Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith ~ review

Product Details Paperback: 317 pages Publisher: Revell; Original edition (March 1, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0800734297 ISBN-13: 978-0800734299 Book Description from Amazon.com: Publication Date: March 1, 2012 | Series: Wives of the Patriarchs (Book 1) Sarai, the last child of her aged father, is beautiful, spoiled, and used to getting her own way. Even as a young girl, she is aware of the way men look at her, including her half brother Abram. When Abram finally requests Sarai's hand, she asks one thing--that he promise never to take another wife as long as she lives. Even her father thinks the demand is restrictive and agrees to the union only if Sarai makes a promise in return--to give Abram a son and heir. Certain she can easily do that, Sarai agrees. But as the years stretch on and Sarai's womb remains empty, she becomes desperate to fulfill her end of the bargain--lest Abram decide that he will not fulfill his. To what lengths will Sarai go in her quest to bear a son? And how long will Abram's patience last? My take on this book: I have become a fan of Biblical fiction and really enjoyed the tale of Sarai, a story that I easily remember from the Bible. The thing that I most enjoy about a fictionalized telling of a Bible story is how the story really comes to life. The author provides vivid details, easily allowing me to visualize life during that time.  Sarai, is one of the most beautiful women in the land, but really she only has eyes for her half brother Abram. When Abram asks for her hand in marriage, she makes him promise to never take another wife as long as she lives, and she makes a promise in return, to provide Abram with a son. While the promise seems easy enough to fulfill as the years tick by and she doesn't conceive she starts to feel the pressure of not being able to give her husband a son. Will she ever be able to produce an heir and if not what will she do to ensure that her promise is kept? Read this intriguing story to find out! I think the author did an amazing job of sticking pretty close to the actual story that is in the Bible,while adding layers to the story that provided depth and detail that really grabbed my imagination. I could easily envision the characters, and even relate to them. The love that Sarai and Abram shared was quite obvious and even though I ultimately knew how things would end up for them it didn't detract from the story, instead it had me anticipating what I knew would be coming. I also enjoyed getting glimpses of some of the secondary characters especially Lot. I am totally hooked on this author's ability to bring the Bible to life in her writing, which has me eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. rating 5/5 Available March 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.