Shadow Among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens is a book I’m really thankful to have read. I thought the devotion of the daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law in this historical late 1800s retelling of the book of Ruth was a very compelling plot. The strife between countries and the intermarriage is unfolded in a great weave pattern. There's loss, frustration, romance, hope, suspense, people you enjoy the character of and people you frankly don't enjoy at all, and a future all rolled together in one.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This was a beautifully written debut novel by Naomi Stephens. When I saw that this was a retelling of Ruth and Boaz, I was quite excited, because that is one of my favorite Bible books. When I started this story, I wondered how the author will write a novel from such a short book, and with interesting secondary characters, like Charlie, William and Alice, and historical facts which was smoothly intertwined with the Biblical retelling, the Victorian story came to life.

The author did a great job of making me as reader feel the hardships Rena and Nell endured, the prejudice against Rena, her difficulty to fit in, her pure surrendering heart and Lord Barric's tug to help her. There were a few things which if I compared it to the story of Ruth, I felt the characters were represented a bit different to how I experienced them in the Bible - Naomi was for me a stronger person of input in Ruth's life - Nell's influence was there, but more to the background, except at the end. My perception of Boaz was a bit different from the prideful Lord Barric who has this internal struggle to help and not let his title dictate his actions.

All in all I did enjoy this story and see a lot of potential in the author. She did a great job of making me think the difficulties Ruth had to experience. I would love it if she adds a novel about "life after Ruth", since Alice, William and Charlie is characters I would love to see again.

Content issues which will bother some readers:
* Some swearing (limited)
* Word "whore" used a few times
* Prostitution mentioned/referred to.
* The scene where Ruth went to Boaz might make some readers uncomfortable because of kissing.

I liked the Victorian era retelling of the story of Ruth and Naomi in this book. Kept me engaged until the end. However, the “hero” or Boaz-type character, was not impressive to me. He seemed to be cruel and not steadfast, until the end. Guess that’s not how I picture Boaz.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley.com.

This is a well written and solid debut novel. The author did a great job with a Ruth retelling! Rena, the heroine was a strong and solid heroine. Barric, the hero, had moments when I wanted to smack him against the head ;) .

*I received a complimentary copy by Netgalley and Barbour publishing. Opinions are my own.

This book is an allegory of the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz, but it is set in 1857 during the time of the rebellion of India against Britain. Rena is an Indian who marries Nell's son, Edric. She meets Edric while he is in India in the army. The two fall in love quickly and elope. Just as in the Biblical story, Edric and Air Alistair (Rena's father-in-law) both die. This leaves Rena and Nell in India with no prospects. Nell decides to move back to England and Rena follows her. Rena knew it would be difficult, but she vowed to do everything she could for Nell.

Life was much harder than she could have imagined. She finds a little charity as she is gleaning in Lord Barric's fields. Just as in the Biblical story, he protects her, so she has a way to take care of herself and Nell.

I liked how the story stayed reasonably true to the Biblical account while adding in characters and events to make it feel like something that could have happened in the 1850s. There were people to love and people to hate. True friendships as well as true rivalries. The people had enough depth that they could be flawed and we could still related to them.

This is an author I will follow from now on - I enjoyed this book!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

If you have ever read the book of Ruth in the bible you will find that this book follows this story but in a different setting. It was a beautiful story with great character growth. Naomi Stephens, I think you did a great job on this story and look forward to reading more of your works.

The story of Ruth's love and devotion for her mother-in-law Naomi is one of my favorite stories in the Bible so I was thrilled to see this new book that is loosely based on The Book of Ruth. Rena Hawley is a young widow from India who has lost her British husband and she has committed herself to supporting her widowed mother-in-law as they both try to rebuild their lives by creating a new home in Abbotsville, England, Nell Hawley's birthplace.

As I read Shadow Among Sheaves I was touched by Rena's efforts to provide for her mother-in-law and I shuddered at some of the situations that she was forced to endure. Rena's life of privilege that she enjoyed in India no longer existed and she was harshly judged because of her Indian heritage. Rena was proud buts she was also realisic and she doubted that her mother-in-law would survive the deplorable conditions they were now facing in Abbottsville. Her determination to provide for Nell soon gained the attention of Lord Barric and, even though he worried that his reputation might suffer, he finally agreed to allow this beautiful Indian widow to pick up grain that had fallen on the ground as the wheat was being harvested. Lord Barric observed Rena as she diligently worked to gather food and, just as Boaz admired Ruth's devotion to Naomi, Rena managed to capture the heart of Lord Barric with her devotion to her own mother-in-law.

