Love's Sacred Song by Mesu Andrews Published by Tantor on March 1, 2012
Genres: Fiction / Christian / Historical, Fiction / Religious
Format: Audiobook
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Standing in the massive shadow of his famous father, young king Solomon wavers between fear and bravado, wisdom and folly. In the uncertain world of alliances and treachery, Solomon longs for peace and a love that is true and pure--a love that can be his cornerstone.
A shepherdess in the northern city of Shunem, Arielah remembers the first time she laid eyes on Solomon in Jerusalem when she was just seven years old. Since then she has known that it was her destiny to become his bride. When her father, a leader of their tribe, secures a promise from King Solomon to marry Arielah as a treaty bride to help unite the kingdom, it seems her dreams may come true.
But how can this simple shepherdess live as part of Solomon's harem? Can Solomon set aside his distractions to give himself completely to just one woman? Or will he let duty, deception, and the daily routine divide his heart?
Mesu Andrews expertly weaves the words of the Song of Solomon into this touching story of the power of love. Readers will be transported from the glowing fields of Shunem to the gleaming city of Jerusalem as they experience this rich and textured novel from a master storyteller.
Can I just take a moment to say how much I love the name Arielah? Hearing it said in the audio version really brought to life that name. And the personality that was created for her somewhere between innocent youth and beyond ready to assume her role of Queen to Solomon’s King with wisdom and grace. However, more often than not she came across as immature in her maturity. It’s really difficult to understand her age as she’s a mirror of both maturity and immaturity. She felt real though, so real. Child-like faith comes to mind – in a good way.
Solomon I struggled with. Taking on a pretty famous person as Solomon was a risk. Showing him as real and many times a bumbling idiot about things was a huge risk. He’s famous for his wisdom and women, the Bible tells me so, though those two things typically don’t go well together in today’s culture. But oh grits and gravy that man. I think the risk pays off though. He became more real as a human through his mistakes and missteps. He became more than a Bible story and stepped into actual flesh and blood with all the foibles and follies that entails. I think, honestly, I like him more like this. I mean trying to unite a kingdom through marriage, all the marriages, when how do you truly love so many? You can’t. Today he would be a player, maybe a smart player, but a player none the less.
Here’s the real deal. I’m starting to try to embrace audio books. I want to read more. I mean we all know I took a hiatus from reading. But even when I started reading again the time is so limited. But audio books can fit more into my day and bring me into the worlds I want to inhibit. The drawback is that I find myself sometimes rewinding chapters as I got caught up in other things while I listen and realize I missed things. I regret this book as an audio book for just that reason. The side stories and sooo many characters made it sometimes difficult to keep up with everything. Overall though, Mesu has yet to disappoint me.
About Mesu Andrews
MESU ANDREWS is a Christy Award-winning, best-selling author of biblical novels and devotional studies whose deep understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the Bible alive for readers. Her heritage as a “spiritual mutt” has given her a deep yearning to both understand and communicate biblical truths in powerful stories that touch the heart, challenge the mind, and transform lives. Mesu lives in Indiana with her husband Roy, where she stays connected with her readers through newsie emails, blog posts, and the social media we all love to hate. For more information, visit MesuAndrews.com.
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