Book Review: Ruth Mother of Kings by Diana Wallis Taylor

I was blessed enough to receive a complimentary copy of Diana Wallis Taylor's new book Ruth Mother of Kings. I LOVE the story of Ruth so I excitedly downloaded it onto my Kindle Paperwhite and started reading. :)

Diana is a masterful storyteller. She really pulls you into the atmosphere and setting of the story. You can almost taste the juicy figs, smell the lamb stew and hear the bleating of sheep in your ears. I enjoyed how she portrayed Ruth's life in Moab with her grandparents and Orpah. She also did a masterful job in showing Ruth's pain and fear of being barren, and the reproach that it brought upon her and upon the family name when Malon dies without an heir. 

Diana did a wonderful job at showing the beautiful relationship between Ruth and Boaz, but  I would have liked to see more of the relationship between Naomi and Ruth. However, I think Diana captured the personalities of Ruth and Boaz perfectly. I really loved the way that she portrayed the importance of the kinsman redeemer as well. She did such a great job at showing what it really meant, not only to Ruth but also to Naomi, to be fully redeemed; to be fully restored to their former station and wealth. It really left an impact on me. 

Diana took a very interesting risk with Ruth Mother of Kings. The story portrays Ruth as being a Reubenite, however the Biblical text is very clear that Ruth was a Moabitess who was disdained by the people of Bethlehem because of it. The story of Ruth as the Gentile Bride is one of the most beautiful depictions of Jesus Christ and His mercy and redemption towards the gentiles, so this kinda put a damper on the book for me. (Diana does offer an explanation of why she did it this way at the end of the book, so you can make your own determination on that.) There is also a scene in the book where Malon comes to Ruth alone in the field to see if she'd be willing to be his wife. This scene really disappointed me because a good-standing Israelite like Malon would never risk such a thing. According to the law of Moses, both of those individuals could be stoned for fornication if they were caught alone like that, so it seemed historically inaccurate to me. 

In short, Ruth Mother of Kings was a delightful read with beautiful descriptions and masterful storytelling. I give it four stars!

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About the Author:

Recently named “Writer of the Year” by the San Diego Christian Writer’s Guild, Diana Wallis Taylor has been writing since the age of 12 when she sold her first poem to a church newspaper. A former school teacher, popular women’s speaker and award-winning author, she’s best known for her biblical novels that focus on women such as Martha, Mary Magdalene, Claudia Wife of Pontius Pilate, and Journey to the Well. She’s also published several contemporary novels, a collection of poetry, and contributed to a wide variety of publications.  Diana lives in San Diego with her husband, Frank. Among them, they have six grown children and ten grandchildren.