Shadow Among Sheaves isn't always a pretty story because it touches on poverty, extreme hunger, prejudice, and the often unforgiving nature of humans. Rena witnesses the goodness of some Christian believers but she also is the victim of many heartless people and she struggles with a society that allows such cruelty. As she listens to Parson Richardson's sermons she begins to question this God that he speaks of; this God that her mother-in-law and Lord Barric both worship. After one Sunday service she ponders what she has heard. "God dwelled within her. Could that really be true? How could she ever know for certain that such a God really loved her?" (p. 250) It is soon after this that Rena seeks answers from the parson and finally understands the peace that comes from knowing the one true God!

As I read this book I was prompted to refer back to The Book of Ruth and isn't that what biblical fiction should do? Send the reader back to the true source of the story? If so, then debut author Naomi Stephens has certainly accomplished her goal. Shadow Among Sheaves is a book that will appeal to fans of both historical and Christian fiction.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2754079708

Set in England during the 19th century, Shadow Among Sheaves occurs during a time of strife between India and British colonization there. Rena is the daughter of a wealthy Brahmin who disgraces her family by marrying a British soldier. After Rena's husband dies, her father-in-law dies, leaving the two women alone and forsaken in India. They return to England, home of Rena's mother-in-law, where they find no better welcome than in India. Lady Hawley would have found refuge with her family, but the foreign daughter-in-law is scorned.

The story of Lord Barric and Rena Hawley very loosely resembles the Biblical story of Boaz and Ruth, the older kinsman who allows the young widow to glean from his fields. The thread of desperation and ostracism for Rena and her mother-in-law, both widows, runs through this story as it does through the story of Ruth. The hardships they face just trying to live, to provide food and shelter for themselves, reminds us of the plight of widows throughout history. In Biblical days, widows were at the mercy of others, others who all too often considered them to be burdens - and treated them as such. For far too long, women were unable to inherit property and were dependent on the male heirs of the family - or arranged marriages - for their survival. This is the situation in which Rena and Lady Hawley find themselves in Shadow Among Sheaves.

As were Ruth and Naomi, Rena and Lady Hawley are rescued by a family kinsman. The love story of Rena and Lord Barric is fraught with obstacles involving Barric family members and gossip mongers among the community, but the strength of their character and affection for each other prevail in the end.

The presence of the parson, and particularly the messages in his sermons, reveal Rena's transformation from the gods of her parents to the God of her husband's mother. The Christian reader will have questions, and perhaps suggestions, about the intended spiritual implications of the book. However, it is a good story with relevant ties to the original, using cleverly drawn inferences. I recommend for lovers of history, romance, and Christian influence.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

Shadow Among Sheaves is author Naomi Stephens' debut Christian Fiction Novel, but reads like the work of someone seasoned in the genre. The characters have interesting backstories and complicated personalities that leave you feeling invested and wanting to know more. The plot is well paced, and has the right balance of detail and movement.

As a retelling of the Biblical story of Ruth and Boaz, the story hits a great equilibrium between maintaining the original and making it new, and breathing life into such an old tale. For someone versed in the Bible, the story is recognizable, but also has enough of a 'modern' historical twist to keep it exciting.

The best part of this story in my opinion was how well developed the characters were. The main characters of Rena and Lord Barric are both well written and have great emotions and complexities that make them seem very real. Even the secondary characters have interesting arcs that round out the story beautifully.

I enjoyed this book so much that I am going to an author signing to meet the author in my city. I encourage all readers who enjoy historical fiction to try this book, even if they haven't read any Christian fiction before.

I loved the history with this story and how it was the story of Ruth, and yet very original and very much it's own story. Highly recommend it!

This story was so beautiful. There were so many nuances that really put the Biblical story of Ruth into perspective. However, the relationships between Rena and her mother-in-law and Rena and Lord Barric each contributed to a stand-alone story that I could not stop reading.

