What price must she pay for true love? Her days marked by turmoil and faded dreams, Abigail has resigned herself to a life with a man she does not love. But when circumstances offer her a second chance at happiness with the handsome David, she takes a leap of faith to join his wandering tribe. Still, her struggles are far from over. How can she share his love with the other women he insists on marrying? Abigail follows the bestselling Michal and continues Jill Eileen Smith's rich story of David's wives.
Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling, award-winning author of the Wives of King David series, the Wives of the Patriarchs, Daughters of the Promised Land, Heart of a King, Star of Persia, Miriam's Song, The Prince and the Prodigal, Daughter of Eden, and The Ark and the Dove. Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Bible times.
When she isn’t writing, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, read stories that take her away, ride her bike to the park, snag date nights with her hubby, try out new restaurants, or play with her lovable cats Kody and Kaelee. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan.
Having previously read Michal (book 1) and (book 3)Bathsheba, I am going to declare Bathsheba for the best of the three in Jill Eileen Smith's trilogy. Abigail, known for her goodness and beauty, starts out a likeable character, but once she marries David (who actually had more than three wives) she descends into becoming OBSESSED with her lack of fertility and jealous over the time David spends with his other wives. I realize this is all done to make Abigail relatable to 21st century female readers, but there's a limit to how much I could read in every chapter the same lamentations. Strangely enough, I felt that in the way Abigail is written by Smith, it appears that among her many distinguishing attributes, she had the least devotion to G-d. Not something I would have expected for a wife of King David. Which brings me to the conclusion that the author failed to make me see what David saw in Abigail.
Abigail, as well as book one in the Wives of King David series, Michal, are hands down two of the best Biblical fiction books I've read in a very long time! I have always wanted to know about David and his life from his boyhood all the way to his place as Israel's king. Both of Ms. Smith's books give tons of insight on what it might have been like back then, and more specifically, what it might have been like to be the wife of a king.
I have to admit that I struggled with this book a little bit in the beginning. Before I tell explain the reason why, I have to commend the author for keeping up with three overlapping storylines that span over both of her books. You see, Abigail does not pick up where Michal left off. Rather, it tells each story as it happened while providing little snippets here and there of what's happening elsewhere. While telling Abigail's story, the author kept me up to date with what was currently happening with David as he continued to flee for his life from King Saul. During David's portions of the story, he would occasionally allude to missing Michal, and how he wished he had taken her with him when he first fled from King Saul. I didn't mind that the story kept going back and forth between Abigail and David, but I found myself wanting to know more about Abigail and less about David hiding out in one cave and then another. That part seemed to be a little repititious since so much of it was already covered in the first book.
I thought the author did a wonderful job portraying Abigail's internal struggle between wanting to please God by honoring her marriage vows, and her desire to be free of her abusive husband, Nabal. Right after their wedding, Abigail was very outspoken with her belief in God and His laws, but Nabal does not want to hear any of it, and instead, he basically beats her to shut her up. As time goes by in their marriage, Abigail quickly learns that she's better off to keep silent and try to avoid the beatings if at all possible. I felt an incredible sadness when reading this because as we all know, not much has changed through the years with those types of relationships.
The most moving part of the book for me was after Abigail and David were married and she was with child. During that time, the author wrote that David penned Psalm 139 which is the psalm about how God knit us together in our mother's womb. Now I don't know if that timeline is accurate, but how it appeared in the story was simply beautiful. It was gradual, giving just a little taste here and there, and by the time the full psalm was written in the story, I was so overcome with emotion thinking about how God above truly does care about us from the very first moment of our lives.
There are some authors out there that, when they find their niche in writing, they need to stick with it. So, um, Ms. Smith....don't stop what you're doing! I was so impressed with your storytelling abilities as well as the loads of time you spent doing research to get everything just so. You definitely have great talent with this particular genre, and I can't wait to read what you've got in store with your next book...I'm really hoping it will be about Bathsheba. :o)
Wow. I truly loved this book. Not only did Smith weave a tale that is gripping, but it truly made me stop at times, to grab for my Bible.
