Misc. Monday - Desired

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Desired
by Ginger Garrett
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3 stars


Summary from Goodreads:
 Before Samson was an Old Testament legend, he was a prodigal son, an inexperienced suitor, a vengeful husband, and a lost soul driven by his own weakness. This is his story as told by three strong women who loved him—the nagging, manipulative mother who pushed him toward greatness, the hapless Philistine bride whose betrayal propelled him into notoriety, and the emotionally damaged seductress—the famous Delilah—who engineered his downfall and propelled him to his destiny. Desiredcelebrates the God of Israel's to work powerfully in the midst of hopes, fears, desires, and sorrows.


My Review:

I have read stories like this before ([book:Pearl in the Sand|8089607] was amazing) and have really liked them, however this one just wasn't up to par.  I really liked the young women's points of view. Young Amara was nicely characterized and fleshed out, though not particularly dynamic. 


The people I had the most problems with, were 1 Samson and 2 his mother. Samson seemed like a little boy who never grew up. I understand that he was more of side story and the real focus was on both Amara and Delilah but still I would rather have dynamic characters than stagnant ones. He seemed to be unwilling to take true control of his life and that simply irritated me. Also his mother...I don't see her being that nagging of a person. She was probably of the same caliber of Elisabeth and Mary in the New Testament or Hannah and Sarah from the Old Testament. I don't see a nagging, manipulative, prideful woman being called to raise a "chosen one." So her portrayal really made me tune her out throughout the novel. 


The one who made me keep reading this is Delilah. Her story was wonderfully written, her change from a young innocent to the infamous seductress was believable and my favorite part to read. I loved her and how she was humanized and how were actions, which have little to no motivation given in the biblical story found in Judges.

Overall I would say it was ok but not my favorite.

Many thanks to NetGalley for helping me get a copy to read for review.