. Joseph even gets to make an appearance, and many of the secondary characters stole my heart. All characters are well developed, and the various plot lines are given meticulous attention for intricate weaving.
Most of all, I liked seeing a possible conclusion to Dinah’s story, something the Bible doesn’t show us after the destruction of Shechem. Because of the placement of the books of the Bible in the Old Testament, I never made the connection that Jacob, Joseph, Job, and Dinah would have all lived at the same time.
“What? Who?” Job stood beside him, looking in the direction of his cousin’s gaze, but he couldn’t imagine what would have turned Zophar’s mood so quickly.
“That murderess of Shechem!”
Job immediately glanced at Dinah’s tent.
“Yes, her!” Zophar screamed. “How could you allow her to defile your camp?”
Love Amid the Ashes, Mesu Andrews
Yes, parts of the story are grim, and there is heartbreak as expected, but there is also “love amid the ashes,” and a glorious building and rebuilding of faith. The changes that took place in Job, Dinah, Sitis, Aban, and Noghala are wonderous and inspiring. This is a tale about love and forgiveness. For fans of Biblical fiction, it’s well-crafted and brings the Bible and the people who populated it to life. Of all the Biblical fiction I’ve read, this one rates among my all-time favorites.
Five enthusiastic fishes!
I purchased the paperback version of Love Amid the Ashes
The Well Read Fish 
Fascinating review.
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Thank you so much. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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Wish I could like your remark. WP is not playing nicely today, Couldn’t like the comment in email or on the site.
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That happens to me sometimes, too. Drives me nuts!
Something you might find helpful….click the “bell” in the upper right corner of your blog, then click comments. If you select the actual comment, you’ll get a fly-out, which has the option to “like” at the bottom. When all else fails, I use that to like comments on other blogs, and it works 99.9% of the time.
I hope that helps you as you journey around the blogosphere 🙂
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Very helpful suggestion. It worked. Thanks.
Pat
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😀
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That is so funny that you put off reading Love Amid the Ashes for so long, hesitantly borrowed the e-book, and wound up buying your own physical copy. It shows how much you liked the book. Great review, Mae, and the quote from the book has a lot of excitement/tension even in just those few lines!
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It seems like I did most everything I could to avoid becoming invested in this book, Vera, and yet it’s now an all time fave. I can easily see myself reading it again down the road. I’m still shaking my head over my silly reluctance, LOL.
There was definitely a lot of tension on multiple levels throughout, which only added to my appreciation of the story. Positively loved it!
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I love that you ordered the paperback copy after reading the Kindle version. That says a lot. It sounds like a great read, Mae. Thanks for sharing your review!
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Jill, I only reserve buying a paperback copy (after reading a Kindle copy) for those books I really love. This one, definitely made the cut, LOL!
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Job’s story always interested me, but the last few years I’ve taken a stronger interest in it. I love that so many characters were woven into this tale. Sounds like a wonderful read. Thanks for sharing, Mae.
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I think I was always intimidated by Job’s tale… like how one person could survive all he endured and remain so strong in faith. I guess it worries me I couldn’t measure up, but reading this book helped me see his story in a whole new light, and I loved the inclusion of Dinah. It was definitely a wonderful read.
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I had not made the connection that Job lived at the same time as Joseph. I always felt sorry for Dinah. Good to know she had her story told (even in fiction). That you ordered a paperback copy after reading the book speaks volumes! Great review, Mae. I’m putting this one on my radar.
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I think you would enjoy it, Joan. In addition to the Biblical basis, the romantic aspects are wonderful. It ticks off so many boxes–faith, teaching, and romantic intrigue all in one. I definitely recommend it!
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I’ve never thought to read fiction based on the bible, Mae. You have me thinking seriously about doing that!
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Jacqui, I never thought I would enjoy it the way, I do, but from the first book I tried, I was hooked. Now it’s my favorite sub-genre of Christian fiction!
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It’s pretty cool that bible stories have been turned into modern fiction. I can understand why they’re so popular, especially when well-written like this one. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and recommendation, Mae.
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Thanks, Diana. I love that there is a audience for Biblical fiction, and so admire the authors who are able to write it so well. Mesu Andrews never disappoints!
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I’m always ready to dive into anything you’ve read, especially after reviews like this one. Is it best to read her books in sequence, Mae?
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I’m so glad you’re interested in this one, Jacquie. It’s one of my personal favorites. Because all of the books in the series deal with different characters and different time periods, they can be read in any order. My favorites are the first and the fourth/last (In the Shadow of Jezebel). I liked the fourth so much, I bought a paperback copy of that one in addition to the Kindle version, too. 🙂
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Wow.. this review is good.. biblical fiction always gets me, as I like hearing the old stories from different perspectives.. Job is a tough sell, but his arc is so marvellous, that you could soon gold with any part of his biblical narrative.
I think I’m gonna get this book. Thanks for sharing this quality review. 👏👏
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“Job is a touch sell.” That’s what I worried about with the book, Nigel, but as you said his arc is marvelous, and that comes through in this story—along with Dinah’s tale which only enriches the plot. Given your love of Biblical fiction, I think you would really enjoy this one. 🙂
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HI Mae, a most interesting review. I learned all these stories as a girl, but when I converted to Presbyterianism, the focus is on the new testament so I haven’t visited it much in later years.
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It’s interesting to go back the Old Testament, Robbie, especially when you see how those books and many of the people who populated them foreshadowed Jesus and the New Testament. I actually love reading about both time periods. This story was one I thought I wouldn’t like because of all the people in the OT, I feared how Job’s story would pan out in a novel. I was pleasantly surprised! 🙂
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That’s a testament to the quality of the book when you order a copy after reading the one from the library. I’m a believer that if a book pops up more than three times, I’m meant to get it. And that’s why my shelves are overflowing, lol. Maybe I need to change that measure to ten times?
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LOL! I rather like that philosophy, Teri, and thinking back on it, I probably grabbed the book the 4th or 5th time it crossed my path. I may have to adopt your book purchase measurement permanently! 🙂
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I’ve had similar thoughts about books and have discovered I should have read them sooner, as well, but no great loss! Thanks for the recommendation. Like Robbie, I remember the story from when I was a child, but I am fascinated by Biblical stories, so one to add to my list.
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I’m so glad to hear this has made your reading list, Olga. It gave me a whole new appreciation for Job, and even Dinah. And, yes, I definitely should have read it sooner, LOL!
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Job has always fascinated me. Your review has reminded me of why that’s the case. I’m going to check out Love Amid the Ashes – thank you, Mae! 😊
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I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, Gwen. I just finished doing a devotional Bible study on Job. As I was reading the Bible account of his life, I also had this book in the back of my mind. It’s a wonderful story.
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