A stunning historical read: "Thief of Corinth" by Tessa Afshar
After suffering eight years of abuse at the hands of her grandfather and mother in Athens, Ariadne runs away with her foster brother, returning to Corinth to her father's home. Though at first relieved to again be dwelling in a house filled with love and acceptance, she stumbles across her father's deepest secret, one that she learns had torn his marriage apart. When she chooses to join him in his ventures as a thief, she discovers a dangerous yet exciting new purpose in her life. But an encounter with Paul introduces her to the person of Jesus, and her world is rocked to the core as she must decide whether to give up everything - even when it could cost Ariadne her very life.
Tessa Afshar has written a remarkable novel, one that transported me back to first-century Corinth and thoroughly immersed me in Ariadne's world. Ariadne's exploits, along with her fiery spirit and her courage, make for addictive reading, and Afshar's novel ended up taking over my day! The story is action-packed and moves at a swift pace - just the way I love historical fiction. But not only was this book filled with drama with a delicious foreign flair, but Afshar has conveyed Ariadne's emotions across the page in a very moving manner, such that I felt deep empathy for her and her experiences, not to mention the rest of the characters I encountered. There were moments I had tears in my eyes, and also scenes that found me laughing out loud. "Thief of Corinth" engaged all of my emotions, and by the time I turned the final pages of the novel I felt like I'd made new friends. I can find no hint of whether these characters might appear in future books - but I certainly hope so! I could stand to spend a little more time getting to know the different characters that we meet in this story. And best of all, the presence of Jesus can be felt in this novel as Ariadne meets him in a tangible way, adding another layer of depth to this story.
Readers looking to devour an excellent historical fiction novel should look no further. "Thief of Corinth" is another winning novel from the talented Tessa Afshar, and you should plan on adding this one to your "must read" list. 5 out of 5 stars.
Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Tyndale, for the purposes of this unbiased review.
about the author...
Tessa Afshar is the award-winning author of Bread of Angels, Land of Silence, and several other historical novels. Land of Silence won an Inspy Award in the general fiction category and was voted by Library Journal as one of the top five Christian fiction titles of 2016. Harvest of Gold won the prestigious Christy Award in the historical romance category, and Harvest of Rubies was a finalist for the 2013 ECPA Christian Book Award for fiction. In 2011, after publishing her first novel, Pearl in the Sand, Tessa was named New Author of the Year by the FamilyFiction-sponsored Reader's Choice Awards.
Tessa was born in Iran and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She then moved to England, where she survived boarding school for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDiv from Yale Divinity School, where she was co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship. She served in ministry for nearly twenty years before deciding to write full time. Visit her online at www.tessaafshar.com.
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