I mean, I've read the story of David, but this made me want to say - wait a minute - what does the Bible say. Is that really in there?
While Smith admits she draws on research and inspiration, the basis of her novel is true and pulled from the Biblical text.
Abigail's story examines the power of choices - both good and bad. It examines how a single choice (in Abigail's case, marrying David) can have a life-long impact.
I really liked this book, and now want to go back and read Michal's story. I can't wait to see what Smith develops in Bathsheba's story - book three of the Wives of King David - which is set for a 2011 release.
In Book 2 of The Wives of King David series, Jill Eileen Smith once again brings biblical fiction to life building on Scripture and fleshing it out with well-researched historical details of the time period. Her characters are realistic and full of the strengths and weaknesses displayed in the Bible of the people God used to fulfill his plan for humanity. David though he loves God with his whole heart makes the mistakes of any normal man: not always following God's will, trying to interpret God's word the way he wants it to be, giving in to temptation when he knows better, pride. Abigail has a strong faith as well but she too oft times gives in to her weaknesses: self-centeredness, jealousy, covetousness, fleshly desire, stubborness. But God still uses both of them as part of his grand design.
I look forward to reading the last in the series about David's wife Bathsheba. Strongly recommend this series to readers who enjoy Biblical fiction.
FAVORITE QUOTES: "Pride told him to let her be, to wait for her to come to him. Wisdom told him to set pride aside and go to her, to not let another sundown give root to bitterness."
"Sin she had carried all on her own as Yahweh tenderly broke her stubbornness and discontent to teach her obedience....."
Once again Jill Eileen Smith whisked me into bible times while introducing us to a tender, young Abigail who loves the Lord and anxiously awaits her arranged marriage with Nabal. This author’s illustration of Abigail’s loss of innocence, heartbreak, agony and struggle, is so powerful I could feel her pain, her sorrow. Nabal is a brash, deceitful, selfish man who will do whatever it takes to satisfy his flesh.
Abigail would not let Nabal break her spirit nor turn her back on God. Instead, she sought Adonai (God) for comfort. Abigail lets God mold her and give her strength. Adonai gives Abigail the courage to seek out David in order to avoid blood shed in her household because of Nabals foolish behavior.
David seeks to marry Abigail when he learns of her husband’s death. I was intrigued by this union and how it might have taken place. Jill paints an exciting picture of how these two beautiful people get together. She also describes their inner turmoil and the desire David and Abigail had to do God’s will in the middle of uncertain times. I hadn’t realized how long David lived in the forest as a fugitive, and how many men, women and children were with him; it made it hard to hide, especially since David had crazy King Saul trying to kill him most of that time. I found it amazing how David refused to kill God’s annointed Saul, no matter how frustrating things got.
I liked how Jill broke the book into five parts, and before each part, she had the complete verse and reference for you to read before she described the new part. I found it most helpful and handy for me to go back to the bible and read the complete account later.
This author has a keen insight into the hearts and minds of two strong, passionate people. David and Abigail, continue to show their love for Adonai, each other, and shhared a struggle they had to do the right thing in the eyes of God, not people. It was an eye opener to read what demands there were for a King and the life Abigail might have had as his wife. It was quite different than living with him as a fugitive. I now have a deeper appreciation and understanding of the culture, times back then and why they called David, a man after God’s own heart. I think Abigail felt the same way about Adonai. I could see how they received comfort, wisdom and strength from each other. There was a unity they had that David didn’t share with his other wives. I was encourage as I read about David and Abigail and their life’s struggle, how they sought peace in the middle of their trials and a love so pure. I enjoyed how they humbled themselves before Adonai (God) and sought him with all their heart, soul and strength. It’s a love story you’ll want to read and experience for yourself.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Here’s what I liked about the book: ■It was written in a way that made a true biblical story come to life with vivid imagery ■I enjoyed learning more about what a wise woman of the Bible must have gone through and felt. ■I appreciated that whatever dialogue you find in the Bible in this story is included in this novel. So I now have new context for several of David’s psalms, in addition to the story of Abigail saving the day after her husband Nabal acted foolishly. ■I gained a new, very helpful perspective on David’s battles with Saul before he was crowned king. ■It was an engaging love story! ■The pace moved quick enough to hold my interest but not so fast that it felt rushed.
