Book Review: Rebekah Redeemed by Dianne Sagan

Lose yourself in a moving story of a young girl's journey to womanhood and redemption in Rebekah Redeemed by Dianne Sagan.

At the age of six, Rebekah is orphaned and sent to live with relatives. But she is treated as a servant girl; passed along from home to home, her true identity kept secret by others who mistreat and abuse her. Surely, the God her father spoke of and prayed to does not exist.

Now a young woman, she is sent to be another relative's house servant, her identity kept hidden by her uncle's wife. Barely escaping a rape at the hands of a Roman solider, Rebekah is found by her friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Will they help her? Or will they be just like all the others in her life who have turned on her?

This is one of those stories of faith that you could just cry over. A young girl loses both parents and is sent to live with relatives who care nothing for her and make her a servant. She is mistreated and abused at every turn. Things continue to go from bad to worse, and Rebekah doubts that the God her father has told her about could even exist. Certainly no one she knows prays to him. And yet, by the end, after all she has suffered, she comes to the realization that faithful do: not only does God exist, but he loves me.

Sagan has painted a beautiful picture for her readers with historical details that draw you into Biblical times. She has obviously done her research, and it shows in the clothes, the scenery, even the laws of the time in which Rebekah lives. In addition, scenes from the Bible are accurately portrayed as they flow into the storyline. Having partaken in a Passover Seder for many years, I found this portion of the story very interesting.

The author truly pushes Rebekah to the edge, and readers are wondering if she can sustain one more setback, one more moment of mistreatment from people who are her family or their friends. They will also rejoice upon her redemption, something she, like all of us, could never have accomplished alone.

The first in a planned series of Christian fiction books covering little known women of the Bible, Rebekah Redeemed by Dianne Sagan is an impressive start. I look forward to future books from this author.



Title: Rebekah Redeemed
Author: Dianne G. Sagan
Publisher: Buoy Up Press
ISBN: 978-0-937660-52-2
SRP: $11.95