Loyal to Scripture and intriguing plot!

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	• The Prince: Jonathan (Sons of Encouragement Series #3) Francine Rivers Tyndale House Publishers, 2005 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Truly a Must Read!!!!

She's done it again! God is truly taking Francine to another level. I love the way she has brought the characters of Jonathan, Saul, Samuel and David and to life. As many times as I have read the story of Saul in the old testament, I've not taken a closer look at Jonathan. Francine's master storytelling definitely make you want to go back to God's word and read it again with a whole new perspective. You can relate this story to your personal life also. I have every book she has written. Francine can't write fast enough! I can't wait until the release of the next book in the Novella series. May God continue to bless and anoint Francine Rivers.

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A fast-paced exciting narrative

Continuing with her third novella in her saga of biblical men, award-winning author Francine Rivers pens THE PRINCE, focusing on the life of King David's best friend Jonathan. It follows THE PRIEST (Aaron) and THE WARRIOR (Caleb) in the projected five-book Sons of Encouragement series.

If you're unfamiliar with the life of Jonathan, turn to 1 and 2 Samuel in the Bible. Israel is tired of letting God be their "king" and clamors for one of the men to be set up as a ruler over them. The wise prophet Samuel cautions that they'll be sorry, but God allows him to choose Saul, a handsome tall farmer, to be anointed king. The unhappy Saul (who initially has no desire to rule) cares little for God's law, but his young son Jonathan rather one-dimensionally has a passion for obeying God and following his word. But still he has questions. "...why didn't the Lord destroy their enemies? Why did He allow the Philistines to oppress them? If God still cared, why didn't he deliver them?"

Saul changes from a mild-mannered, rather cowardly farmer, to one who hacks his oxen to pieces (yes, it's in the Bible, but you won't see this story in a flannelgraph lesson). Once he's king, things move along a little better for Israel although we still don't understand much about what makes Saul tick. And sadly, Saul is still a tormented man. He can't sleep well at night. When a young shepherd boy, David, is brought in to play his harp for Saul to help him rest, it appears things might be redeemed.

When the well-known story of David's slaying of the giant Goliath takes place, jealousy pushes Saul completely over the edge. Although he arranged (reluctantly) a marriage between David and one of his daughters --- and David is now his son-in-law --- Saul eventually flies into a fit of rage and tries to kill him. This attitude toward David, who Saul eventually realizes will rule in his stead, continues until Saul himself is killed.

The story revolves around Jonathan, however: his troubled relationship with his father, Saul; his deep friendship with David; and the politics of Israel that will end in adultery, multiple wives, war, bloodshed, scheming, intrigue, and murder. It is also a story of the nation of Israel's selfishness, greed, and their turning away from the One who loves them the most. As Samuel tells Jonathan, "God does not abandon men, my son. Men abandon God."

There's not a lot of colorful details or character descriptions. Rivers relies mostly on dialogue to carry her tale. The reader is left with several questions about the characters. What makes Jonathan only care about obedience when his father does not? What was his relationship with his wife really like? What we get is a reasonably competent, yet sometimes lackluster story, even though all the material for a fast-paced, exciting narrative is in the scriptural text in abundance.

However, if you love Francine Rivers's novels, you'll want to add this to your collection of her books. Like other books in the Sons of Encouragement series (and her Lineage of Grace series about biblical women), a thorough set of discussion questions is included at the end of the book. Those who use the series as small group studies or with book clubs will find many interesting themes to investigate.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby. [...].

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I love this book!!!

This very well might be one of my new favorite books. I love how Francine Rivers takes familiar biblical stories and brings them to life like she has in this 3rd book in the Sons of Encouragement series. The previous books "The Priest" (the story of Aaron) and "The Warrior" (the story of Caleb) are also just as moving and inspiring. If you like this book, you should also read the "Lineage of Grace" series of the 5 stories of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary.

Loyal to Scripture and intriguing plot!

The Prince by Francine Rivers tells the story of Jonathon, the son of Israel's first king, Saul. Taken straight from 1 Kings, embroidered with precision, biblical love, and a sanctified imagination, The Prince grips readers from first to last.

Unlike his father, who drifts into self and away from the Lord, Jonathan slowly, painfully learns to place the Lord first while he handles the rival loyalties engendered by his father and his friend, David. Jonathon's victorious battles with the Philistines, his deep love for those he befriends, his desperations and self-questionings, and his devotion to God, all lead to a denouement that is breathtaking, heartbreaking, and victorious.

Writing both secular and Christian novels, award-winning author Rivers adds another fascinating novel to her Sons of Encouragement Series. Starkly told, with complexities woven in seamlessly, The Prince provides a well-planned plot and deep character studies, as well as adventure, and understandable Christian concepts. This book concludes with a Bible study useful for both group and individual study.

Knowing the story of Jonathan from Bible study, I enjoyed The Prince for its loyalty to the Scripture, as well as its intriguing narration and plot. It will be enjoyed by capable young readers as well as High School through adult readers. - Donna Eggett, Christian Book Previews.com

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