Shadow Among Sheaves

By Naomi Stephens

Book Overview

A Timeless, Beautiful Allegory of the Biblical Love Story of Ruth and Boaz

The Great Rebellion of 1857 was a remarkably bloody business. At a time when Britain's imperial influence in India was sparking brutal clashes on both sides, no one could have expected Rena, an Indian woman, to marry a British officer--nor do they understand her decision to follow her mother-in-law to England after her husband's tragic death.

Once the two widows are in Abbotsville, the stern yet compassionate Lord Barric attempts to help them despite his better judgment. Soon he is torn between the demands of reputation and his increasing desire to capture Rena's heart for his own.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1683229339
• ISBN13: 9781683229339
• Release Date: April 2019
• Publisher: Shiloh Run Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Kneeling in poverty

SHADOW AMONG SHEAVES by Naomi Stephens Setting: 1857, This is an allegory of the love of Ruth and Boaz from the BIBLE. WHERE YOU GO, I WILL GO. AND WHERE YOU STAY, I SHALL STAY. YOUR PEOPLE, MY PEOPLE. AND YOUR GOD MY GOD. RUTH 1:16, NIV Rena and her mother-in-law Nell are both fresh widows and have been greatly disappointed by Nell's husband's will, that left all of his (their) riches and their ancestral home to a distant cousin. Rena and Nell have to sleep in filthy places like the gutter and stable. Rena goes out every day to look for food and work and a place to live. She is finally down to the last place, a place that Nell has warned her not to enter. Rena enters the brothel, manages to make a deal with the brothel owners for a tiny space that was a vegetable closet, complete with the nasty odors of rotting vegetables. But it is a "place" and somewhat "theirs." Rena and Nell still need to eat. Out Rena goes at sunrise to scavenge. She sees that field hands in a distant field are losing a small amount of grain when they bring in the sheaves. She takes her sling bag and rushes over to gather the lost grains. The overseer notices Rena and comes down to chase her off. Rena begs the man to let her have the grains, that the owner would never miss. The overseer makes her a deal, she can "have" any of the grains that she can collect today. She scurries to gather all she can. The owner unexpectedly arrives and asks the overseer what is going on, the overseer explains and the owner approaches Rena and tells her that she can have any of the spilled grains, any time, in any of the nearby fields. Rena gets very excited. She stops what she has been doing and thanks the owner, She rushes over to their "home" and lets Nell know what is going on. The women are overjoyed! Now, Rena only has to gather a few grains, take them to the miller who will ground them into flour and buys the flour from Rena. He gives them coin or the flour and Rena takes that home to trade at the brothel, so they can eat, that day. Start reading and find out Ruth's and Nell's story, it is well worth the trip! I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour and Shiloh Run Press and was under no obligation to leave a review. SHADOW AMONG SHEAVES 2019

Wonderful retelling of the story of Ruth and Naomi

Shadow Among Sheaves is the debut novel of author Naomi Stephens and she has crafted a beautiful retelling of the Biblical story of Ruth and Naomi. Rena, a young Indian woman, chooses to leave her native country to accompany her mother-in-law back to England after both of their husbands die. Rena had hastily made a vow to care for Nell with no idea of the life of sacrifice that vow would bring about. Could she bear the cost? The characters are strong, realistic, and evocative--you love them or despise them. I was sometimes frustrated with Lord Barric and wondered if he'd ever figure out his relationship with Rena. Would he be able to see beyond her otherness and be able to show kindness and not just pity her? Would she ever be able to trust him to make her forget her lonely emptiness? The writing style is graceful and captivatingly creative with intricate word-pictures that accurately depict the situations and the settings of the story. "She knew exactly how it felt to have her heart cleaved in two, to weep until she thought she'd choke to death on her tears." The dialogue flows seamlessly without sounding forced. Shadow Among Sheaves is a fascinating tale of love and loss, grief beyond reason, faith, and family. Readers who love allegorical stories that are full of history and romance will not want to miss reading this book. I can't wait to read more from this author. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions are my own.