A well-imagined retelling of the Book of Ruth, Shadow Among Sheaves presents the reader with a terrifying look at what it meant to be without support in Victorian England. Issues of class, race, and gender tangle to allow two widows to arrive from India with expectations of a familial welcome, only to quickly find themselves homeless and starving. Rena is determined to provide for Nell (Lady Hawley, her mother-in-law) but her search for employment is fruitless. Reduced to depending on the uncertain charity of strangers, Rena and Nell find themselves living in unsavory circumstances and relying on Rena's gleanings from the fields for food. The Cinderella ending will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the Book of Ruth, but the twists and turns to get there are well worth the read.

Shadow Among Sheaves is a well-written historical interpretation of the Biblical story of Ruth & Boaz. Set in mid-1800s in England, this story tells of widowed Rena who follows her mother-in-law, Nell, from her homeland of India to Nell's homeland of England. Facing destitution and starvation, Rena works stoically to support herself and her mother-in-law. Well-written, interesting book!

What a fascinating novel based on the timeless Old Testament story of Ruth and Boaz and set in early 1860’s England! The historical period and feelings about those from India vs. those from Great Britain are at once fascinating and sad. The characters have depth and substance. They have similarities to Ruth and Boaz that open a new way to think about what it might have been like for them.

Rena and her beloved husband, Edric Hawley, married soon after meeting each other. Far from a simple love story, Rena and her family lived in India during a time of British rule. The English despised those in India, especially since many across the land fought against their rule. Edric was an officer in the British military whose superiors did not approve their marriage. He died from an illness she and his mother could do nothing to relieve. Sir Alistair, Edric’s father and Nell’s (Lady Hawley’s) husband died later, leaving her with no funds or family. The status of young Indian widows at that time was atrocious, and Rena was closeted away from the world by her parents.

Rena and her mother-in-law have been close, and Rena chooses to take care of Nell. They have very different beliefs; Nell is a Christian. Rena, like her family, is Hindu. When Nell knew there was nothing for her in India, including any way of supporting herself, she decided to return to England, hoping to stay with a cousin. Rena sold her wedding ring to purchase their passage, and she went with Nell to a land that Edric had hoped to one day take her to.

Those from India were not welcome and had there was no room for both Nell and Rena. They ended up living in the pantry of a tavern/ brothel where Nell could scrub floors and dishes, but Rena could do nothing. She looked for work, finally picking up the grains of wheat left over from harvesters to feed Nell. She meets the owner of the vast property, and when Lord Barric helps her and Nell with a place to live and food, Rena endures a new level of prejudice to make sure Nell is cared for. When they learn the final terms of Sir Alistair’s will, can she make the ultimate sacrifice to assure security for Nell? There is a glimmer of hope when she no longer knows what, or who, to pray to; the gods of her parents, or Nell’s loving God?

The characters are beautifully defined through thoughts, realistic conversations, and actions. I felt a growing affection for Rena and Nell, even Lord Barric, and sorry for the way Rena was treated by those in England. Whether or not Rena would come to believe in the God of the Bible, at least she could attend the local church without persecution.

I’ve never considered what was going on outside of our country during the Civil War, and wasn’t aware that the same kind of prejudice and hatred that white Americans had for their African-American slaves existed in England against those from India. One thing I appreciate about historical fiction is learning about the era, and this is no exception. I was uncomfortable with the frequency and terms what people thought Barric’s and Rena’s relationship was; “mistress” or “relationship” would have been kinder terms. Overall, however, I highly recommend this novel to women of all ages, especially those who appreciate allegories about Bible stories and Christian historical fiction.

From a grateful heart: I received an ARC of this from the publisher through NetGalley; a positive review was not required.

