The Shepherd's Wife

Yeshua of Nazareth has two sisters: Damaris, married to a wealthy merchant's son, and Pheodora, married to a simple shepherd from Bethlehem. When Pheodora's husband suffers an unexpected reversal of fortune and is thrown into debtor's prison, she returns to Nazareth, where she pins her hopes on two she-goats who should give birth to spotless white kids that would be perfect for the upcoming Yom Kippur sacrifice. In the eighteen months between the kids' birth and the opportunity to sell them and redeem her husband from prison, Pheodora must call on her wits, her family, and her God in order to provide for her daughters and survive. But when every prayer and ritual she knows is about God's care for Israel, how can she trust that God will hear and help a lowly shepherd's wife?… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member grammy57

This is the second book in the Jerusalem Road series by Angela Hunt. I have enjoyed every book she has written and this is no exception BUT, I was a bit disappointed in this one. It was a very slow start for me and I almost gave up. I'm glad I didn't as it turned out to be a good book. It was

written from the viewpoint of Jesus' 2 sisters. The narrative switched back and forth between them but not in equal shares.

The book, of course, is a Christian book and the main theme was forgiveness. The shepherd's wife is one of the sisters and the book is mostly from her view. The rest of the family is involved, but only as supporting characters.

The plot didn't seem to be as important and the theme and I guess that was one of the things I didn't care for.

Overall, I did enjoy the book once I got past the first chapter or so. It is not my favorite, but I did enjoy it. I think anyone that enjoys Biblical fiction will enjoy this book also. I give it a 3 out of 5 star rating.

Show Less

1 more

LibraryThing member EstherFilbrun

I’m slowly working through this series, and when I came to this book, I knew it was probably one I would enjoy. Mom highly recommended it after she read it, and several historical events included in the book that she mentioned after reading this story especially piqued my interest. What I

didn’t expect, when I started reading, was the mystery element and perspective on Pharisees that I got here—that caught me off guard, in a very good way. Hunt does an amazing job at bringing this time to life, and I feel like I know a lot more about Ancient Israel and the way things may have worked back then after reading this book. The characters were all relatable and their plights gripped my heart. The writing style wasn’t the best I’ve ever seen, but the plot itself was interesting enough that that didn’t really affect me. Overall, a good read, and I’m looking forward to finishing the series!

Show Less

Fewer