Review of The Legacy of Job's Wife
Posted: 22 Jun 2022, 13:02
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Legacy of Job's Wife" by Cynthia Koelker.]
“Curse God and die” can you imagine being known for just this single statement. A statement that has successfully defined you as the villain of faith. This statement has been whipping the image of jobs wife for eons. Job is a man from the Bible that passed the ultimate test of faith. Job lost his wealth. Job lost his children and his health. But, was it only Job who lost? Didn’t his wife lose the health of her husband and perhaps her own? Didn’t she lose the fruits of her womb? Is it fair to use one statement to define her legacy? The biblical book of Job tells his story in great detail. But where is the story of his wife, where is the story of their love and marriage? After all the bible shows no evidence of Job leaving her or him taking another wife. Author Cynthia J. Koelker answers these questions by telling the story of Job from his wife's perspective. This is thoroughly executed in her fictional love novel titled The Legacy of Job’s Wife. Koelker transforms Job’s nameless wife into a real person, with a voice, a story, and a name. She then takes us through the life and love of Job and Zhabella with exquisite detail. This brave answer allows readers to emotionally connect to the woman behind the popular statement “curse God and die.”
There is so much to love about this novel. I love how the author develops the love story of Job and Zhabella from childhood to husband and wife. Her fictional rendition covers all aspects of the couple’s life in perfect detail. This allowed me to create a mental film of their childhood, love, and pain. Having read this novel I can envision Job’s wife as a person rather than just a statement. I am also able to see Job as a human being, not just the great man of God. The text gives speech to a speechless woman. This is something that I admire deeply about the novel. It allows Zhabella to express the depth of her pain with a voice that is her own. How would you feel if you lost all your children and suffered the agony of watching your husband await a death that would not come? The poems in the text are a beautiful touch as well. They helped me to connect to her pain as I journeyed through the hills and valleys of her life. Zhabella is a woman who has love and lost and is judged too harshly for being human. I appreciate how Koelker uses Zhabella to start an evolution of female intelligence. In a time when women were not supposed to be intellectual, she uses the pain of Job’s wife to fester the start of female education for generations to come.
There is nothing that I dislike about this text. The storyline is insightful and refreshing. The novel doesn’t justify her statement. But it gives a greater understanding of why such words fell from her human lips. It is a phenomenal read that will allow readers to understand the emotions of a woman cocooned in pain.
I rate this book 4 out of 4. The text is well edited with no grammatical errors. I thoroughly enjoyed the emotional thrill of the novel. It filled me with fear and excitement. I know the story of Job. But the structure of the novel made every chapter feel like a story I know nothing of.
I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for the person behind “curse God and die.” The foundation of the text is a biblical story. It will therefore make a lovely read for Christian history enthusiasts and like-minded individuals. However, it is also a beautiful love story that can be enjoyed by anyone. God reestablished Job and gave him ten more children. Didn’t God also bless the womb of his wife? Could it be that God forgave her? The truth is no one knows, but it is not our right to judge.
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The Legacy of Job's Wife
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
“Curse God and die” can you imagine being known for just this single statement. A statement that has successfully defined you as the villain of faith. This statement has been whipping the image of jobs wife for eons. Job is a man from the Bible that passed the ultimate test of faith. Job lost his wealth. Job lost his children and his health. But, was it only Job who lost? Didn’t his wife lose the health of her husband and perhaps her own? Didn’t she lose the fruits of her womb? Is it fair to use one statement to define her legacy? The biblical book of Job tells his story in great detail. But where is the story of his wife, where is the story of their love and marriage? After all the bible shows no evidence of Job leaving her or him taking another wife. Author Cynthia J. Koelker answers these questions by telling the story of Job from his wife's perspective. This is thoroughly executed in her fictional love novel titled The Legacy of Job’s Wife. Koelker transforms Job’s nameless wife into a real person, with a voice, a story, and a name. She then takes us through the life and love of Job and Zhabella with exquisite detail. This brave answer allows readers to emotionally connect to the woman behind the popular statement “curse God and die.”
There is so much to love about this novel. I love how the author develops the love story of Job and Zhabella from childhood to husband and wife. Her fictional rendition covers all aspects of the couple’s life in perfect detail. This allowed me to create a mental film of their childhood, love, and pain. Having read this novel I can envision Job’s wife as a person rather than just a statement. I am also able to see Job as a human being, not just the great man of God. The text gives speech to a speechless woman. This is something that I admire deeply about the novel. It allows Zhabella to express the depth of her pain with a voice that is her own. How would you feel if you lost all your children and suffered the agony of watching your husband await a death that would not come? The poems in the text are a beautiful touch as well. They helped me to connect to her pain as I journeyed through the hills and valleys of her life. Zhabella is a woman who has love and lost and is judged too harshly for being human. I appreciate how Koelker uses Zhabella to start an evolution of female intelligence. In a time when women were not supposed to be intellectual, she uses the pain of Job’s wife to fester the start of female education for generations to come.
There is nothing that I dislike about this text. The storyline is insightful and refreshing. The novel doesn’t justify her statement. But it gives a greater understanding of why such words fell from her human lips. It is a phenomenal read that will allow readers to understand the emotions of a woman cocooned in pain.
I rate this book 4 out of 4. The text is well edited with no grammatical errors. I thoroughly enjoyed the emotional thrill of the novel. It filled me with fear and excitement. I know the story of Job. But the structure of the novel made every chapter feel like a story I know nothing of.
I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for the person behind “curse God and die.” The foundation of the text is a biblical story. It will therefore make a lovely read for Christian history enthusiasts and like-minded individuals. However, it is also a beautiful love story that can be enjoyed by anyone. God reestablished Job and gave him ten more children. Didn’t God also bless the womb of his wife? Could it be that God forgave her? The truth is no one knows, but it is not our right to judge.
******
The Legacy of Job's Wife
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon