When I shared a blog post more than two months ago with book recommendations, we were just beginning this Coronavirus quarantine, and it felt like a good time to suggest some reading material to help pass the time.
Well, I don’t know about you, but I never would’ve guessed that we’d still be here all these weeks later.
Since many of us still have loads of time on our hands, allow me to introduce another beloved author to help us get through this weird twilight zone:
Liz Curtis Higgs!
My favourites of her books are set in the 18th century Scottish Lowlands. There are two sets of series in particular that I absolutely love.
Disclaimer: If you read my previous book review post (which you can do by clicking here: https://fromtheoverflow.home.blog/2020/03/20/got-lost-in-the-story/),
then you know not to judge a book by its cover. So again, don’t be fooled by the sappy titles and cover art!
What’s distinct about these historical novels, is that they retell popular stories from the Bible. The first series is based on the tragic love triangle between the Hebrew patriarch, Jacob, and his two wives, Rachel and Leah. You can read the biblical narrative in Genesis 25-35. It’s got all the makings of a juicy drama.
Tetralogy, by Liz Curtis Higgs
In the autumn of 1788, amid the moors and glens of the Scottish Lowlands, two brothers and two sisters each embark on a painful journey of discovery. A thorny love triangle emerges, plagued by lies and deception, jealousy and desire, hidden secrets and broken promises. Brimming with passion and drama, Thorn in My Heart brings the past to vibrant life, revealing spiritual truths that transcend time and penetrate the deepest places of the heart.
– Liz Curtis Higgs, Thorn in My Heart
(first book of the Lowlands of Scotland series)
What I didn’t expect to find in reading these stories, was a deep fondness for the biblical character Leah – or Leana, as she is called in Higgs’ rendition.
In the Bible, Leah is utterly despised by her husband who is tricked into marrying her. Despite producing several sons by him (a very big deal in the ancient world, and a sign of favour), he still doesn’t come around. And from all indications found in scripture, he never grows to love her. He actually appears to be repulsed by her instead.
The story unfolds a little differently in Higgs’ version. But really, it’s Leana’s unmatched integrity displayed in this work of fiction that really awakened me to my own view of hardship and my personal response to it.
Leanna is an incredibly strong character, who does incredibly hard things under so much opposition. She was wronged, wrongfully accused, betrayed, despised, abandoned, and more. Yet it’s the way she holds up her head and leans into Jesus, her Rock and Redeemer, that inspires and motivates me to do likewise in seasons of despair.
Scripture paints such a sad picture of Leah vying for her husband’s love and hoping that her fruitful womb will win his affections:
When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.” She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi. She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.
– Genesis 29:31-25
By the time Leah births a fourth son, she’s come to terms with her sad marital reality and chooses to praise the Lord despite it all. It is only by God’s beautiful design and matchless grace, that from the bloodline of Leah’s son Judah, Jesus Christ, the Messiah would be born. What an honour to her and to her lineage!
Again, in Higgs’ account, the tricky love triangle unfolds a little differently, but if you’re familiar at all with the story found in Genesis, you’ll surely enjoy the many parallels sprinkled throughout.
The next series of books up for review is also set in 18th century Scotland. This time following a depiction of the story of Ruth.
Duology, by Liz Curtis Higgs
A mother who cannot face her future. A daughter who cannot escape her past. A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland, Here Burns My Candle illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of tapers, lights the way home.
– Liz Curtis Higgs, Here Burns My Candle
(first book of the Here Burns My Candle series)
This pair of books explores the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz. In the biblical narrative, Ruth was a Moabite woman who married an Israelite living in Moab (modern day Jordan). Her husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law all pass away leaving three widows to fend for themselves.
It was at this point that Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi, dismisses her two daughters-in-law, and encourages them to reunite with their own families before she herself planned to return to her people, the Israelites. One daughter-in-law left and did just that. The other, Ruth, famously said:
“Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”
– Ruth 1:16-17
So Ruth and Naomi, daughter-in-law and mother-in law, arrive in Bethlehem, poor, vulnerable, and destitute. After a series of events, they are shown much kindness by a distant relative named Boaz.
I’ll leave you to read how the rest of the story unfolds in the book of Ruth (coincidently one of only two books of the Bible named after a woman!).
Long story short: Ruth eventually has a child who is the great-grandfather of King David, who happens to be in the line and lineage of Jesus, the Messiah. I find it so incredible that God would use such unlikely people to be a part of the biggest story in history.
Higgs’ rendition of Ruth’s story is more romantic than the biblical narrative, but really moving nonetheless. Elisabeth, the main character based on Ruth, is truly a woman above reproach. Leaving behind all that she knows, and all that is comfortable and familiar, to follow a God that is foreign to her and her upbringing.
As most of the female characters I’ve shared about, Elisabeth inspires me to be fully devoted to the Lord in all I do – allowing my life and my choices to speak for themselves. And to trust God with what can often feel like impossible circumstances.
The heart of it…
I’ve read these works of fiction several times, as well as the biblical passages they’re based on. Whilst preparing this post, I reflected on what my most significant take away really is from these stories. And here it is:
It’s dangerous to assume that your good decisions or good intentions will smooth a path for you in an instant. HOWEVER… Don’t reject that God is good because of bad circumstances. Being in His presence and walking in His will doesn’t always eliminate the trial. Sometimes it does. But sometimes it doesn’t.
These amazing characters taught me that.
And yet there is real PEACE available. And WISDOM and GRACE and STRENGTH, when we let go and allow God to do a work in our hardships.
The English language of 18th Century Scotland:
I’ll stop preaching for now and leave you with a final disclaimer: The language of these stories does take some getting used to.
Words like:
- auld (old)
- bairn (child)
- oniewise (anyhow)
… may force you into the Scottish Glossary that Higgs’ includes should the sentence context not make the words obvious in themselves.
But the brilliance of Higgs’ writing is REALLY impressive and so worth the read. The amount of research that went into these stories, time periods, and locations – I can only imagine – is truly commendable.
I still find myself speaking with some of the distinctiveness of 18th century Scotland, like calling my daughter a bonny wee lass. I’m not complaining, rather hoping it sticks, aye! (not to be confused with aight.)
From The Overflow 