The story of Ruth and Boaz has been moved forward to Victorian England. Rena, a widowed Brahmin Indian woman, has traveled to England with her mother-in-law Nell and left her family and country behind. Due to the prejudice against Naomi and her birth country, no one will allow Naomi and Nell to have a home other than the storage closet in a brothel in exchange for Nell's be their dishwasher. Except for prostituting herself, Rena would do anything for Nell. When Rena is accosted by two high class men, Lord Barric comes to her rescue. In addition, Lord Barric allows Rena to pick up grain that has fallen to the ground during harvesting. Despite society's conventions, Lord Barric feels pulled towards Rena due to her beauty and her love for her mother-in-law. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgallery. This is my honest an voluntarily given review. The Book of Ruth has always been one of my favorite books in the Bible. With the prejudice today about many refugees, the setting in Victorian England brings the story more to life. Rena's action and behavior in the story are always above reproach. Lord Barric also always tries to do the right thing. This book is a very good read and I recommend it. I loved this book.

I do love the style of this book and the characters,a up to date story of the story of Ruth in the Bible which I so is one of my favorite! If someone can't read the story of Ruth in the Bible this is won't the same line just different time! Characters were so strong,so we'll thought through! It's a story will stick with you and will do be glad you read!!

Ahhh!!! I feel conflicted writing this reviews. On the one hand, I love love love the premise and backdrop for this novel. A Ruth retelling with truly diverse characters—yes please! As a Moabite, Ruth would have suffered so much prejudice in Israel and the author expertly conveyed the social undertones of the Biblical story by setting this novel in Victorian England and the colonization of India. I just can’t get over it. It’s perfection. The conflicted part for me comes in the form of Barric, the hero. I didn’t just not love him with meh feelings, I very much *dislike* him, and that’s kind of hard to do—to write a hero I should love (since it is a romance) and I end up disliking so very much. He was so mercurial. Flirting one minute then downright rude the next. Even with that, though, I’m still telling all my reader friends that they need to read this book. It’s unique and clever and the diversity is so fresh and authentic

Shadow among sheaves

This is a retelling of the story of Ruth in the Gentry era of British history. Our Rena is an Indian woman who married a British soldier. After her husband Edric and his father die, her mother in law Nell goes back to England with nothing, and her daughter in law goes with her to take care of her.

But people are mistrustful of the foreign Rena, and she and her mother in law live in poverty until a distant cousin of Nell - Lord Barric, has pity on them and lets Rena work on his land.

All in all, this was an excellent setting for the retelling of Ruth. It really emphasizes how Ruth was a foreigner, and how hard it must have been for her. It’s a Christian fiction novel that isn’t too preachy either.

I enjoyed this retelling of Ruth, and if you’re looking for a Christian fiction read, this may be the book for you.

This is a new-to-me author and since this is an allegory of the Biblical love story of Ruth and Boaz, I was hooked. The author has done her research. You get a realistic picture of how brutal it was in 1857 during the Great Rebellion between Great Britain and India. There are traditions in the story of Ruth in the Bible that are difficult to read or understand, and the author dealt with the harshness of the treatment of women as delicately as she could without sugarcoating the truth. This was exciting to read the author’s first book and I look forward to seeing where her next book takes the reader.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions are my own.

This books plot resembles the story of Ruth and Boaz from the bible. This is Christian romance and it was interesting to see how they would modernize this bible story. There was some racy content, but this book will keep you interested. Thank you NetGalley for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit that I was pretty disappointed with this read. It was advertised as being more of a "retelling" of Ruth. A timeless allegory. As such, I was greatly looking forward to it. I love creative licensing when it comes writing historical fiction around stories in Scripture. However, the character's personalities deviated so far from Ruth, that I would not classify as such. It may be "inspired by" the love story of Ruth and Boaz, but that is about as far as I might go. For the most part, it was a slow read and I found myself not caring for either of the main characters much. There would be times when Rene would have flashbacks to her previous life of luxury, but when she lived in poverty, she never showed any remorse for how she walked past homeless people without a second glance. She never seemed to learn to be grateful for what little she did have or when she was given more now that she had experienced her own poverty. That was a great disappointment. Rena also seemed much more aggressive than Ruth ever would have been. She was the most likable character of them all and the way she acted made her hard to like sometimes. Lord Barric was worse. He should have been characterized after Boaz, except he lacked every single characteristic that Boaz was known for. His generosity was pulled from him. He had a terrible temper. He said and did some of the most awful things, over and over again. By the end, I struggled to even like him. Overall, it took me over a week to read because I had to force myself through this book. The snippets of goodness, what you wanted to hold on to, to keep you going, were so fleeting and so few that towards the end of the novel, I only skimmed it just to wrap it up as fast as I could.. Overall, it was very disappointing and not a story a recommend to others. Stephens seems to be a great writer, though, and has a lot of potential. However, not every sentence has to be jam-packed with poetic adjectives to creatively describe what is happening. The first part of the book was sometimes difficult to follow because every sentence read like a poem. This calmed down some as the book unfolded but there were times where it was just too much to read through and unnecessarily descriptive where a more simple, concise sentence would have been better.

