Harvest of Gold Reaps Great Reading!

 

Harvest of Gold, written by Tessa Afshar is the story of Sarah, a Jew and cousin to Nehemiah (rebuilder of the wall in Jerusalem) and Darius, a Persian and one of the King's elite soldiers. In an arranged marriage, the two struggle through numerous episodes of misconceptions and miscommunication to learn to live together.

I don't often read “Biblical fiction,” choosing instead to focus on mysteries or books set between the Civil War and WWII, so I approached the novel with some trepidation. I need not have worried. Vivid descriptions of attire, settings and customs deftly drew me into the time and place of the novel. Sarah and Darius are both a complex combination of stubbornness, pride and insecurity; characters with whom I could easily relate. The story moves forward briskly but not in a rush. Intrigue, suspicion and suspense are introduced when a plot to assassinate King Artaxerxes is uncovered.

Underlying the entire story is the theme of God's unswerving love to each one of us - how He reaches down to meet us where we are and walk with us every step of life's journey. The book gave me a lot of food for thought without being preachy. I highly recommend it. What books have you read that struck such a strong chord with you?

--Linda Matchett