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Friday, February 10, 2012

A Voice in the Wind & An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christianity
Length: 496 pages & 430 pages (respectively)

Reviewed by: Laurelyn Aubrey

“God, why can't I cry out the truth from the rooftops? Why don't I have the courage to speak as my father did? I love these people, but I haven't the words to reach them… Who am I but a slave? How do I explain to them that I'm really the one who is free, and they are the captives?”

Courage to speak the truth is a central theme in these first two books of the Mark of the Lion trilogy. The story that Francine Rivers starts in the first book is finished in the second, so I'll treat them as one for the purpose of this review. The narrative begins with a young Jewish girl named Hadassah surviving the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. after the rest of her family is killed. Taken captive by the conquering Roman army, Hadassah winds up a slave in the household of the Valerians, a wealthy and prominent family of Rome. Jewish slaves aren't unknown to the Valerians, but this slave is more than a Jew: she is a Christian. Although Hadassah feels weak in the faith and lost in this new pagan world, she begins to care about the family she's been forced to serve, and desperately wants them to have the hope that is within her. Her voice is small in a world of luxury and intrigue, immorality and excess, pride and cruelty, gladiators and lions... but Hadassah's simple love for others begins to prove that the Savior she trusts has the power to change even the darkness of the Roman Empire into light.

As soon as I started these books, I saw the writing itself was not going to be a big part of the story's charm. Since I'd heard the author is acclaimed, I was disappointed in the quality of her writing. Rivers fails to follow the basic rule "show, don't tell", and it sometimes seemed like she was writing for the back of a sappy Hallmark DVD instead of a serious adult novel. There are several vocabulary words she repeats as if she didn't have an editor, the plot dragged at times, and her attempts to convey the depths of human emotion didn't always bear up under their own weight. But still… despite the messiness of her brush... I found I cared about her characters and what happened to them more than I expected to. By the end of the story, a considerable amount of that human emotion managed to hit its mark with poignancy.

Once a well-known romance novelist, Francine Rivers converted to Christianity later in life, and now declares that she "yearns for the Lord to use my stories in making people thirst for His word". (A Voice in the Wind, pg.xiii) Kudos to her: there's no doubt these books have the glorious gospel of Christ at their core. Some people might say it borders on preachy, but I was surprised by how challenged I was when I started comparing my own life to the heroine's testimony, forgiveness, and heart to serve. A word on content: the backdrop of Rome is richly described, and the plot explores the consequences of human sin. Rivers isn't explicit, but sensuality, homosexuality, abortion, and gladiatorial violence play a large role in her story.

It's hard for me to explain my final opinion on these books. They were not remarkably well crafted, yet I am remarkably glad I read them. I started the books feeling vaguely annoyed, thinking they'd be nothing more than predictable, Christianized romance. But while some of my annoyance was justified, I ended the second book feeling humbled by the example left for us by the early church and martyrs. For me, the historical flavor, beautiful message, and likeable characters made it well worthwhile.

[Note: Reviewed here are the first two books in the trilogy. The third book follows the life of a side character, and despite a strong ending, I didn’t find it much worth the time.]

1 comment:

  1. It's been a while since I read this series, but reading your review recalls much of it to my mind. I'm in full agreement: I wasn't big into the romance element, but found it largely overshadowed by the impact that Hadassah's testimony left on me. It left a big impression on my prayer life, in particular - her example of keeping up a continual conversation with God, an ever-present source of strength and compassion. Thanks so much for reviewing it!

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