A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers

Rivers, Francine. A Voice in the Wind.

Tyndale; 1988,

ISBN: 0842377506.

Reader’s Annotation

The Roman army destroys Jerusalem and teenage Hadassah is captured and sent as slave to Rome, where she serves as a maid in the Valerian family, but how safe is a Christian slave in first-century Rome?

Plot Summary

When the Roman army swept in and destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., they killed indiscriminately.  Most of those who survived were taken as slaves to Rome—Hadassah was one.  Just a teenage girl, Hadassah had lost her whole family, and was now alone.  She had her faith, but as a Christian, she had to be very careful to guard her beliefs in a time when Christians were being fed to the lions in the arena.  When Hadassah reaches Rome, she is purchased as a maid for the daughter of the household—a pampered, rather spoiled girl named Julia.  Hadassah believes that it was now her duty to do her best serving her new family.  Loyal even to Julia, Hadassah’s kind nature, generous spirit, and beautiful voice quickly endeared her to them, despite her bedraggled appearance when she first arrived.  When Hadassah meets Marcus, however, she feels less serene, and he too feel the attraction for this slave girl.  Meanwhile, Julia grows more and more petulant and self-indulgent, and she falls into a thoroughly corrupted lifestyle.  After several disastrous marriages, she plunges into an affair with a German gladiator named Atretes.  Still loyal to Julia, Hadassah does her best to influence Julia.  When Marcus finally declares his feelings for Hadassah, even knowing that she is a Christian, Julia overhears.  When Hadassah tearfully informs Marcus that though she loves him, she won’t marry someone who doesn’t share her faith, Julia becomes enraged.  Marcus leaves in anger and disappointment, but Julia devises a way to punish that slave girl for daring to reject her brother.  You see, Julia also knows that Hadassah is a Christian…

Critical Evaluation

In A Voice in the Wind, which is part 1 of the Mark of the Lion triology, Francine Rivers brutally describes the setting of the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.  Graphic descriptions show the destruction of the temple, men, women and child being cut down by the sword, and in one of the most chilling images in the book, a huge field with hundreds of crosses bearing people being crucified. Hadassah’s journey begins to reveal her character.  Already a shy person, she is now terrified to death, traumatized, and all alone.  As Hadassah begins her new life in Rome, Rivers’ research and attention to detail paint a picture of life in that city, and especially in an upper-class household.  The over-the-top indulgence of the upper-class citizens bears stark contrast to the harsh realities taking place all around them.  The scenes surrounding the arena—for both the gladiator fighting and those being executed for the amusement of the crowds—come alive in a horrifying way.  By the end of the book, though, Hadassah’s character bear little resemblance to the shy terrified girl—she is strong, confident and braver than imaginable.

About the Author

Long before her success as a writer of Christian fiction, Francine Rivers enjoyed great success as an established romance novelist.  She started out her career at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she received a B.A. in English and journalism. Francine grew up in a Christian home, but did not truly establish a relationship with Christ until much later in life.  At that point she turned her efforts to writing Christian fiction, and has enjoyed a highly successful career in that genre.  A mother of three grown children, Francine and her husband Rick live in Northern California.  For more information, go to: Francine Rivers.com

Genre

Historical Fiction

Christian Fiction

Romance

Curriculum Tie-ins

World History

Religions

Book Talk Ideas

1. What parallels in our society today do you see with the Roman society?
2. Discuss Hadassah’s character—do you think she was a strong person?  Do you think she made the right choices?

Reading level/Interest age

Adult crossover (ages 16-Adult) 

Challenge Issues/Challenge Response Ideas

Violence; Abortion; Christianity/religion

• Be ready with a copy of the library’s selection policy.
• Understand the history of challenges for this particular work.
• Be familiar with similar works in the collection.
• Refer to ALA’s Intellectual Freedom resources

Why I included this work

As a multiple-award winning author, Francine Rivers sets the bar at writing high-quality Christian Fiction.  The Mark of the Lion series vividly depicts life in the Roman Empire in the first century.

Although originally written for adults, this series is extremely popular with Christian teens, many of whom are drawn to the romance.

Great Quote from the Book:

"True beauty is rare, and seldom recognized by the one who possesses it."