Abigail

by Jill Eileen Smith

Book Overview

Abigail's hopes and dreams for the future are wrapped up in her handsome, dark-eyed betrothed, Nabal. But when the long-awaited wedding day arrives, her drunken groom behaves shamefully. Nevertheless, Abigail tries to honor and respect her husband despite his abuse of her. Meanwhile, Abigail's family has joined David's wandering tribe as he and his people keep traveling to avoid the dangerous Saul. When Nabal suddenly dies, Abigail is free to move...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0800733215
• ISBN13: 9780800733216
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Company
• Length: 382 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Best Biblical fiction story I've ever read!

This novel should be on the NY Times best-seller list. I'm not kidding! In fact, I don't think I've ever said this before about any book I've reviewed. For people who love Biblical fiction, this story should knock their socks off. I'll tell you why... I was totally entrenched in the lives of the characters and the setting the entire time I read this book. I would've read it straight through if life hadn't gotten in the way. I loved the realism, the emotion, the romance, the way the characters communicated. And the whole multiple wives and the jealousies between them was masterfully done. The writing in this book was also top-notch. It was gripping and smooth with no jarring moments or clunky writing phrases. Can you tell I loved this book? Abigail's story touched my heart, inspired me, and made me want to love people more. I also loved the multiple love scenes between Abigail and David. Hot, but tasteful, which is the way it should be. Very realistic and just edgy enough to make me want to say, "Go, Jill!" The way the author illustrated Abigail's marriage to Nabal was great, but it was even more exciting when her life touched David's. And when she had her first child I was impressed with how she showed David's handling of the situation and her misunderstanding it. Here is the best part! Unlike a lot of secular Biblical fiction authors, Jill Eileen Smith shows David's imperfections and those of his wives with great taste and in a way that honored God. He was easy to love in spite of his flaws because she handled his character development so well, while at the same time keeping it true to the Scriptures. One of my favorite aspects of this story was how the author sprinkled various Scriptures into the scenes when they were appropriate. Wonderful, wonderful book and highly recommended.

Enjoyable!

Abigail by Jill Eileen Smith brought to life King David's life, daily struggles, and humanity. Many times we have the tendency to place people up on a pedestal, but I admit I cringed several times while reading about David's many wives. David is a great man, one after God's own heart, but he had many weakness' and women was one of them. Polygamy is never good and is never how God intended marriage to be. I found Abigail to be an enjoyable read and gave me a wider perspective of how life could have been like for King David.

Love is most definitely worst the price in this Biblical story!

After being included in being able to review this book for a blog tour, I knew I had to go and get my copy of Michal, book 1, in The Wives of King David series. I loved Michal so much that I couldn't wait to get a hold of Abigail and start reading it. Unlike Michal, which took me 2 weeks to read, I read Abigail in 2 days. It was just as amazingly good and powerful as book 1. I didn't want to say good bye to these wonderful Biblical people who felt like friends to me. As with Michal, this book moved me beyond words. I was again transported back in time to a Biblical era that I fell in love with. I could feel myself there with Abigail and with King David. The feeling of that was so powerful. Smith, again, makes this a wonderful read by mixing Biblical dialogue from the Bible in with the fiction. Add that to the suspense of Abigail, not only being saved by King David but by King David also saving her, makes this a most wonderful edge-of-your-seat book. I will look at 1 and 2 Samuel in a whole new light now, when I read my Bible. I will be drawn back to Smith's work on Abigail (and Michal!) and will want to read these two amazing novels over and over again! Words just can't explain! It makes me anxious for 2011 when Smith's third book in this series is released: Bathsheba....it can't get here soon enough! Abigail is, like Michal, worthy of so much more than 5 stars but I will only give it 5 stars.....and I will recommend this story to EVERY woman out there.....I'm sure you will love it as much as I did! It is an amazing love story in an ancient time and you will feel so different (in a good way!) after reading this book and feeling a part of a Biblical era. If you would like to see my review of the first book in this series, Michal, please visit here. *This book was provided for review by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group*

Excellent Biblical Fiction!

Every time I go to a bookstore, I pick up the first novel in The Wives of King David series, "Michal". I love her story in the Bible, and I read another fictional novel about her life that intrigued me several years ago. But every time I pick it up, I put it back because I know how tall my "to be read for fun" pile of books is becoming. Well, I may have to make a special trip to the bookstore to buy that novel, now. After opening the beautiful cover of Jill Eileen Smith's second novel in the series, "Abigail", I am overcome with how three-dimensional this woman has become and I want to experience the same with the first dramatization. Smith's situations are plausible for the time. Her dialogue transports the reader to Old Testament times. Abigail's inner monologue adds sparkle to the character that I love from scripture, making her leap from the pages of my Bible. Abigail lived, breathed, had hopes and dreams, and was all woman with thoughts and feelings, regrets and a relationship with God. Although this may not be a perfectly accurate representation of the woman who saved King David from the mistake of revenge against the foolish Nabal, this book will certainly make Abigail more dimensional when you encounter her in scripture again. This is a wonderful fiction read that keeps God and scripture at its heart. I highly recommend it.

An awesome historical!

Abigail, a beautiful fifteen-year-old Israelite, is sold by her father to handsome but cruel Nabal to reduce his debt to Nabal's father. And although she bristles at Nabal's mistreatment and unfaithfulness, she finds solace in her secret garden, praying to the God of Israel and longing to be loved. Her prayer will be answered, but not without difficulties. But perhaps love--at any price--is worth it. This exciting second book in THE WIVES OF KING DAVID series swept me back to ancient Israel as King Saul sought David's life. Jill Eileen Smith made me feel as if I were there in the hillside hideouts with David and his soldiers hiding from Saul's army and dealing with the sometimes unsettling effects of having wives and children in tow. I loved this book! Expertly researched and skillfully written, Abigail and David became real people with real faith in Jehovah God. And real weaknesses. 375 pages.