I am going to say right off the bat that writing a review like this actually kind of pains me. I like reading Christian fiction and the biblical story of Ruth (which this book is very loosely based on) is a favorite of mine. However, I am very sad to say that I didn’t enjoy this book. Here are my pros and cons:

Pros
• I thought it was creative to bring the Ruth story into the Victorian era.

Cons
• This is so loosely based on the story of Ruth and Boaz that is it almost unfamiliar. If you are looking to learn about biblical Ruth at all, this isn’t the book to do that.

• Almost the entire first half of the book was about Rena’s circumstances… talking about how she was suffering, why she was suffering, dwelling on the suffering. Nothing was happening. It was boring. I honestly almost stopped reading about 40% in.

• I think the book read like a YA angsty romance. There was bickering between Rena and another woman over Barric’s affections (or lack thereof). There was way too little communication and way too many rumors and innuendos. It bordered on silly. We are talking about adults here, yet it smacked of high school shenanigans and really disappointed me.

• The “found” will! My goodness, I think that is when I almost stopped reading for good. I don’t want to give too many details here – and if you fear a spoiler you can stop reading - but I seriously cannot believe we are supposed to accept that Rena’s father-in-law changed his will before his death that required the widowed Rena to marry someone in order for her mother-in-law (his wife!!) to inherit any family money or property. He’d rather have them penniless unless she remarries? SERIOUSLY? I know a reason was provided in the story for the marriage requirement, but I absolutely will never accept that a man that supposedly adores and loves his wife and daughter-in-law would rather have them indigent unless Rena remarries. This was a contrived plot point that was completely unrealistic and it absolutely ruined the book for me.

I love the biblical story of Ruth. My wedding vows included passages from the book of Ruth. I know Ruth. This book did not evoke Ruth for me, other than Rena followed her mother-in-law to a foreign land after her husband died and gleaned grain from a landowner to survive. Everything else was a silly romantic game with contrived plot points in my opinion. The book simply didn’t have the depth and breadth of the real Ruth for me.

I’m going to close by saying that even though I did not like this book, the author has actually achieved something I will never be able to do myself – she wrote a book! That is an achievement I admire tremendously and I’m actually a bit jealous of people that have the time and talent to put stories on paper and provide books for me to read. Books are art… and like art, tastes vary and not everyone will like the same things. Just because I had some serious issues with this book doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read it if you are interested. It also doesn’t mean I won’t read future books from this author. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and this novel just didn’t work for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Barbour Publishing, Inc. / Shiloh Run Press for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

Wow, this book totally blew me away.

I hadn't heard of it until I got an invitation from Netgalley, and I'm so glad they read me right! I love Jesus and I love reading, but I typically stick with classics and YA, because adult books tend to be inappropriate and the few Christian novels I've attempted have sometimes been painfully cheesy or poorly written.

I am happy to report that Shadow among Sheaves is neither. I think the redemption arc of showing how someone comes to faith in Jesus and the romance arc of showing how people fall in love are some of the hardest things to write--because the ending is supposed to be predictable, and the journey is universal and so intensely personal all at once. But I was really, really impressed with how Stephens managed both elements here.

