This is the third installment of the story that was began in Sarah and then Rebekah. Rachel and Leah introduces us to the four women in Jacob's life; Rachel, Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah, and gives us their background.
"We meet Leah, the oldest daughter of Laban, whose "tender eyes" prevent her from fully participating in the daily work or her nomadic family, and Rachel, the spoiled younger daughter, the petted and privileged beauty of the family - or so it seems to Leah.
There is also Bilhah, an orphan who is not quite a slave but not really a family member, a young women desperately searching to fit in, and Zilpah who knows only how to use her beauty to manipulate men as she strives to secure for herself something better than the life of drudgery and servitude into which she had been born.
Into the desert camp comes Jacob, a handsome and charismatic kinsman who is clearly destined to be Rachel's husband. But that doesn't prevent the other women from vying for his attention."
I am quite fascinated by this series. I loved Sarah and was just as captivated by Rebekah. My only regret with this book - is that is only tells half the story!! As the author explains at the end of the book - "I never intended the story of Rachel and Leah to be broken up among multiple volumes. It happened against my will." So with his development of all the characters - it took more time and pages then he thought. However, I really enjoyed the characters as they were portrayed, as well as the entire story - I'm glad he didn't try and cram the whole story in at the expense of the women's development.
There is nothing from the previous two books that needs to be known to read this one. I truly enjoyed this book, the portrayal of camp life, and how an ancient people might have lived. After I read this book - I went back to Genesis and reread the story there, with a better understanding of what happened. I appreciate the insights of this book - and look forward to the next part of this fascinating story! I just hope that I don't have to wait too long.