You know, there aren't a whole lot of female Bible heroes out there. If you wanted to name your kids Biblical names, you'd be fine on boys, but the girls start becoming scarce real fast, unless you have a penchant for Jezebel or Dorcas.
But Abigail is a hero I can cheer on. She's married to Nabal (whose name appropriately means "fool"), a guy who basically defines the term jerk. But she uses her wit and faith to work things out in the end.
The book is well-written and makes you want to turn to the Bible for "the real story" - how can you beat that?
This is a wonderful follow-on to the first book in the series. Mrs. Smith weaves a tale that focuses on Abigail while not ignoring the other wives in David's life. She also backs up the timeline into the midst of the first book without any re-telling of the events in that story. A tremendous feat! I enjoyed her theories of why certain things happened, filling in the lives of these characters with plausible explanations and reasonings, and I loved that whenever possible she used direct quotes from Scripture. An excellent job!
This book has really good reviews so I was interested because I typically enjoy biblical historical fiction. The idea behind this was great and had so much potential but the result fell flat for me. She made Abigail out to be rather shallow I felt. We know Abigail was wise and good, but I didn’t get much of that from this book. There were glimmers, but then the author would make her sink right back into jealousy or the book would take a romance novel turn that would get in the way. Even David was made out to be surprisingly dull and not complex enough. Overall I was disappointed.
Was not impressed by the way the author portrayed Abigail or David. I guess I've been spoiled by Tosca Lee, who researches her Biblical characters so thoroughly and has such a beautiful writing style. If you want to read some amazing Biblical fiction, read Lee's "Havah" or "Iscariot."
At the beginning of the book I thought I was going to like Abigail. And to start, I did…but then she married David. Though Abigail complained about David’s first (present) wife and her jealousy, over and over she falls into the same pattern. Surely Smith could have made her into something…more.
For her second novel in The Wives of King David series, Jill Eileen Smith explores the life of Abigail, David’s third wife, who came to him while he was still living in the wilderness, running from Saul’s never-ending attempts to end his life. As a widow and a non-royal, Abigail has a strikingly different background and perspective than Michal, David’s first wife, whose story was told in Smith’s first book. While Michal was a privileged princess, Abigail hails from a poor, but loving family, where she is given in marriage to the loutish Nabal in order to settle a long-standing family debt. For the innocent, God-fearing Abigail, her first marriage is a nightmare from day one, and the emotional and physical abuse she suffers takes an increasing toll on Abigail’s well-being and confidence. But she never loses her faith, and when the opportunity comes save the household when Nabal foolishly incites the wrath of David and his followers, she seizes the chance to bring peace to the situation. Little does she realize that her extraordinary act of bravery will set her on a path to capture the heart of God’s anointed, placing her in a position to impact the fate of her people through marriage to the future king.
Although many of the events in Abigail were also covered in Michal, the different female perspective, coupled with a greater focus on David’s years in the wilderness, work together to provide a richer, more fully realized picture of David’s life and character. Smith paints a portrait of David that breathes life into the extraordinary man of God seen in the scriptures, while also bringing to vivid life his flaws and human frailties, making him painfully human and relatable. When David begins to justify taking additional wives in order to expand his household, the result of his all too common human ability to rationalize his desires will have ramifications far into the future. Abigail, so different from her predecessor Michal, is fully fleshed out into the intriguing character that’s only hinted at in 1 Samuel 25. Abigail is the polar opposite of her foolish first husband – beautiful and wise, the abuse heaped on her during that marriage could have broken her character. Though she struggles with fear, jealousy, and trust, Abigail never allows her experiences to define her; rather, her faith takes those experiences and refines her into a woman whose bravery, faith, and compassion make her a thought-provoking, unforgettable inspiration.
