By Kelly Bridgewater
First-century Corinth is a city teeming with commerce and charm. It’s also
filled with danger and corruption―the perfect setting for Ariadne’s greatest
adventure.
After years spent living with her mother and oppressive grandfather in Athens, Ariadne runs away to her father’s home in Corinth, only to discover the perilous secret that destroyed his marriage: though a Greek of high birth, Galenos is the infamous thief who has been robbing the city’s corrupt of their ill-gotten gains.
Desperate to keep him safe, Ariadne risks her good name, her freedom, and the love of the man she adores to become her father’s apprentice. As her unusual athletic ability leads her into dangerous exploits, Ariadne discovers that she secretly revels in playing with fire. But when the wrong person discovers their secret, Ariadne and her father find their future―and very lives―hanging in the balance.
When they befriend a Jewish rabbi named Paul, they realize that his radical message challenges everything they’ve fought to build, yet offers something neither dared hope for.
After years spent living with her mother and oppressive grandfather in Athens, Ariadne runs away to her father’s home in Corinth, only to discover the perilous secret that destroyed his marriage: though a Greek of high birth, Galenos is the infamous thief who has been robbing the city’s corrupt of their ill-gotten gains.
Desperate to keep him safe, Ariadne risks her good name, her freedom, and the love of the man she adores to become her father’s apprentice. As her unusual athletic ability leads her into dangerous exploits, Ariadne discovers that she secretly revels in playing with fire. But when the wrong person discovers their secret, Ariadne and her father find their future―and very lives―hanging in the balance.
When they befriend a Jewish rabbi named Paul, they realize that his radical message challenges everything they’ve fought to build, yet offers something neither dared hope for.
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| From Amazon |
My Thoughts:
I have not read a lot of Biblical Fiction. It isn't my first
choice of genre to reach for. I have read a book by Mesu Andrews and Connilyn
Cossette and have mixed feelings about the writing. But the Thief of Corinth by
Tessa Afshar's cover looked amazing.
Then I read the synopsis and figured it might be something I would enjoy reading. I'm glad that I did.
With the Thief of Corinth, I finished
the entire novel in one day.
Her writing is amazing. I have a deep respect for writers of
Biblical fiction because they have to bring the world of the Biblical world to
life without overwhelming their readers. They have to be careful with every
little aspect. From what they wear to what they would talk like to what the
customs of the day was. They have to include just enough to make the setting
realistic for the story, but they can't overwhelm the reader with too much
information about the Biblical time.
The plot in this story is something I haven't seen. It was
interesting, and I had a hard time putting the novel down. I have heard of
Corinth because of Paul's two famous letters to the Corinth church. First and
Second Corinthians. I was spellbound by the characters and the troubles in
their daily lives. Paul, the apostle, made an appearance and shared about God
to the family. He helped them see the need for God.
The character of Ariadne was brave and heroic. She did what
was not expected of her station in life, but she chose how to make her life.
When her life started out pretty rough, she jumped ship literally and moved to
Corinth in search of a better life. Dangers followed. The only issue I had with
the plot was expecting Ariadne's mother and grandfather to follow sometime in
the novel and find them. Not just allow them to go so easily.
Even though the story is about some characters from the
Bible, I don't think Afshar made it preachy. She did a fabulous job at telling
a story to show the need and desire for God's love.
Overall, Thief of
Corinth by Tessa Afshar is a captivating novel filled with solid research
to create an interesting story to show the aspects of living with the Bible
characters I read about. I really enjoyed this novel. I think fans of Connilyn
Cossette and Mesu Andrews should pick up this book.
I received a complimentary copy of Thief of Corinth by Tessa Afshar from Tyndale Publishing, but the
opinions stated are all my own.
My Rating:
4.5 out of 5 stars
About the Author:
Tessa Afshar is an award-winning author of historical and biblical
fiction. Her novel Land of Silence was voted by Library Journal as one
of top five Christian fiction titles of 2016 and won the INSPY Award for
General Fiction. Harvest of Gold won the prestigious 2014 Christy Award
in the Historical Romance category. Her book Harvest of Rubies was a
finalist for the 2013 ECPA Book Award in the fiction category. In 2011,
after publishing her first novel, Pearl in the Sand, Tessa was named New
Author of the Year in the FamilyFiction-sponsored Reader’s Choice
Awards. Tessa lived in the Middle East for the first fourteen years of
her life. She then moved to England, where she survived boarding school
for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, before
moving to the United States. She holds an MDiv from Yale Divinity
School, where she served as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship. But
that has not cured her from being exceptionally fond of chocolate.
Contact Tessa at tessaafshar.com or on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTessaAfshar/
(Taken from Amazon)
About the Author:
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| From Amazon |
(Taken from Amazon)
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