Redeeming Love is a "modern" retelling of Hosea. It's modern but set in the 1800s. We wouldn't normally think of that as modern, but that is more than 2,200 years after the original Hosea. It's closer to today than to Hosea's time.
Hosea is a book of the Bible in the Old Testament and Hosea is a man who God told to marry a harlot named Gomer. He marries the harlot. She gives him children. She leaves him. He wants her back. He still loves her. She's having affairs, but he still loves her, and he does get her back. He shows her what unconditional love is.
Set around the California Gold Rush in the 1850s Redeeming Love tells the tale of Michael Hosea and Sarah or should I say Angel. Angel is her prostitute name. She never speaks of her real name, Sarah, for she throws that name away when her old life is thrown away.
Angel's story is a sad one. She was born illegitimately to a dad who was having an affair. He never wanted her and he never wanted to be acknowledged. He eventually left her mother for good because of her. She never forgot that. When her mother died she got "adopted" by Duke, a man who is into children, a pedophile. He renamed her Angel and created the person she grew up to be.
The only problem I have with this story was Michael's love for Angel. I know the story of Hosea. I know what it represents and I know that is what Rivers is trying to portray with this story, but it didn't quite come off that way. It didn't so much feel that Michael wanted Angel because he loved her deeply and couldn't see his life without her. It more felt like he was going to be with her so he could be the one to redeem her. I didn't feel quite that the message intended got through.
However, I did love the story. I do recommend it. I don't give it four stars for nothing!
I read this book for pure pleasure. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review in any way.
I've read this book several times. It's not my favorite one of Francine Rivers but I do love it.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to read more Francine Rivers.
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