Whistlestop Wednesday Book Review: The Hidden Flame

I have never read books by Davis Bunn or Janette Oke, so I was not prepared for the brilliant writing in The Hidden Flame. We join Abigale at a wedding celebration after the massacre of her family. She is injured but joyful her brother is alive. Harrod's guards descend upon the wedding and send everyone fleeing. We are then introduced to prominent characters from the New Testament --  Peter, Pilate, Martha, Mary and James, among others. Their rolls play out true to the Bible's account of the days just after Jesus's ascension. Each of these historical characters was shown as any character in a book would be portrayed: with feelings, description and dialog.  At this point, I paused and considered how these people had existed in time, lived full lives and accomplished great works. It seemed they now, through this book, somehow entered my living room, becoming as real as my children sitting on the couch across from me. 

Biblical situations and settings were brought to life. Imagine being in the upper room, walking over to the window to look out, and watching what the people below were doing. While exploring the history and dangers of Rome, we follow Abigale's journey as two men offer to marry her, neither of whom she likes. 

I found the story a little character-heavy, especially if the reader was not familiar with the New Testament, and I would have liked to see more of the settings. The paramount settings were described well, but I wanted to see a little more of the ordinary everyday ones. The genius of this story far out weighs these minor points, however. With its lessons on healing, love and faith, this book is full of good messages. I recommend The Hidden Flame to readers of any age group, especially those who seek to understand the Bible in a more personal way. I will read this book a second time, only this time it will be aloud to my children. And now that I feel I have met many of the people within its pages, I will never be able to read the Bible in the same way again.