Expect my review on my website 9/27/2010 at http://reenajacobs.com/blog/2010/09/n...I’m not sure if it’s because I have a little writing under my belt or what, but I didn’t enjoy this one as much as my other Francine River reads. The novella had a lot of information chunks thrown at me. This is alright for the bible, but not okay for a fictional story, even if it is based upon the bible. At least in my mind.I also wasn’t very fond of Caleb. He had an air of superiority. No one could satisfy him, while he acted as if he was above it all. He just seemed a little to perfect in his mind for my liking. What happened to struggling with right and wrong? For Caleb, the struggle seemed to be lacking. His biggest concern was trying to sway everyone to his way of thinking. Honestly, with Caleb so sure of himself and his way of thought, the overall story lacked conflict. I had nothing to look forward to.Although Caleb was above many of the struggles, the other characters were not. Even though I knew the story, it still broke my heart to see the children of Israel learn and accept after the consequences were in place. For example, one of Caleb’s brothers said, “I thought, perhaps, the Lord had forgotten about me, and I might sneak into the Promised Land among my sons and grandsons…” Even thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes.Other lines made me reflect on life in general. For example: “And like this morning, they prayed the same prayers they prayed every day, and then went off to live life on their own terms.” I don’t know how many Christian readers visit my blog, but isn’t that so true sometimes. It’s like the Natalie and Phillip Larue song where they sing, it’s not right to be a Christian “One Day of the Week.”So in my opinion, the overall message was wonderful, but the presentation was lacking.Before I leave you with this review, I’ll share a couple more favorites I had from the novel.Brave men do what the Lord commands despite their fear.Don’t think my arm isn’t long enough to deal with you.We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that’s what we looked like to them!Tomorrow I hope to get out my review of “The Prophet” which is also by Francine Rivers. So, stay tuned!“The Warrior” by Francine Rivers is available at the Book Depository.
All I know of Caleb is the faithful stance he took beside Joshua after "spying" on the promised land. This book creates a plausible life experiences that lead up to that confident statement of faith. I never gave much thought to the Egyptians that left alongside the former-slave nation of Israel, nor did I realize Caleb was not part of Judah by blood. Although he longed for the peaceful life of a farmer, it seems Caleb was destined for war all his days. First struggling to temper his firey Edomite tendencies, he is schooled in the wilderness to put all things into submission and follow the Lord in every circumstance. This lesson is learned at a horrible price along the way, but we see over and over again how important it is for every generation to learn. We see through Caleb's eyes the seriousness of sin and its devastation. Another winner for Francine Rivers.
Do You like book The Warrior: Caleb (2005)?
Not excellent writing, but pretty good, and it definitely captured the passion Caleb must have had for his religion. I'm not sure that I agree completely on the author's portrayal of him, but she made me turn back to the Bible to remember what we actually know about Caleb. It's not much, but what the author didn't guess at, she got spot on. And it also gave me a slightly different perspective on the children of Israel (and therefore God's reasons for treating them as He did), which I appreciated.
—Katrina
I've read the Old Testament, and books about the Old Testament, many times. Both fact and fiction.This book gives a fictional account of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. The unique perspective of the novel is that of Caleb, an Egyptian who chose exile with the Israelites over staying in his own country. I thought the book was fantastic - I learned a lot looking at the situation as a whole from this perspective. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in Christian Historical Fiction or just Christian History in general.
—Kimberly
I enjoyed reading the details of a story I had previously read before, in a different light and from a different standpoint. The reality of the daily struggle of sin was depicted so well in the story of Caleb, and how a person with integrity and so many characteristics I admire, fought this struggle to not let sin take control."Sin crouches at the entrance of my heart waiting to devour me. I must fight against it. Oh, how I must fight the fire in my blood."I realise how I had glossed over and missed details when I previously read this story in the Bible. I had failed to focus on the words not written in this story and the implications this would have had in Joshua and Caleb's lives, as well as the Israelites. I was moved most by the fact that the Israelites wandered for 40 years until all the men who grew up in fear of the Pharoah died off, and were replaced by men who grew up in fear of the Lord.When I finished reading, I felt the weight of my sin; of my unfaithfulness to God. I felt the burden of my failure - to walk in all His ways wholeheartedly, genuinely and with integrity. Yet I wasn't left without hope and desire to pursue this relationship in my own life. It is attainable if I trust and hope, like Caleb did.
—Kim