I've also always been fascinated and a little puzzled by the story of Ruth and Boaz, and I'm sure many women who grew up in the church can relate. Like what in the world, she went to lie down at his feet at night at her mother-in-law's behest? This story takes all those elements and plops them into Victorian England, in a way that really makes the Bible come alive. And on top of everything else, this story happens to come at a time in my life where so many elements felt even prophetic--the struggle with knowing what society expects versus what God wants when it comes to romance, the struggle of leading a friend to love Jesus without being burdensome--but also without being silent, etc. AKA just those everyday moments of trying to love Jesus and grow in faith.

I admit I was a little uneasy with the idea of Rena being Indian, because I assume the author is white. I am a woman of color, and while I'm not Indian, I did feel like the author was very respectful while being true to the time period. I'm curious what others will think.

I will absolutely be rereading this. I'm so thankful I got to read this--I really treasured every chapter, and there were scenes that even brought tears to my eyes. The characters just felt so real, and Rena's grief so human. And if you can find me other Christian romance novels like this, full of Jesus but also well-written, send them all my way, and I will read them all with pleasure. I'll be looking for Stephens's next book.

I absolutely loved this book that is very loosely based on the book of Ruth from the Bible, but based in the 1800’s.

Rena is an Indian widow of an English officer. She follows her mother-in-law, Lady Nell Hawley, to England. There she experiences all sorts of prejudices because of her nationality, since England is fighting the Indian rebels. Unfortunately, her mother-in-law also feels the brunt of these atrocities because of guilt by association. I loved the descriptions and learned about some of the horrors of the prejudice that she faces.

This is book that I couldn’t put down and read consistently until the last page. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who wants to read a fast paced, historical work of fiction.

Thank you so much for the privilege of reading this book!

Naomi Stephens’ Shadow Among Sheaves is a story I didn’t know I needed. An allegorical retelling of the romance between Ruth and Boaz, the novel has clear Christian themes, but I genuinely feel that Stephens’ gentle handling of the material, lyrical prose, and unique historical content grant the title appeal beyond its primary market.

I don’t want to set the bar too high, but I admit to having flashbacks to Jane Eyre while reading this book. I can’t say whether or not Stephens struck this tone intentionally, but I found the ambiance strikingly similar and loved how it shaped my experience of the story.

I recognize the ethnic diversity within the narrative is a direct reference to Ruth’s heritage, but I felt Stephens’ effort to explore Indian culture through a British lens as the former fell under British rule absolutely fascinating. Lord Barric and Rena proved wonderfully dynamic in their own rights, but in a larger sense, I found myself falling as hard for the characters as I did the inclusionary and composite nature of their story.

This book took an interesting approach to Bible story of Ruth and Boaz. Naomi Stephens has crafted an approach to this story I haven't seen before, and it was intriguing to say the least. Set in England, Ruth is portrayed as Rena, an Indian woman who comes from India with her mother-in-law. In England, she meets Lord Barric and a host of other characters, some kind and some unkind, as in the Bible story. While there is somewhat of an instant attraction between Rena and Lord Barric, both try to resist due to the cultural issues they both face. In the end, all of the issues are overcome and Rena and Lord Barric end up together. Overall, the story was well written, and with the exception of a few details, I enjoyed this retelling.

I love the story of Ruth, so I was excited to read this title. I feel as if it got the major parts of the story right. The author did a great job of conveying the poverty and desolation that the main characters felt and as a result, there weren’t many bright spots in the story,. Surprisingly, I didn’t root for the characters to get together the way I thought I would. Overall, it was a good reimagining of the story of Ruth. The integration of Indian history was fascinating, but the prejudices she faced were hard to read.

I really enjoyed this book. Rena is from India and married an Englishman. I loved Rena's dedication to her mother-in-law, Nell. Rena is trying to make up for her being a widow and therefore a nobody in Indian society. Rena works hard to make Nell not regret taking her along with her. Nell was cast out of her family's home due to having Rena with her. I love how hard Rena works to make a way for her and Nell. Lord Barric is a man that is concerned with how others perceive him. Throughout the story we see how he shows partiality to Rena and Nell, but he continuously tries to shun her when others are around. I really had a hard time putting this book down. I enjoyed how the story progressed, however, I found myself mad at the characters many times. Rena cuts herself down, yet she is strong. Lord Barric was kind in one moment and then the next he was not a very nice guy. Towards the end of the story, we see Rena's spiritual struggle as she has to choose between following her Indian gods or following Jesus. Overall, this was an engaging book that kept my attention throughout. I would recommend to those that want to see what it is like to live as an outcast.

