Higgs, Liz Curtis: Grace in Thine Eyes

ISBN: 1578562597

From the Publisher:

Davina McKie is a bonny lass of seventeen, mute since childhood and fiercely guarded by her belligerent twin brothers, Will and Sandy. When the lads are forced to depart the glen, Jamie McKie escorts Davina to the Isle of Arran, where her lively cousins, Catherine and Abigail, make her welcome at the manse.

One moonless eve Davina blithely entertains the gentry of Arran with her grandfather’s fiddle, unaware of the dramatic turn her life is about to take.

A story of passion and revenge, of lost innocence and shattered dreams, Grace in Thine Eyes explores the sorrow of unspeakable shame and the gift of immeasurable grace.

From the Author's Website:

Critics are impressed by the emotional intensity and depth of research found in her historical novels, based on biblical stories and reset in 18th- and 19th-century Scotland. Readers of her three recent bestsellers eagerly await Grace in Thine Eyes (March 21, 2006), a stand-alone novel introducing the next generation of the McKie family, even as it parallels the tragic, yet compelling account of Dinah from Genesis 34.

Pitied by some commentators as a victim, chastised by others as a disobedient daughter, the biblical Dinah is a woman whose story is cloaked in mystery. Was it defiant curiosity that made her stray from home, seeking out the “daughters of the land,” or was it simply youthful innocence? When her brothers exacted their revenge, was Dinah greatly relieved or deeply grieved? Did she live in shameful seclusion or was she restored to society? Does her story end in disgrace…or grace?

Not one of those questions is answered in the biblical account, in part because neither Dinah’s voice nor her viewpoint appears in the narrative. Grace In Thine Eyes explores those unanswered questions from Dinah’s story, yet without tampering with Scripture, moving this dramatic tale to the Scottish Lowlands of 1808.

To be completely honest I hated this book. It ended in a way that I found most displeasing. It was extremely well written, with beautiful prose, wonderful and real characters, a fantastic rendition of Scotland, and a beautiful and haunting tale. The reason that I hated it was because it didn't go the way I want. I know, very selfish. I was so disapointed that the protagonist didn't get her hearts desire, and that it didn't end with a beautiful wedding (I guess that's not really a spoiler, if you know the story of Dinah). I didn't know that it was based on the Genesis account, and was expecting something very different. *sigh*

Like I said, it is a beautiful book, and as far as Christian Literature, it was well done. There's no preaching involved, the story was tight, and didn't depend on the "religion" of the book. The writing was not sub-par to any romance novel I have read. The characters were real and tangible, you hurt with their hurts, you laughed with their joy. I quite enjoyed the story, even if I didn't like what happened.

Anyway, I can't really tell you any more, without giving any away. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Due to the rape, I would recommend it for people 12 and up (the scene is there, but it is not graphic or scarey, IMO), but regardless of your religious persuasion, this is a well strung tale of a family and how they handled crisis.

NOTE: I kind of forgot that not everyone will know who Dinah was. She was a woman in the Bible who ended up getting raped, and then her attacker fell in love with her. We don't know how she felt about him, but he went with his father to Jacob (Dinah's father) to ask for her hand in marriage. If you are interested in reading the original story, please follow this link to read the account online.