Miriam's Song #ourgoodlifebooklist

I received an advanced copy for free in exchange for my honest review.  Thank you Revell Reads!

Miriam's Song by Jill Eileen Smith is the latest novel by this Christian author.  It was my first book by her, and I was totally smitten.  I'll tell you more later.

From Amazon:  

In her eventful lifetime, Miriam was many things to many people: protective older sister, song leader, prophetess, leper. But between the highs and the lows, she was a girl who dreamed of freedom, a woman who longed for love, a leader who made mistakes, and a friend who valued connection.

With her impeccable research and a keen eye for detail, bestselling author Jill Eileen Smith offers this epic story to fill in the gaps and imagine how Miriam navigated the challenges of holding on to hope, building a family in the midst of incredible hardship, and serving as a leader of a difficult people, all while living in her brother's shadow. Follow Miriam's journey from childhood to motherhood, obscurity to notoriety, and yearning for fulfillment as she learns that what God promises he provides--in his own perfect timing.

About the author:  

Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling and award-winning author of the biblical fiction series The Wives of King David, Wives of the Patriarchs, and Daughters of the Promised Land, as well as The Heart of a King and Star of Persia: Esther's Story. She is also the author of the nonfiction books When Life Doesn't Match Your Dreams and She Walked Before Us. Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan. Learn more at www.jilleileensmith.com. 

My take:

 

I don't have the pleasure to compare this book with any of the author's previous books. I was immediately taken in by the story, the opening scene has a young Egyptian girl eavesdropping on her Pharaoh father. She has plans for her own future, and as a child, it includes being more kind to the slaves. This sets up the story of Moses through the eyes of Miriam, his sister.

I enjoyed the characters that the author develops through the story.  Exodus is full of characters and when you read the Bible, it is hard to keep them all straight.  Here, the author has done a wonderful job showing all the connections throughout the story.  Miriam is a strong woman, and in her tribe, the women do the same as what my friends and I do... we question the decision-making skills of the men in power. This is so different than what I had been taught in Sunday School.  Moses is the central character, as he should be, but he is portrayed as weak at times. I totally get that!  He goes missing for years when he leaves Eygpt the first time, goes missing for 40 days in the desert... a lot of what must have seemed weak in Miriam's eyes for what a leader should be doing.

At times I got caught up in the lagging of time... but in a stroke of recognition, realized that that is exactly what Miriam must have felt, 1000 times over.  How long they waited for God to fulfill his promise!  What was a blink of God's eye was decades to God's People.

If anything could be better, I would have wanted the author to bring more detail to the terror that the people felt about God. It was a little underwhelming when God came down the mountain.  😁

I was also very intrigued about manna.  I had no idea that it was like seeds... I always pictured loaves of bread lying in the fields. I was inspired to bake a loaf of banana bread (recipe follows) to celebrate the ending of eating manna for 40 years.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves Bible stories as much as I do.  I was intrigued and motivated and cheered and yearned all through the book. 

Yield: 8

Author: Terri Steffes

Banana Bread

Inspired by reading Miriam's Song by Jill Eileen Smith.

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 35 Mininactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 c oatmeal
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 very ripe bananas
• 1/3 c oatmeal
• 1/4 c honey
• cooking spray

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Coat loaf pan with cooking spray.
3. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until thoroughly mixed. 
4. Pour into loaf pan.
5. Bake for 35 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.
6. Cool for 10 minutes, remove bread from pan.
7. Serve warm.

Calories

105.58

Fat (grams)

1.91

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.55

Carbs (grams)

20.25

Fiber (grams)

1.45

Net carbs

18.80

Sugar (grams)

12.49

Protein (grams)

2.91

Sodium (milligrams)

177.41

Cholesterol (grams)

46.50

Did you make this recipe?

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Created using The Recipes Generator