Naomi Stephen’s Shadow Among Sheaves is a lovely tale that follows the vein of Ruth’s story in the Bible. I truly enjoyed it! I had actually just finished a study on the book of Ruth so this story came at a great time. The book follows Rena, an Indian woman who marries Edric, a British soldier who comes to her father’s home when the British occupation of India was happening. After a whirlwind romance, the two marry and enjoy a blissful relationship. The only strain is the whispers that follow them, due to the difference in their races. When he dies, she goes back home to her parents where she stays until she discovers that her father in-law has also passed away. She goes to her mother I law Nell and insists on staying with her. She wants to help Nell in any way she can. They travel back to England, where door after door is slammed in their faces. No one will help because Rena is a foreigner. They are starving and living in hovels when Lord Baric discovers Rena taking wheat from his field. He offers her more food, as well as a cottage the two women can live in. Rena and Lord Baric have two very different lives but they still find themselves drawn to each other. How can they cross the barriers between them though? Follow the story of Rena (and Ruth) to see the way that God works in our lives. I truly enjoyed this tale. It was delightful and insightful. I am glad I saw it and got to read it. Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this story through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

In this retelling of the Biblical story of Ruth and Boaz, we are transported to England. When Rena marries into the Hawley family in England, she thinks her life is going to be perfect. However, when her husband falls sick and dies before he can take her home, she is heartbroken. As her mother-in-law prepares to return to England, Rena makes the decision to return with her. But the shock of what awaits her there is more than she is prepared for.
Penniless, the women are reduced to sleeping in gutters and worse.
When she receives permission to pick up wheat in one of the fields, she counts her blessings that they will be able to eat. However, when the owner arrives, he allows her to continue coming to get more wheat.
As time progresses, there are new blessings for the women, as they are given a decent place to live, and the food is once more on their table. But as she begins to fall in love with Lord Barric, she knows it can never happen. But when his feelings seem to be returned, there are several issues that are going to have to be confronted. As an Indian woman, Rena is looked down upon and disparaged at every turn.
But when a clause in her father-in-laws will puts things in a different light, she is going to have to make some rather tough decisions...

This was an interesting book, and a fun read. Great for beach reading!

This was a beautifully written & evocative novel loosely based on the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. Ruth accompanied her mother-in-law Naomi. She later meets & marries Boaz.
In this story Rena is the young woman whose husband Edric suddenly dies. She accompanies her mother-in-law Nell to England, Nell’s country of origin. The novel is set in 1861. Because Rena is from India (where she met her late husband, a soldier in the British army), she is subject to degrading discrimination in England. God lead her to stay with & care for Nell. Even though Rena wasn’t a Christian at that time, God was able to speak to her & guide her actions. She & Nell are penniless & starving. Not for her own sake, but for Nell’s, she picks up rejected bits of wheat from the harvesting of Lord Barric’s fields. Rena is a woman of great dignity & pride. Naomi Stephens is able to describe how difficult Rena’s actions are to carry out. In India Rena was from the upper class Brahmin caste. Because she cares more about Nell than herself, she is able to cast off her pride to keep Nell from starvation. Rena is brought low by her poverty but still manages to keep her dignity. However, I don’t see what Rena saw in Jack Fairfax (Lord Barric). He came accross as a pompous ass. He went along with all his upper class friends & joined in the harassment. He mocks & embarasses Rena in front of his peers, in front of Rena & still she pursues him. I didn’t get that at all.
Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed this novel. There was a clarity & purity to the writing as well as to the plot.
Because of Nell’s faith & steadfastness to God, Rena converted to Christianity.
I’ve not read any novels by Naomi Stephens but, because I liked this novel so much, I plan on reading additional novels by this author.
Thank you, Netagalley & Barbour Publishing for the opportunity to read & review this novel.