Review of The Legacy of Job's Wife

[Petro Kleynhans 1]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Legacy of Job's Wife" by Cynthia Koelker.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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I give this book a 5-star review because I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

What a beautifully written love story. A love story not only between a man and a woman but also between a man and his Creator whom he loved so much. The author did an amazing job transforming the story of Job, which is often somber and philosophical, into something tender and enjoyable. It was powerful to take this ancient, very challenging text and change it into something as beautiful as this.
The story of Ix’ises is a story of a woman that few people ever thought of when the Biblical book of Job is read. The only thing that seems to be brought to remembrance about her as we read the Bible is the very well-known words she spoke to her husband when he so desperately held on to life with all his might while suffering the most unthinkable fate: “ curse God and die” Very little thought is ever given to what brought her to say these horrible words, and even less thought is given to her as a person, her childhood, her relationship with Job, their life together and the terrible ordeal she went through by her unthinkable tragic loss.
The life she and her family as well as Job’s family, while staying in tents, eating the most basic food, having the fewest possessions and still leading a happy and content life, felt so real it made me wonder if we really need all the luxuries, we tend to think it necessary to be happy.
After the horrific tragic event I was swept into the waves of sadness with her as she suffered through her pain. How familiar are these waves of sadness to those who know the loss of a loved one, like the waves of the sea.
Job himself is accurately described, true to what we know about him from Biblical knowledge. He was not only a man of God, but we got to know him as a godly husband and man of integrity.
Even though I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I felt that in the Biblical book of Job the restoration of Job’s fortune marks a clear ending to the story, and it would have been a naturally satisfying conclusion. By adding to the last part of the story seems like layers that were not necessary, and it diminished its impact of it.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable book, and I felt a bit empty when I came to the end. It was like I had to say goodbye to my friends and leave a world where I would have liked to stay a bit longer.

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The Legacy of Job's Wife
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