I didn’t think Michal could be topped, but with Abigail Smith rises to the challenge and proves to be an even more gifted wordsmith and storyteller. Her passion for scripture and biblical history shines through each page, bringing Abigail’s world to life in brilliant detail. Like Michal, Abigail spans many years, and the time transitions scripture quotations are handled better, resulting in a smoothly flowing, rapidly paced read. I really feel like Smith captures the mindset and customs of the time, because she manages to bring Abigail and David’s love story to life with credibility – a feat that by today’s standards seems nearly impossible given that Abigail competed with David’s other wives for his time and affection. The social dynamic Abigail operated within seems so foreign, but Smith succeeds in presenting the reality of a woman’s life during this time period in a compassionate and understandable way. Once the historical trappings are stripped away, what endures is Abigail’s character and her unshakeable faith in an unchanging God who helps her overcome her fears and grants her peace in the midst of life’s storms – a lesson in faith that still resonates today.
Abigail is a tender, thoughtful read. It opens up the little-mentioned Biblical figure of Abigail in a very POV emotional dimension. The book is terribly weak as an erotic novel, the violence and battle scenes are not well-developed, and the plot heightens around emotions and relationships, not King David's crowning. It is not great romance novel, and it's not at all a good world-building saga either.
Abigail's mind goes in a frenzy of emotional directions during her marriage to King David. He's polygamous from the get-go, and she is his third wife. She spends a lot of time getting jealous of David's other wives. The story itself is very introspective, and chapter after chapter goes by with nothing more than a lot of internal dialogue. Take for instance,
She chided herself for being so ungrateful, for thinking anyone could compare to David or give her what he could not. She had lived with wealth and been the lone wife to a powerful man, at least on the surface, and nothing in that situation had satisfied her either. For David to even want her had seemed impossible when Nabal first died, for she feared no man would ever want her again. So why did she find sharing him so distasteful? Did she honestly think she was worthy of his love alone? He was the King! Kings took many wives. She'd known it from the beginning and accepted her lot with joy - at first...(p. 286)
She also has suspicions that David is sleeping with his other maidservants in addition to his wives. Abigail compares David to her first husband Nabal incessantly, and she spends a lot of time thinking about how much she loves David but can't stand to share him with his other wives.
Throughout the story, Abigail doesn't come across as a heroine or any type of effectual queen. King David similarly comes across like a wimp, spending a lot of time in retreat from King Saul, and even refusing to kill King Saul when he has the chance, because it would be dishonorable. He is also hyper-focused on his own introspection, thinking about God's law, even questioning himself in his polygamous marriages because he seems to be hurting Abigail's feelings. When David goes to Gath in escape from King Saul, Abigail prays to God and asks for all the help he can get. Abigail too prays to God, and it is clear from the storyline that the two of them are closest when they think about their faith. King David feels some remorse about his polygamy, giving his apologies to Abigail, "When I read the words that warned kings not to take many wives, I assumed it meant not to do so only to prevent the king's heart from straying from Yahweh. Since I decided I would never allow such a thing, I saw no reason not to unite tribes and nations with marriage treaties." He glanced briefly away from her. "Though that's not the whole truth." ..."I was wrong, Abigail. Taking so many wives... I broke Yahweh's law. The hard part is, there is nothing to be done about it now. There are seven of you, and that is the truth of it." (p. 366)
He also suffers from painstaking introspection, like Abigail: An internal battle waged in David's mind, common sense warring with desire. He'd avoided Abigail's bed to protect her, to keep from putting her through the agony of childbirth again. Yet here she was, still young and beautiful and arousing his own need of her. If Yahweh saw fit to give her another son, the boy would never usurp his older brother's rights to inherit his throne. And suppose Abigail was right? If her sin had caused Chileab's accident, what might happen to the next child born to them? What sin had she committed to cause Yahweh to allow such a thing?
