Rachel by Jill Eileen Smith ~ A Biblical Historical Fiction Book Review



Wives of the Patriarchs, Book 3
Historical Fiction / Biblical Fiction

Back of the book:

Can true love overcome a legacy of betrayal?

Rachel wants nothing more than for her older half sister Leah to wed and move out of their household. Leah wishes her father would find a good man who would love her alone. Unbeknownst to either of them, Jacob is making his way to their home, trying to escape a past laced with deceit and find the future God has promised him.

But the past comes back to haunt Jacob when he finds himself on the receiving end of treachery. The man who wanted only one woman ends up with sisters who have never gotten along and now must spend the rest of their lives sharing a husband. In the power struggles that follow, only one woman will triumph . . . or will she?

Combining meticulous research with her own imaginings, bestselling author Jill Eileen Smith not only tells one of the most famous love stories of all time but will manage to surprise even those who think they know the story inside and out.

Read An Excerpt

My thoughts:

I grew up going to Sunday School so the story of Rachel, Leah and Jacob is not a new one to me. However, through the wonderful writing of Jill I was still enthralled by the retelling. I found myself anticipating what was next as if I didn't already know what was about to happen. 

Jill did a masterful job of portraying the struggles of a household that contains two wives. Can you just imagine the tension, especially when the second wife is actually the favored wife? Add to all of that the fact that the two women are also sisters . . . drama at its finest! When the two concubines are added into the mix the situation is almost unbearable.

While this book is primarily from Rachel's perspective I also enjoyed how Jill delved into the background of Jacob and his brother Esau. I found it interesting to ponder how Jacob really felt about his deceit where his brother and father were concerned. I had never really thought about him being introspective about his deception as compared to that of Laban.

This was a quick read, but it was full of beautiful complexities that made me once again consider the Father's plan in our lineage. If you are at all interested in Historical Fiction and specifically Biblical Fiction, I believe you will really enjoy not only this book but this series as a whole.

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Photo Credit: © Amanda Matilla Photography

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