Love’s Sacred Song by Mesu Andrews

I read somewhere that Mesu Andrews was first a student and teacher of the Bible before her foray into Biblical fiction. That piqued my interest. Then this book, Love’s Sacred Song, was a novel based on Song of Solomon. Interesting again. When it became available as a free downloadable ebook, that was a no brainer. And unlike so many free titles that I download, this one went immediately to the top of my list.

I’m completely amazed at how Mesu was able to craft a story like this and stay true to both the words and implications of Scripture. As I was reading Love’s Sacred Song, my own Bible reading happened to coincide with the events in the book–the death of King David and the beginning of the reign of King Solomon. After I finished Love’s Sacred Song, my reading plan took me soon after to the Song of Solomon, where I again marveled at how Mesu created a story that used so many of the “happenings” in Song of Solomon. When I’d read it on my own, I’d never seen that it was more than pretty sayings. Now it reads more as a narrative, which illuminates more truth.

I’m not sure I’m explaining it all well, but suffice it to say that I was not only fascinated by this story’s origins in and faithfulness to Scripture, I loved the story for itself. I loved the characters and plot and glimpse into life during the reign of King Solomon. I think this is a book I will go back and read again, for the richness of it. It is certainly a book I will recommend to others.