In The Field Of Grace
Tessa Afshar
River North, Jul 1 2014, $14.99
ISBN: 9780802410979
Her family scorns Ruth as the Great Disappointment because they
needed a son not another female, much taller than her father; her four older
sisters and her parents would not miss her and prefer she leave. In the marketplace of Kir-hareseth, Ruth the
Moabite meets widow Naomi of Bethlehem who complements her beauty including her
height and her kindness. Naomi’s two
sons (Mahlon and Chilion) bring home from the field Orpah where they meet
reticent Ruth. Not long afterward, Ruth
and Mahlon, and Orpah and Chilion wed.
Due to a famine, they decide to head back to Judah, but the two men
die. Naomi tells her widow daughters-in-law
they should go home; Orpah does but Ruth vows to stay with the older woman to keep
her safe.
In Judah Ruth works the field of widower Boaz who still misses his
late wife Judith though she died five years ago. Boaz protects the chosen daughter of his
cousin from those who consider her an inferior Moabite, but increasingly his
attraction to hardworking Ruth grows.
This is a pleasurable rendition of the biblical tale of Ruth that
provides a remarkable backstory of her life in Moab as a doormat unable to
accept complements. However; that
fascinating premise proves a double edged sword as it adds perceptiveness, but
also subtracts from her unselfish decision as the crap she receives is no worse
than what she took as a child from her family.
Still biblical fiction fans will delight in Tessa
Afshar’s wonderful portrayal of Ruth toiling with grace and faith in a field
where most detest her being a foreigner.
Harriet Klausner
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