You will love this allegory of the story of Ruth in the Bible. You will admire Rena, an Indian woman who leaves India to return to England with her mother-in-law after they are both widowed. An Indian woman is unusual in the small village of Abbotsville and Rena faces much scorn as she attempts to prevent both of them from starving. Lord Barric was kind in allowing Rena to glean from his fields but at other times he was cruel to her leaving me with mixed emotions about him! Shadow among Sheaves is an unusual story which I am sure you will enjoy. I received an complimentary copy of the book by Naomi Stephens from NetGalley and Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

I'm quite familiar with the book of Ruth--the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz. And since over the last year or two I've repeatedly turned to the historical fiction genre, I knew that Shadow Among Sheaves would be a book I'd like to read. A retelling of the Biblical love story of Ruth and Boaz set in Britain in 1857. I was completely intrigued by the unique aspects of this particular retelling.

Retellings are always tricky. There's a balance to wanting the retelling to match the original story with also wanting the retelling to take some poetic license and really make the story unique and new. Shadow Among Sheaves fell a little bit too much on the side of following the original story too closely. And by that I mean I wish I'd seen a bit more poetic license with the love story between Ruth and Boaz. Sure there was a connection between the two and feelings existed, but I never felt like the love between the two drove the story on. And while this is likely true for actual Ruth and Boaz, I wanted to romanticize this story for myself a bit more. And that's just my personal preference for the retelling of this particular story. I'm sure there will be other readers who praise Shadow Among Sheaves for this exact reason.

I was really impressed with how all of the details were thought out. Each piece of the original story had a matching counterpart in Shadow Among Sheaves. Naomi Stephens did a wonderful job crafting a story that matches with the Biblical narrative of Ruth.

I want to say more about Barric, about Rena, about Nell, William, and Alice. But I don't want to ruin too much. Barric was a bit rough for my liking. He was aloof and harsh and at times I wondered what Rena saw in him minus his help to feed and house her. Rena was complex and beautiful, strong and vulnerable. There were times when I felt that Nell could have done more to help their situation, but I'm not exactly sure what. William and Alice were wonderful additions to the original cast and added some necessary bridges between the high class of Barric's station and Rena's poverty.

In the end, Shadow Among Sheaves was a slow read for me that didn't win on all levels. I had hoped to find more of a pursuing love story that might have been taking some liberties from the original, but what I found was a very matched story but in a different setting and time period. It was good. It was enjoyable. But I didn't love it. Shadow Among Sheaves gets 3 Stars. Have you read Shadow Among Sheaves? What did you think? Let me know!

Oh, my, how I loved this book! And not just because I've spent so much time in India and London, but I'm also a fan of Ruth and Naomi (my mother was named after the Biblical Ruth). This story drew me in and captivated me until the early hours of the morning. It broke my heart over and over to see how Rena was treated, because I love the Indian people, and she was certainly a much better person than any of the Englishmen who trod on her! I read somewhere that this is a first novel for Naomi Stephens. I will be looking forward to much more from her (more along this line, in fact, I hope). Highly recommend to EVERY one!

“Shadow among Sheaves” is a beautiful allegory of the story of Ruth and Boaz from the Bible. Naomi Stephens sets this tale in 1857, when there was much anti-India sentiment in England, due to a bloody rebellion in the empire’s colony. Yet, Rena fell in love with a British officer and married him. When she and her mother-in-law, both found themselves widowed and destitute, they returned to England. Yet, England didn’t welcome Rene with open arms.

The historical context of this book fascinated me. The characters seemed to come to life on the (digital) page. If you don’t know the story of Ruth and Boaz’s great love, “Shadow among Sheaves” is a perfect introduction. If you are familiar with it, you will enjoy seeing how all of the pieces fit together in this beautiful retelling. Stephens puts them together, perfectly.

I was impressed by Stephen’s light spiritual touch, in this allegory of a Bible story. “Shadow among Sheaves” never feels “preachy,” but instead, the author lets the characters’ actions speak for themselves. I enjoyed this story to the very end. There is no blush factor in this book. It’s clean as a whistle!

If you enjoy historical fiction, allegories, biblical fiction, this is the book for you. I’m pleased to give “Shadow Among Sheaves,” 5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and Shiloh Run Press for allowing me to read an ARC of “Shadow among Sheaves” in exchange for an honest review.”

I was very impressed with this book! I thought the setting in England and the treatment of people from India was a nice parallel to the biblical book of Ruth. The developing relationship between Rena and Lord Barric was beautifully written and realistic too. That historical period held on to many British social society beliefs it was almost as unchangeable as the caste system in India. A wonderful story that was spiritual as well as romantic.

