A Voice in the Wind is the first book in The Mark of the Lion series by Christian author Francine Rivers. It’s a good story. Really, it is. Liz Curtis Higgs says (on the back of the book), “This series is without peer in Christian fiction!” Janet Parshall liked it, too. I enjoyed reading it. I’ll probably read the sequels. I couldn’t write anything half as good. Methinks I doth protest too much.
Let’s start over. A Voice in the Wind is the story of Hadassah, a young Jewish Christian who survives the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. She is taken to Rome as a slave where she becomes the personal servant of the daughter of the house of the patrician family Valerian. Hadassah’s mistress is Julia, a spoiled, willful brat who becomes worse in character as the story progresses. Julia has an older brother Marcus who is as spoiled and pleasure-loving as his baby sister. Only because of the old double standard, Marcus can indulge himself in living selfishly as a libertine with few consequences while Julia is expected to behave herself, do as she is told, and avoid scandal. Hadassah attempts to serve these people as Christ would have her serve them and to witness to the truth of the gospel in her life while keeping her Christian identity a secret. Then, Hadassah, the slave, and Marcus, the Roman master and heir to a fortune, realize that they are falling in love. Not only do their differing stations in life separate them, but Hadassah’s faith and Marcus’ lack of belief in anything make the consummation of their love impossible.
So it’s a good story. It’s not nearly as goopy as I may have made it sound, but there is a problem. I liked the characters in the novel. I want to read more about them. The author did her research and got the details of the time period, how gladiators were trained, how a Roman household was set up, how Christians met together in secret, all the historical setting, all right and well described. Marcus, Julia, Hadassah and the others are all interesting characters, people I want to know more about, but they’re not people of the first century. They’re more like twentieth or twenty-first century people plunked down in an authentic set of first century Rome. Their problems are modern day problems: homosexuality, abortion, materialism, young adult rebellion, lack of respect for tradition, divorce, mystical spirituality, radical feminism. I know, as I said in a picture book review just the other day, that people are much the same the world over and in every time period. But at the same time, they’re not. People in ancient Rome had different thought patterns, dealt differently with different issues than modern Americans. For example, in A Voice in the Wind Marcus, a wealthy Roman citizen, is actually thinking of taking his sister’s slave girl to be his wife, not a concubine or a mistress, but a wife. Would such a thing have occurred to a real Roman? If it did, would his family have put up with the idea for a minute? Julia, Marcus’ sister, has a friend who initiates her into a weird sort of cult of feminist spirituality and empowerment. Again, it sounds more like something from our times than something first century. Hadassah, the Jewish Christian, is really just an American evangelical worried about how to convert her employers to Christianity.
It’s hard to write historical fiction that is true to the time period in which it is set. I couldn’t do it. Writing a novel set in the first century involves thinking like a first century Roman or Jew. If you would enjoy reading a story about modern people with modern problems who happen to be dressed up in Roman togas and attending gladiatorial games and chariot races, A Voice in the Wind is a fine book. As I said, I’ll probably read the sequels. Just don’t expect to find out much about how people in Biblical times thought about their problems and issues. That’s not what this book is about.
For historical fiction of a Christian during the fall of Jerusalem and first century Rome, I recommend H. Rider Haggard’s “Pearl Maiden”. I loved it and it’s one of my favorite books. It’s at Amazon and also online. The current paperback has juvenile cover art but please ignore that. “Pearl Maiden” uses historical writings as its basis, including Josephus. (I’m ignoring, of course, modern debate as to the accuracy of Josephus’ writings.)
Mary Ray is an author well regarded in the Roman Christian period for her Ides of April and Beyond the Desert Gate. I prefer the latter.
See her reviews at Amazon.com.
“Ides of April, review from a teenager, May 31, 2004
Reviewer: A reader
I think that Mary Ray is a wonderful author and writer, with a great imagination a descriptive skills.
The plot was intriguing, and carefully thought over.
I could feel everything happening, as though I were right next to Hylas, the 17-year-old slave, and Camillus, the 18-year-old tribune.
There are intense scenes, but nothing that an 8-year-old can’t handle. ALmost no romance, and there is a large dipslay of compassion, loyalty, and discerment in the two boys.
I thorougly enjoyed her book, though it was a LITTLE confusing. (but it was almost midnight when I read it, and my brain was half-way asleep by then).
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!”
Most readers will already know The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare.
Historical experience is a strong point in children’s writing. There are good authors to be had for most important periods.
Ha, ha. That’s why I don’t read historical fiction that was written by someone not living in the period. Except for Cadfael.
I loved this book…and I enjoyed the sequels as well.
I haven’t read the book but when I was reading your review my mind was clicking off the points you made in your assessment. There would be no reason for him to even imagine her as a wife. Marriages even today are often for reasons other than love.
Sherry,
People throughout history have always married slaves or people they shouldn’t. At the turn of the century one of the British monarch gave up a chance for the throne to be with a divorced woman. Men in the south would marry Mulatto women and Victorian men married Prositutes. There were radical feminism cults. The other thing, I think people wouldn’t have even cared about was the homesexualty, I do think the dad seems a little out of the time period about that.
This is an excellent book. I’d have to disagree with your assessment of the likelyhood of the characters and their problems though. These *are* 1st century people with 1st century problems… read some of the apostle Paul’s stuff… it’s not far off base. He addresses some of the very same things that our world struggles with today.
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. -Ecclesiastes 1:9
I have to disagree with your post, you may have read the book but you did not understand the message. First off this is a Christian book so if you go in looking for wordly solutions, you won’t find what your looking for. The problems of the characters transcend time as in every culture we have always had the same problems. Also Marcus LOVED Haddassah for the person that she was. He did not marry her for wealth or power, he had these things, but realized he wanted to share them with her. Many men in ancient Rome married their slaves you only have to do a little research to find that out. One more point, this book has a sequel that starts immediately after the conclusion of this one so it is impossible to type a review on this book in conclusion when their is another book that wraps up the main plot points. This book is an excellent read and i would recommend it to anyone no matter your religious beliefs.