About the Book
Book: Potiphar's Wife
Author: Mesu Andrews
Genre: Biblical Fiction
Publisher: Waterbrook
Release Date: May 24, 2022
The drama of the Old Testament comes to life as one of the Bible's most infamous women longs for Joseph, her husband's servant, in this riveting novel from the award-winning author of Isaiah's Legacy.
Before she is Potiphar's wife, Zuleika is a king's daughter on the isle of Crete, where the sisterhood of women rules in the absence of their seafaring husbands. Now that she's come of age, Zuleika knows she will soon be betrothed. Her father believes his robust trade with Egypt will ensure Pharaoh's obligation to marry his daughter.
But Pharaoh refuses and gives her instead to Potiphar, the captain of his bodyguards--a crusty bachelor twice her age, who would rather have a new horse than a Minoan wife.
Abandoned by her father, rejected by Pharaoh, and humiliated by Potiphar's indifference, Zuleika years for affection. But when her obsession with Joseph, the Hebrew chamberlain with the face and body of the gods, goes terribly wrong, she discovers the truth: Only the God of Joseph can heal her wounded heart.
Before she is Potiphar's wife, Zuleika is a king's daughter on the isle of Crete, where the sisterhood of women rules in the absence of their seafaring husbands. Now that she's come of age, Zuleika knows she will soon be betrothed. Her father believes his robust trade with Egypt will ensure Pharaoh's obligation to marry his daughter.
But Pharaoh refuses and gives her instead to Potiphar, the captain of his bodyguards--a crusty bachelor twice her age, who would rather have a new horse than a Minoan wife.
Abandoned by her father, rejected by Pharaoh, and humiliated by Potiphar's indifference, Zuleika years for affection. But when her obsession with Joseph, the Hebrew chamberlain with the face and body of the gods, goes terribly wrong, she discovers the truth: Only the God of Joseph can heal her wounded heart.
My Thoughts
Typically Biblical Fiction is not the type of genre that I gravitate towards but when I read it by someone that truly knows how to capture it I am completely hooked. This is my first book by Mesu Andrews and it will definitely not be my last. We all know the story of Joseph but she managed to place my in Egypt and into a world that I could've never have imagined by myself. Now, let me re-state this is Biblical fiction so obviously she has taken liberties with the story however you can also tell that she has done extensive research and she even has author's notes at the end of the story where she tells you where information has come from and where she added her fiction flare to the story.
It does however give you a "perhaps" or "what-if" thoughts regarding Potiphar's wife, Zuleika or Zully as she is known throughout the story. When reading the Bible story of Joseph we see her as this bad girl but really we don't even know anything about her. This story makes you see her in a new light and although we can't excuse her behavior the fact remains that we all fall short of God's grace. Lucky for us he is a forgiving God.
I mean while reading you have to feel compassion for her. She is a princess who has just lost both her husband and mother in an earthquake. She sacrifices herself and is willing to go to Egypt and marry Pharaoh in order to rebuild her city which she loves. She gets to Egypt and instead of Pharaoh he gives her to Potiphar and although he is kind to her he doesn't know what it is to be a husband. His main job is to keep Pharaoh alive and although he is kind to Zully he leaves her to tend to his responsibilities. In the midst of all this her best friend Gaios betrays her and she becomes a shell of a woman. There is so much more that happens that I am not going to divulge because you should really read it but all I could see was a broken woman, searching for something that would take her out of the situation she was in.
I want to believe that there was someone like Ahira and Joseph that may have shown her who Elohim truly was and that she repented and learned to serve Him but we will never know until perhaps our time in Heaven with out Creator where we can ask all the questions of the people in the Bible we have been reading about all this time.
If you enjoy Biblical Fiction I definitely recommend this one. It will take you on a journey of forgiveness, redemption, mercy and faith.
My Rating: 5 Stars/Loved it, could not put it down
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
About the Author
Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes (Revell, 2011, the story of Job) won the 2012 ECPA Book of the Year for a Debut Author. Love’s Sacred Song (Revell, 2012) relates the poetic Song of Solomon in story form, and Love in a Broken Vessel(Revell, 2013) sets the story of Hosea and Gomer in biblical Israel. In the Shadow of Jezebel (Revell, 2014) displays God's sovereignty over Jezebel's daughter, Queen Athaliah. The Pharaoh's Daughter (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2015), unveils Moses' early years, and Miriam (2016) introduces Yahweh's prophetess during the ten plagues and the Exodus. Isaiah’s Daughter (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2018) introduces readers to the prophet Isaiah's captivating daughter, and its sequel, Isaiah's Legacy (Waterbrook/Multnomah, 2020) , provides the redemptive end to her life and her son Manasseh's reign. To follow Yahweh's progression toward the Messiah, By the Waters of Babylon (August 2018) continues the story of the prophets and kings through the exile, and Of Fire and Lions (Waterbrook/Multnomah 2019) tells Daniel's compelling story. And The Reluctant Rival: Leah's Story tells of Leah, Jacob's neglected wife, and how God used her to change the course of history. And when Joseph's brothers sell him into a life of slavery in Egypt, Jacob's favorite son encounters one of the Bible's most infamous bad girls in, Potiphar's Wife (Waterbrook/Multnomah 2022).
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