He knew that sometimes Adonai visited the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. But that curse was for the unrighteous. Surely Abigail was righteous. Hadn't they both done their best to keep Adonai's laws?
Guilt pricked at his conscience even as his flesh yearned for her. He too had broken Adonai's laws, if he were truly honest with himself... (p.333)
Abigail, for her part, asks God to give her
Abigail doesn't come across as a major feminist force to be reckoned with. In her mind, she thinks herself too insolent and too brazen to her husbands, but in the few times she stands up and faces her husband's wrath, it comes across weak and reactive at best. For instance, when Nadal beats her, it is because he is drunk and bully-like, and her comments about God only serve to anger him further, Yes, my lord, but if the servants become aware that you would lay a hand on your wife, they may turn against you, and then who would help you to shear your many sheep? And you cannot forget that Adonai is watching, and you would not wish to break His law and--" His palm connected with her cheek so fast she didn't see it coming..."(p. 43)
Even when she wants to announce to Nabal that she used his food stockpile to feed David's army, she has her brother Daniel come to her aide, and somehow God strikes down her husband while he is ready to kill her. Even afterwards, she cares for him while he is on his deathbed. Abigail comes across so pious, and so focused on God's plan that even when one of her maids infers that she may be sleeping with Nabal, Abigail feels compassion: The thought brought a dull pain to Abigail's heart. She ached for justice - both for Nabal for his selfish cruelty, and for Zahara if she was guilty of destroying Nabal's unborn seed. But at the same time she wanted them both to repent, to bring them both to the knowledge of Adonai's peace.
Law warred with mercy in her heart.
Oh, Adonai, what do I do?(p. 89)
Jill Eileen Smith wants to put out the message that Abigail is very wise and close to God, and so is King David. Based on their rock-solid faith, the marriage between Abigail and King David seems to be a great match. He ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I do not pretend to understand why Adonai allowed such a thing. Surely he could have stopped it from happening. ..."Perhaps I have sinned," she said, begging God in silence to forgive her yet again. "Perhaps if we offered him a sacrifice... we musn't hold it against Adonai, my lord. We deserve nothing from Him. We can only beg for His mercy." She looked at him, praying she had not offended him with her gently reprimand. Someday he would grow weary of her wisdom if she wasn't careful.
His hands rested on her shoulders, his look thoughtful. "We will ask Abiathar to offer a sacrifice on your behalf."(p. 332)
Abigail is probably the only woman in the Bible to be re-married, in fact she's very happily re-married, and the book is a nice take on marriage and polygamy. The shared faith of Abigail and David permeates and solidifies their marriage, and although the story is weak in terms of real action IMO, the POV for both characters really sinks in. Readers who want to see these biblical figures as real, breathing humans should give Jill Eileen Smiths' books a chance.
Abigail was forced to marry a man she did not love. Though her husband was easy on the eye, rich and prosperous he was a swine, crude mean and physically abusive. Being the submissive and devoted wife she was raised to be Abigail hides the shame, hurt and embarrassment she often felt by the wrath of her husband Nabal and prays daily for God to rescue her from his cruel hands.
After the hand of God strikes Nabal dead because of his vicious ways Abigail begins to believe in true love again when she meets and quickly marries King David. Abigail’s new life was very simple, enjoyable and full of love until she realizes that her beloved husband, King David goes against God and marries other women from different tribes. Abigail becomes jealous and refuses to share David’s love and time with his other wives. She starts to regret marrying David and doubts his love for her and often thinks of returning home with her children to live with her father and sister-in-law, a much happier and uncomplicated life.
