The Heart of a King by Jill Eileen Smith

Back Cover: King Solomon could - and did - have anything he wanted, including many women from many lands. But for all of his wealth and wisdom, did he or the women he loved ever find what they were searching for?

In this engrossing novel, find yourself whisked away to ancient Israel, where you'll meet four remarkable women: Naamah the desert princess, Abishag the shepherdess, Siti the daughter of a pharaoh, and Nicaula the queen of Sheba. As you experience the world of Solomon through his eyes and theirs, you'll grapple with whether this king's storied wisdom ultimately benefited him and those he loved... or betrayed them.

Review: I have never stopped to ponder the questions that this book posed. Was Solomon's gift of wisdom actually a blessing? Could it be possible the that wisest man on earth could actually be crippled by the knowledge of his own abilities? This novel provoked me to some serious thinking; namely, I have contemplated pride and its dastardly effects on God's wonderful plan for us. Through reading this novel and comparing it to scripture, I've come to the realization that Solomon did indeed break God's laws even though he was given the amazing gift of being able to build God's temple and an unspeakable gift of wisdom. Solomon placed his own God given gift of wisdom above the giver of the gift.... by taking hundreds of wives and concubines. Solomon pursued his own pleasure instead of God's will.

I have always thought of Solomon as the 'wise king'...and indeed he was.... but the slant that this interpretive retelling gave me has opened my eyes to the fact that Solomon may have been incredibly wise and intelligent, but he didn't always act in wisdom. An interesting realization. Even with God given wisdom, the only person capable of having Godly wisdom and acting in true accordance to it was our Lord Jesus Christ. A sinner like the rest of us, Solomon faltered even with the uncommon wisdom he'd been given.

As you can see, this book really made me think. I think I enjoyed the contemplative path this book led me on even more than I enjoyed the story. That being said, the stories of Naamah, Abishag, Siti and Nicaula were riveting. All four women were portrayed uniquely and each had their own distinct impression of Solomon and their own voice and story to be told. With each woman, I found my impression of Solomon sharpening as I looked at him from their eyes.

This story was masterfully told, and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Biblical fiction or historical fiction



Thank-you to Graf Martin Communications and to Baker Publishing House for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.