Beauty on the Backroads

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stephanie landsem

What the Bible looks like in slow motion: Review of The Thief by Stephanie Landsem

Biblical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and Stephanie Landsem is fast establishing herself as a talented re-teller of familiar stories. The Thief, her second novel, is the story of a Jewish woman, Nissa, who is caring for her blind brother, and Longinus, a Roman centurion, who witness a miracle by the mysterious Nazarene, Jesus. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the ebook from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my review.) the thief

Nissa is hiding a secret that could kill her, and Longinus is holding on to bitterness over a friend’s death, and The Thief follows them both on a journey that will change their lives. When I read The Well, Landsem’s first novel, last year, I was impressed with the way the story caused me to rethink the characters in John 4. In The Thief, Landsem zooms in on Jerusalem and the events leading up to Jesus’ final Passover, culminating in his crucifixion and setting up the story for her third book, The Tomb. I feel like reading this story drew me in to the events I often skim over in the Bible. I could see, hear and feel, and because the focus was on ordinary people in Jerusalem, I got a better understanding of what it was like to live in that time.

The Thief is captivating and emotional, a story I couldn’t put down. And it whetted my appetite for the next book. thiefbloggerbutton

Don’t miss Stephanie Landsem‘s outstanding sophomore effort, The Thief.

Best-selling author Tosca Lee had this to say of the book: Filled with memorable characters, The Thief is a tale of hopelessness turned to hope, of high stakes made higher, and ultimate love. What happens when a character at the lowest rung of society crosses paths with the most well-known figure in history? The story of The Thief. I couldn’t stop reading.

Stephanie is hosting a Kindle Fire HDX and book giveaway at her website.

CLICK THE BUTTON to find out more and enter to win. Find out what readers are saying HERE. (Click the REVIEWS bar.)

What it's like to step into the pages of the Bible: Review of The Well by Stephanie Landsem

I’ve read the biblical story of the woman at the well, recorded in John 4, enough times for it to become familiar. Maybe too familiar. Which is why I appreciate what Stephanie Landsem has done with her debut novel The Well. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of The Well from Howard Books in exchange for my review.)

The-Well-cover-1-201x300In it, we meet Mara, a teenager taking care of her crippled brother and despondant mother, in first-century Samaria. The mother, Nava, we will later discover is the biblical woman at the well who talks with Jesus and receives living water. That scene is uniquely imagined by the author and led me to look at the biblical passage in a new way.

And that’s only part of the story.

Nava is living sinfully in the village and Mara has almost no prospects of marriage. They struggle to find enough food to eat and they survive mainly on the charity of the other villagers, who equally despise Nava and feel sorry for her children. Then an outsider comes to the village, a man named Shem who has come to his grandfather’s olive farm to escape for a time while he’s hunted by Romans for killing a soldier. Shem has a soft spot for the weak and those treated unjustly. He finds himself unintentionally intertwined with Mara’s future.

When Jesus visits their village and speaks with Nava at the well, her life is changed and the course of Mara and Shem’s future is set in motion.

The ending, I think, will surprise you.

Landsem presents a believable picture of life in first-century Samaria, and the liberties she takes with familiar biblical accounts is refreshing. The Bible leaves a lot to our imaginations, and it’s fun when an author chooses to fill in the gaps. The plot is plausible and captivating.

The Well is Landsem’s first novel, but it won’t be her last. Look for more imaginative biblical stories from her in the future.

For more about the author, visit her at http://www.stephanielandsem.com/.