Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith

What a beautiful story of Abraham and Sarai.  Jill did a great job of sticking to the biblical text, but still adding her own thoughts and ideas into how Sarai and Abram might be as a couple.  She added the humanness to them that we so often forget about when we read the biblical account of them.  Do know that this isn't the EXACT story in the Bible, but Jill does try to stay true to the culture and the biblical account.  However, the Bible doesn't tell us EXACTLY what Sarai was thinking in certain instances, such as when Abram wants her to say she is his sister.  This is where Jill takes her own liberties in the story, but she states in the back that she researches the history, tries to stick to the biblical account, portions of the story with not in Scripture allowed her to use her imagination, and that any errors made are hers.  This mae me want to read this book even more.
One thing that I loved was when she wrote about the sacrifices that had to be made.  A choice had to be made to sacrifice Abram's lamb that followed him everywhere or Sarai's rebellious ram.  It had never occurred to me before that of course, as a shepherd, it would be so incredibly hard to give up your best as a sacrifice.  Who would want to give up the obedient ones?  You'd be more than happy to give up those rebellious ones that cause so much work, but the ones that followed your command and stayed with you?  I had never stopped to think about that before.  I just always figured that they didn't have as much love for animals as we typically do today.  But I really don't think that's the case.  I really think that shepherds love their flock and they tend to their flocks and they know them.  Of course they would have a deep love for them.  But God called them to give Him their best sacrifices, one without spots or blemish.

This is the first book in the Wives of the Patriarchs series.  I have never read any of her books before but I've already downloaded another of hers to read in the David series. 

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.