Received this title on my list even though I did not request it. I do not read this genre normally and my backlog of books too long to take this one one. Thank you anyway.

Texie Susan Gregory is an excellent storyteller! The story in Exodus was brought to live in Slender Reeds: Jochebed's Hope.

It's wonderful how the Biblical characters were fleshed out though details about them in the Bible are almost non-existent. I confess to not remembering that the names Shiphrah and Puah were mentioned in Scripture!

Sometimes I found it hard to read some of the vivid details, though, knowing that what she writes about really happened. It's terrible to imagine the living conditions and some of the scenes, especially the killing of the newborn sons.

Thirty-eight questions at the end of the book help readers to reflect on the book individually or discuss in groups.

I hope Ms Gregory is still writing! I look forward to reading her next book!

Thank you Netgalley and Barbour Publishing for providing access to this book. Apologies that I took so long to write a review. I have just come to my senses and hope to clear all the backlog I acquired in my foolish younger days! Ha!

A nice read. I enjoy fictionalized retellings of Bible stories as long as they don't go off the deep end theologically. It's also nice to think about the midwives who bravely resisted Pharaoh's attempts to kill the male babies.

I got this e-book free from NetGalley for my honest opinion and review.
I love "Bible Themed Novels", but they are a hard genre to be accurate in writing! So if they are good and right they are GREAT! But if they stray from the Bible... they can turn awful very fast!
This one, while being very much an imaginary novel, since it is about a time that there are only a very few verses about, and has a while list of characters that aren't even in the Bible.
While many books have been written about Moses and Aaron and even their sister Mariam. This book is about their Mother! Starting when she is 12! A fascinating read and look at how it "could have happened". Given the customs, the Pharoh and Queen, the historical things we now know about that time and place added to the Bible account makes for a very interesting... What if.

*Side Note... While tastefully written, the author ties the two midwives, that are mentioned in Exodus, into the storyline (very beautifully I might add) which makes sense for the story, but in doing so there is child birth, loss of babies, monthly cycles... All dealt with very well but honestly. So you might wish to preview depending on the age/development of your pre-teen/teen.

A new author for me, and I enjoyed her Biblical take on the Hebrews slavery in Egypt. A quick and enjoyable read.

I've always enjoyed Biblical stories but this one has become a favorite. Reading this book it really touched me and I couldn't stop reading. The Characters lives were so real. You felt their heartache and issues every step of the way. I recommend this book to everyone. This is a quick read that will keep you entertained through each page.

Sorry, just couldn't get into it. Will try another time.

She picked up the basket she had been weaving and began to work. Mama's hands were never still. "Only the weaver knows what the basket will become. It is after it's finished that others see the beauty and purpose. When you began to weave your first basket, you told me the spokes were ugly-that you didn't want them to be in your basket, remember? You were afraid the spokes would ruin it. Now you know that without the spokes, the basket cannot take shape. The part that at first seems the ugliest is really the strength. The reeds you choose and the work you do before it looks like a basket determines how it will be used."

What kind of faith does it take for a mother to send her infant son down the Nile with danger lurking everywhere? The danger of croc's, snakes and the Egyptians themselves. Jochebed, the mother of Moses had that kind of faith. This historical account gives the reader context of what life was like for the Jewish families under bondage and the superstitions of the Pharaoh of Egypt.

It brings in a character Shiprah that is parallel to Jochebed. Shiprah is a wet nurse that is part Jewish and Egyptian. Her life is tied to Jochebed's family that brings a connection on how the Lord works good things for those that love Him. Each of these women suffer insecurities that help them deepen their faith in who God is and their purpose for His will.

There are lessons for us to learn from the faith of Jochebed and how those lessons connect us to the love of the father. Where we can learn to trust without knowing all the answers. When we question is God really at work in the darkness.

A Special Thank You to Barbour Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Slender Reeds: Jochebed’s Hope, a debut novel by Texie Susan Gregory, is a powerful, fictional account about the mother of Moses. With wonderfully detailed descriptions of people, events, and settings, Texie skillfully led me into a life unlike ours today. The story begins the year before Jochebed’s marriage. Her insecurities are so finely detailed that I couldn’t help but empathize with this young woman who would be facing the prospect of an arranged marriage with someone she did not know. The book flows seamlessly through her life until the birth of her third child, Moses and ends on the day she has to relinquish her three-year-old son.

I loved how the author built much of the book around how Jochebed’s mother instilled such a strong belief in God in her daughter teaching her to trust that God can work things out to your good--even things that seem to be especially difficult. Throughout the book, that teaching was something she held on to and left me with the feeling it was the one thing we can all hold onto in this life.

This new author is definitely one who will be making a name for herself. I highly recommend this well written book.

What happens when Texie Susan Gregor takes the familiar Bible character of Moses, & focuses a story before his birth? You get "Slender Reeds: Jochebed's Hope", published by Shiloh Run Press, of Barbour Publishing, Inc. on 11/1/2016. This great story centers around two women:  Jochebed (Moses Mother) & Shiphrah the midwife.  God was working out His plan to deliver the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery, even when it didn't appear that way.
     I really enjoyed how Ms. Gregory wove the people & their characters into a compelling & inspiring story of Faith. I was quickly drawn into the story, eagerly turning to the next page. I was disappointed when it ended, because I really wanted it to continue. I Highly Recommend this Great book.
     I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, & have voluntarily chosen to review it.

If you have ever wondered about biblical fiction, or been intimidated to try a biblical retelling, this is a book I would recommend starting with. Written in a highly approachable manner, covering the eight years of Jochebed's life prior to (and a little past, in the epilogue) placing her infant son in a basket and setting him in the Nile to be found by the Egyptian princess who would name him Moses.

Mixed in with the two storylines, those of Jochebed and the half-Egyptian midwife Shiphrah, are glimpses into the royal court and the mind of Pharaoh Ramses. While interesting, I found myself starting to skim through much of them unless the scene included his wife or daughter. The Egyptian scenes otherwise had a same-ness to them, and while the descriptions were well done, they lacked the warmth of the scenes in the Hebrew village.

Romance is not an emphasis in this book, and though I would have liked a more present and involved Amram, the story does not suffer from the lack of it. In fact, this was one of the points that didn't ring true to the historical and cultural setting when one of Jochebed's young friends is portrayed as the pretty girl that all of the boys are after. The arranged marriage of a barely acquainted Jochebed and the older, widowed Amram felt much more authentic.

While this is a story of faith that one expects from such retellings, and the book's description, it is also the story of girlhood friendships and a study in motherly love and sacrifice. And that motherly love is both received and experienced in different times and ways to each of the childhood friends.

As a debut novel, taking on the story of Moses' mother or any biblical retelling seems to me a bit of a gamble, but here it has paid off. I look forward to seeing more from Texie Susan Gregory.

This review refers to an ebook read courtesy of the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed are my own.