Shadow Among Sheaves was a stunning debut story. It is a retelling of Ruth and Boaz that takes place in 1857 while Britain still had control of India but rebellion was brewing. Rena, an upper class Indian woman has married a British soldier, Edric, and thus marrying into a British family. As the story goes, Rena’s husband has died and so has her mother-in-law, Nell’s husband as well. Rena decides to go back to England with Nell so that she will not be alone. However, only prejudice, starvation, homelessness, and hatred meet them at England’s shores.
First off, the historical setting was brought out in such detail I could almost feel the wheat between my fingers. The author did not shy away with how others would have treated Nell, especially because of the fear and hatred they had for her Indian daughter-in-law Rena. Not only do we see the circumstances in England, but the author gives us a historical glimpse of how widows were looked at and treated in India. It was something I did not truly understand till reading this but it was not a situation any woman would want to find herself in. They certainly did not take the Biblical approach on how to treat widows.
Second the love story was beautiful. Whether it was the loyalty between Nell and Rena, Rena’s love still for her late husband, or the new passionate and fiery feelings that rose up between Rena and Lord Barric- the love that was coming from this book kept me turning those pages.
There is much to this story, the circumstances were not favorable and I liked watching the characters rise above them and going anti culture. This is one of my top favorite books for this year and I look forward to more works from author Stephens.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

Naomi Stephens’ debut novel, “Shadow Among Sheaves”, is every bit as poetic and brooding as its title. This is certainly an author whose work I will be following! Expecting a gentle love story and perhaps some sappy sentimentality, I was utterly surprised to discover quite the opposite. I am familiar with the poignant Biblical story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz and think of it as a stirring example of loyalty and love. However, I have never really considered it more deeply—until now. Stephens taps into one of the main reasons that I love Biblical fiction and retellings: it causes me to explore beneath the surface of the story and to consider the characters in depth and in the context of their historical and social situations. “Shadow Among Sheaves” does just that, focusing on the sacrifice and hardship facing two widows now seemingly alone in the world.

From the start, this historical retelling made me uncomfortable, and that’s a good thing! It pushed me out of my comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory, which enabled me to learn new information about England in the 1860s and to empathize with a new character set. The somber tone of the novel never felt too oppressive, as Stephens interjects some relief just when it is most needed without detracting from the gravity of the tale. Culture and religion collide in the aftermath of the Great Indian Rebellion of 1857, and Rena Hawley is caught in the middle. Following an impromptu marriage to a British soldier in her native India, her husband’s and father-in-law’s unexpected deaths cast shadows on Rena’s future, even as she determines to follow her mother-in-law, Nell, to England. There her identity is further obfuscated by prejudice and xenophobia: “In India, she was her father’s daughter, beloved and shrouded; here she was bruised, a worthless girl with foreign eyes whose only wealth was in the abundance of her own grief.”

This eye-opening allegory paints a sobering portrait of life as a foreigner and a destitute widow. Rena is a fascinating character because of her complexity. She is confused by English customs, and I appreciated how Stephens presented the Indian way of life with respect, despite how barbaric some aspects of it sound to our modern sensibilities. This paved the way for a better understanding of the difficulties Rena faces in trying to reconcile her old life with the new one she has chosen. Furthermore, Rena is not depicted as a moral paragon. She struggles and clings to the past, rejecting the faith of both her mother-in-law and former husband, which ultimately makes her journey all the sweeter. The same can be said of Lord Barric. His gruff exterior also serves as a shield against pain and grief, and the impact of his initial encounter with Rena creates a ripple effect that influences both of their reputations and their futures. Impressive secondary characters add to the moving panoply. For anyone on their own journey out of darkness, or who enjoys a though-provoking historical romance and redemption story, “Shadow Among Sheaves” is a must read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and CelebrateLit and was under no obligation to post a review.

Interesting telling of the Ruth and Boaz story from the Bible, using the 1860s Britain and India settings in comparison. Thoughtfully written and engrossing until the end.

The story of Ruth is one of my favorites from the Bible and I'm always up for a retelling. However, this one strayed too far from the original to hold my interest. Not to mention, the inspiration for Boaz, Lord Barric was a jerk. Thank you for the opportunity to read Shadow Among Sheaves.