I enjoyed this dramatic version of the Abigail and David story. I was really disgusted by Nabal and that is the point of the drama, but his abuse broke my heart. It was hard to overlook that and keep reading. Of course I relate to the story more as I am named after the main character. I have read one other Abigail book, which was totally different. This version is good about putting the reader in Abigail's shoes, letting one see, hear and feel her difficult world. The author weaves many background stories into this book, to explain why Abigail married Nabal and how she felt about David's other wives and nomadic lifestyle. I kind of wished it had a David loves Abigail forever ending...but the author kept true to the Biblical story and had Abigail learn to share and relinquish David to the other wives, to some degree.
I enjoyed reading this book but I do wish that I would have liked it more. From the very little that the Bible tells us about Abigail it leads us to believe that she was a smart and wise woman who was devoted to God like David was, but in this book she doesn’t come off as that. At the beginning of the book I liked her character more but after she marries David and after David marries more wives, Abigail’s character just becomes the very jealous and at times unreasonable woman. Yes I don’t believe that in any time it would ever be easy to share your husband with other women but I do feel that Abigail should have been more devout to God and less jealous than what she was in this book but overall I still liked and enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to finishing the series.
Too much inappropriate modern perspective. Too much self-pity. Too little real wisdom. Not enough understanding of the true situation and culture. Point of view very inconsistent. Talks about how she influenced the other women but that's telling, not showing. And childbirth "Sapping a woman's strength"? Has this author ever had a child? Some people are sick while pregnant but it's relatively uncommon beyond a short duration morning sickness and it's very rarely the child sapping the mother's strength.
I enjoyed this book even better than Sarai. I felt it was a very accurate portrayal of what life might have been like for one of David's wives. I was very sad most of them, reading about what it was like to share a husband with six other women. The daily struggles, the heartache, the sadness were all very real.
I loved the historical aspects very much. I do recommend this book for married women. Note: there are mentions of sexuality, although no scenes in detail.
I have been looking for a book based on Abigail's life
I have been looking for a book based on Abigail's life. This is the first book I have read by this author, but it won't be the last. I feel she has effectively captured the emotion that Abigail, as a victim of abuse, would feel without going into detail that would turn people off. I enjoyed her fictionalization of Abigail's marriage to David because it was realistic enough to be believable but not so much so that you forget you are reading fiction.
Abigail, for me, was such a strong lady of faith. Even in dire circumstances, she remained hopeful and steadfast in her faith in God. She was a trustworthy and faithful companion to David who stood grounded in God’s ways, even though she had times of temptation and failure to walk the narrow road.
I enjoyed this telling of Abigail a lot more than the first book in the series and am looking forward to reading about Bathsheba next.
I listened to the audio on Scribd and the narrator brought Abigail alive through her telling of this story.
This is the second book in The Wives of King David series and I liked it better than the first. Not such an enormous time span was covered. I connected with heroine Abigail way better than I did with Michal. And Smith's writing style is much more polished this go around. Smith did a great job with making me think about and sympathize with what it must have been like to share your husband with other wives. No wonder God's not pro-bigamy. What a horrible way to live!
The author has outdone herself. I loved the story of Abigail from when as a young girl she is pledged by her father to Nabal through her life as the wife of King David. This gives such a wonderful depth to her story. Her hopes and fears, her love and her strength. I absolutely loved this book.
I am new to Jill Eileen Smith’s books but after reading the first book in “The Wives of King David” Series I was hooked. Hope to read more about the ladies of the Old Testament from this fantastic author.
I enjoyed this 2nd book of the series more that the first one and I am delighted. It is easy reading and a good retelling of the story of this wife of King David. I feel this author is in her stride now. Good reading!
Not since Lois T. Henderson have I enjoyed an author who writes Biblical novels so much! Thank you for taking me on your journey! I cannot wait to read them all!!