IgniteLit

Title: A Voice in the Wind
Author: Francine Rivers
Series: Mark of the Lion, book 1
Major Themes: Ancient Israel, Ancient Rome, Early Christians
Synopsis: When Hadassah, a young Christian Jewess, is bought to be the slave of a Roman family, can she keep her faith while serving in the pagan culture around her?

I’ve heard of Rivers’ books for years but never read any for myself until I decided to try A Voice in the Wind. Mom has been reading her Sons of Encouragement series aloud to us as part of my sibling’s history (isn’t it great when historical fiction can be used to teach history?), and I was quite impressed by those books. With them, she sticks closely to the Biblical account, and what isn’t in the Bible is quite plausible. Seeing that, I wanted to know what some of her other novels were like—and this one seemed like an easy choice. I haven’t read much based around this time in Roman history—Pontius Pilate and Twice Freed being the two exceptions I can think of at the moment—so I was curious what she would do with Rome around the time of the fall of Jerusalem. Combined with my interest in the fall of Jerusalem as a historical event, I knew I’d find at least some things to intrigue me in this story!

Hadassah, a young Christian girl with Jewish roots, just happens to be in Jerusalem when the siege ends and Titus’ men start ransacking the city. When her parents, brother, and sister all die before they escape the city, she’s the only one left—and, shipped off to Rome, all she knows is that slavery and pain await her. Her faith was already slipping before; why would God choose to let her live, instead of leaving one of her siblings, whose faith was stronger than hers? When she arrives in Rome, she becomes a handmaid to a Roman aristocrat’s daughter, and while she loves the young woman, she’s revolted by what she sees around her. Struggling to know how and when to share her faith, and realizing she’s falling in love with a man she cannot marry, she must rely on God for guidance and protection.

I knew about the sin that filled Rome back then—some of the references in Pontius Pilate told me about that, and I’ve also learned from other sources. But seeing it here made me realize just how much the ancient Romans needed Jesus—and what a challenge the Christians had to try to steer clear of that sin while still reaching out to those around them. It was a dangerous world for them; if you were suspected of being Christian, almost anyone could test your loyalty to the emperor—and if you refused to burn incense in his honor, you would be sent to the arena to your death. Seeing it through the eyes of a frightened young girl was quite a challenge to me. I could identify with her, and yet watching her make the right choices—even when it broke her heart to do so—reinforced my faith in the Lord.

A Voice in the Wind is a striking example of the two choices we all have in life: Following our own will (and earning a heap of trouble for our efforts!), or following Christ. Both ways are hard, but one is infinitely harder than the other in the long run.

As far as the story itself, it was well done. Even though there were numerous mentions of sin—not unlike what we have today, honestly, although it may have been more overt back then—I never felt like I had to scrub my eyes after reading this book. Rivers seems to have a line she’ll go to, and no further, and I appreciated that. The characters were gripping, and, for some at least, heart-wrenching. And the way the book ended…to avoid spoilers, I’ll just say I was quite challenged by what happened. It was much more touching than I could have expected. In all, an excellent read, highly recommended!

WARNING: Rome’s sinful culture is referenced a lot of times. People having had past or ongoing affairs are frequently mentioned through the book (several times a man has a prostitute sent to him, or a woman offers herself to a man, phrases like “sleeping with” or “making love to” are used, but never more description than that anywhere in the book). People try seducing each other frequently (generally very veiled remarks). People often remove their clothing to incite others’ lust (most often mentioned about the gladiators at the arena; no more description than here). Homosexuality is referenced multiple times. What went on at the arena is mentioned several times, often with people hurt or killed. “By the gods” or similar expressions appear in nearly every chapter of the book. Erotic paintings or nude statues are mentioned multiple times. Lying and disobedience to parents happen multiple times. Bulimia is mentioned in ch. 19, and drinking is a common occurrence throughout the story. There are pagan ceremonies and drinking blood in ch. 2, 13, and 32. Fighting and people being killed happens in ch. 2, 7, 10, 13, 17, 21, 24, 32, and 37. There are kisses and/or touching in ch. 4, 7, 9, 17, 18, 25, 27, 28, 31, and 35. A woman has an abortion in ch. 20 (described to some extent). A man is killed by premeditated poisoning in ch. 26. A woman decides to let her newborn son die in ch. 35.