As a reader who enjoyed all of Mesu Andrews’ novels, I’ve found my new favorite.
IN FEAST OR FAMINE is masterfully told historical fiction set in Bible times. The story world is magnificently rendered. You will see ancient Egypt, the intrigues, the glitter, and the danger. And I loved the characters! They have deep desires, pure and impure motives, and compelling backgrounds.
Asenath, Hotep, and Zahra are three girls, raised together as sisters, and hidden away from the world at the top of a tower. Asenath is taught to believe that upon her marriage she will be Isis Incarnate, mother and healer of Egypt.
Asenath’s father, Potiphera, the high priest of Ra, is an antagonist I quickly learned to love/hate. In other words, sometimes I grinned at his antics, and other times I gnashed my teeth. He loves his daughter, but often has a strange way of showing it. He is a schemer! I found him compelling and could hardly wait to read his next scene.
Speaking of antics, I always enjoy books with animal characters. I’ve read many books with dogs, cats, horses, and hawks but this is the first book I’ve read featuring a guenon monkey. If you like animals, you’ll love Jendayi!
However, I found Asenath to be the star of the show. I loved the scene where she is visited by a (no spoiler here) surprising messenger and the many scenes where she gently sways Joseph to be a better man. A loving woman, she gives most people the benefit of the doubt, often to her own detriment. She has a stubborn streak though, and like anyone else with that defect/strength, it sometimes gets her in or out of trouble.
Joseph, aka Zaphenath-Paneah is fully a hero – but with foibles and a besetting sin that needs to be purged. I love how Asenath and Joseph teach each other how to please Elohim, and how the relationship between husband and wife grows to become emotional and romantic.
As I often do, I both read the print version and listened to the audio narration of IN FEAST OR FAMINE. I highly recommend this book in print, audio, or both to those who love historical fiction set during the time of the Bible.
From the Back Cover
Thrust into an arranged marriage, the daughter of ancient Egypt’s high priest plays a pivotal role in Joseph’s biblical narrative in this powerful novel from the award-winning author of Potiphar’s Wife.
After four-year-old Asenath’s mother is murdered by Egypt’s foreign rulers, the child is raised to be a priestess by her overprotective father—high priest of Egypt’s sun god. For fifteen years, Asenath is sequestered in the upper levels of Ra’s temple, convinced it is her destiny to heal the land by becoming queen to the next Egyptian pharaoh. But when Egypt’s foreign king instead gives her as a bride to the newly appointed vizier—a Hebrew named Joseph—her entire world is shaken.
Beyond the walls of her tower, Asenath discovers treachery, deceit, and conspiracy that force her to redefine her destiny and weigh where her true loyalties lie. Can she still trust the gods of Egypt? Or is Elohim, the foreign God of her husband, the one who will heal her nation during the feast and famine to come?
Inspired by the Bible story of Elijah raising the widow’s son from the dead, author Dana McNeely wondered what became of the boy. She began research for her novel, “Rain,” which tells the story of the three-and-a-half-year drought from his perspective. No stranger to drought, Dana lives in an Arizona oasis with her hubby the constant gardener, two good dogs, an antisocial cat, and migrating butterflies.
In 2021 RAIN became a finalist in The Christy Award (use the registered mark) and was also a finalist in the 2022 ACFW Carol Award® and was also a finalist in the 2022 ACFW Carol Award.
WHIRLWIND, the second novel in the “Whispers on the Wind” series, tells the story of a king’s downfall and a love that transcends war.
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I just recently reviewed this book on The Well Read Fish, a Christian fiction review blog. Biblical fiction is my favorite sub-genre of Christian fiction, and Mesu Andrews is a favorite of mine. I pre-ordered in Feast or Famine the moment it became available!
I thoroughly enjoyed the story, particularly the growth of the relationship between Joseph and Asenath, though Potiphera was definitely a thorn in my side.
Great review, and I’m glad I found your blog!
Mae, thanks for your comment of7/16/23 on my review of Mesu Andrews’ Potiphar’s Wife. I’m so sorry I only discovered and approved it today, 8/17/23! I’m afraid there are still many corners of my website and blog with which I’m a little unfamiliar. I’m going to check out “The Well Read Fish!”