About the Book:
Martha of Bethany is no stranger to adversity. After her mother’s untimely death, Martha shoulders the responsibility of raising her siblings–quiet and studious Lazarus, and wild and rambunctious Mary. She finds solace in friendship and the beginnings of first love, but just as Martha begins to imagine a new future, hardship strikes again and her dreams crumble into dust.
Ten years later, Martha’s friend pleads for the new teacher, Jesus of Nazareth, to come and heal her husband. When Martha discovers that the carpenter-rabbi is connected to her past, she’s not sure she can trust him with her future. But as he continues to perform miracles, the invitation to believe becomes harder to resist, renewing Martha’s hardened heart, even as she faces an unknown future.
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My Thoughts:In Up from Dust: Martha’s Story, Heather Kaufman brought
to life Martha of Bethany. In years past, the Biblical account of Martha tended
to be told with a negative slant (“Be more like Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus
instead of Martha who served resentfully”). More recently, church culture has
backed off giving this woman such a bad rap, but some stigma regarding the well-known
scene remains. In this fictionalized account, Kaufman infused the famous moment
with such beautiful love and invitation that I wanted to cheer for Martha and
for the positive representation.
Written in first person point-of-view, Up from Dust draws
the reader straight into Martha’s mind and heart. From childhood through
adulthood, the most intimate details and feelings were shared as the narrative dove
deep into her traumas, experiences, and hopes. This intense investment made for
an emotionally moving story, and I cried a bit for all the hardship Martha
faced. Loss, grief, and brokenness permeated much of her life and family, yet
Martha found hope in Jesus, the Christ.
Up from Dust: Martha’s Story by Heather Kaufman held
a lot of sadness, but beautiful spiritual truths balanced the pain. Smooth
writing and a flowing plot strengthened the book while the love triangle made me
cringe slightly. This novel commences Kaufman’s Women of the Way series. Four
stars!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of
this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.
