Rating: 
Summary: christian historical fiction
Review: A Voice in the wind
Francine Rivers
5/5
This book is a christian historical novel.It is the first in the "Mark of the Lion" series(by Francine Rivers). It takes place in A.D. 70 Rome. The novel is mainly about a young Jewish-christian woman named Hadassah. She has been sold as a slave to a wealthy Roman daughter named Julia Valentin. Hadassah show the Valentin family(Marcus, and Julia's parents) what being a true follower of God is like. The characters are believable and so is the plot.It gives you a picture(in many views) of what is was like to live in Rome during that time period. The flaws in the characters make the story realistic instead of like a fairy tale.
Read book two(An Echo in the Darkness), to find out what happens to the Valentins and Hadassah. You wont regret it.
Laura Lockwood
Rating:
Summary: Great!!
Review: A Voice in the Wind completely captivated me. Just like everyone else has said, I was emersed in the geography, characters, plot, and influence of God. I usually do not like historical novels because I often get bored with everything, but I was never bored with this book. It follows a wealthy family in Rome with a slave who they found out to be a Christian. In a surprising turn of events, Hadassah, the slave, falls in love with the son in the family,Marcus, who is often arrogant and cruel. The love story captivated me more than anything else. I wish I could be as strong of a person and Christian as Hadassah and admire everything about her. It took me a few days to finish and the last day I read for at least three or four hours! I was totally caught up in this book and really cannot wait until I can read An Echo in the Darkness.
Rating:
Summary: A Voice in the Wind
Review: A Voice in the Wind, by Francine Rivers, is a fascinating tale of true love set in ancient Rome. Far from being a sappy love story, A Voice in the Wind combines action, mystery, romance, and history to form a magnificent novel you won't be able to put down. Rivers uses her excellent skills as an author to create an intriguing and thought-provoking novel written from a Christian perspective.
The protagonist, Hadassah, is a young Jewish girl captured in Jerusalem and forced into slavery. Purchased by a wealthy and affluent family in Rome, Hadassah begins her life-changing adventures. Hadassah's love for God and the joy she finds in serving others emanate from her and impact all those who meet her. One such person is Atretes, another main character. Captured and taken from his tribe in Germania, Atretes is forced to be a gladiator. He soon learns the tricks of the trade and goes on to become the premiere gladiator in all of Rome.
One of the wonderful aspects of this book is its characterization. The characters in A Voice in the Wind are anything but flat characters and Rivers portrays them exquisitely and realistically. Though Hadassah is the heroine, she still comes across as a plausible person with real struggles. The reader feels as if he or she can truly relate to the characters and that they are actual people.
Though A Voice in the Wind contains some characteristics of escape fiction, it is creative and original. Although not interpretive, the novel is full of meaning and expression. One theme in particular is portrayed throughout the book: Serve God, love others, and your joy will be complete.
A Voice in the Wind is perhaps the most enjoyable book I have ever read. Characters such as Hadassah and Atretes and the glamour of ancient Rome will captivate you and each page you turn will be a new adventure. Meaningful and thought provoking, A Voice in the Wind is also fascinating from cover to cover and I highly recommend reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Voice in the Wind
Review: A wonderful read. I really enjoyed the book. It was, however, a little difficult for me to get into. So many seemingly unrelated characters were introduced at the beginning of the book and the plot jumped from one scene to another so quickly that it didn't hold my attention at first. If you can get past that, however, you will not be able to put the book down. The different plots begin to intertwine and you will feel like you know the characters personally! The other disappointment I had was the "ending" of the book - it didn't resolve any of the conflicts in the book. There is a second book, "An Echo in the Darkness" and I recommend having that one on hand before you finish "A Voice in the Wind". The book reaches a climax on the last page and leaves you hanging as to what happens next. I am awaiting the arrival of the next book and can't wait to find out what happens next.
Rating:
Summary: Have the second book on hand when you finish this book....
Review: As soon as I finished reading this book, I was up until 2:00 a.m. reading the second book in the series. I'm hooked! I found that while reading the first half of the book, I was entertained, but could easily put the book down. However, the tension builds and by the middle of the book, I found it difficult to tear myself away from reading it. I'm well into the second book (_An Echo in the Darkness_), and find it just as riveting as _A Voice in the Wind_.
Rivers tells a compelling story. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational and Educational
Review: Francine Rivers is gifted in educating and inspiring the reader and at the same time provide a very moving story. Her characters are so believable that you feel like you actually know them. It is a story about a Jewish Slave girl, Hadassah, who is serving in a Roman household. Not only is she Jewish, but she believes in Jesus Christ as being her Savior. We witness how her faith and love for the Lord guides her within a licentious community. We learn many things about Rome and its culture, including fascinating information about the gladiator games. We also learn a little about German tribes and Jerusalems ruin by the Romans. This is a story that can be read by everyone, but I think every young woman should read this book. It provides an excellent example on standing firm in what you believe regardless of what society may encourage.
Rating:
Summary: sensual and moving spiritual tale
Review: Francine Rivers is one of the best authors of Christian fiction, and this tale of romantic love and spiritual struggle in the face of deadly adversity is a real treat to read. This is the story of a believer named Hadassah in the violent, decadent ancient Rome of the first Christians, and her triumph over fear of persecution as she has the courage to stay faithful to God. Good love story here too. Moving scenes. Read it and pass it on. David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"
Rating:
Summary: Rome, 1st Century
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this historical novel set in the first century AD. The story follows a Jewish girl (Hadassah) who is taken captive by the Romans when they sacked Jerusalem and a German tribal warrior (Atretes) captured in the forests. Hadassah, a Christian, is sold as a slave to a wealthy family in Rome. Atretes, a very large and attractive blond German, is sold to a Roman who supplies gladiators for the arena.
Although Roman is tolerant of many forms of religion, Christianity is illegal. Hadassah struggles to serve her mistress while obeying her own conscious. Hadassah's mistress is an insufferable hedonist who is a poor judge of character. Following her life has the makings of a Roman soap opera, amusing, sad and at times, annoying.
Atretes trains for the arena. He is strong-bodied and strong-willed. His exploits provide a sense of the minimum value Romans of that era placed on human life. The trappings and activities of the arena are described with sufficient detail to be rated PG-13 or even a light R.
At least one reviewer faults Hadassah's character as being too morally correct and unromantic. I disagree. I found Hadassah's character simple like her unencumbered and un-institutionalized Christian beliefs - simply refreshing.
This is a very entertaining historical novel written from the perspective of a Christian author.
A solid four stars.
Rating:
Summary: THE ABSOLUTE BEST CHRISTIAN FICTION NOVEL!!!
Review: If you have not read 'A Voice in the Wind' I truly feel sorry for you!!! You are missing out on action, romance, family conflicts, self-conflict, history, and even at sometimes terror! I believe that this book should be used to rate every other Christian fiction book. It is perfect from all sides. The characters are fully developed and seem very real; the details Rivers gives you are historically accurate; and the plot always gets better! You'll love Marcus, Hadassah, and Artetes. They all give you a different perspective of the Roman Empire. There are actually two stories that get intertwined later in the book. And don't think that Rivers doesn't show light on some things just because, she is a Christian. She shows you all aspects of the empire without giving explicit details on women/men relationships, violence, etc. It is truly the best fiction book!
Rating:
Summary: The most inspiring novel I have ever read, bar none!
Review: Let me set the record straight. "A Voice in the Wind" is Christianity. It is history. It is romance. It is action. It is about people, and how they are interacting in arena of Ancient Rome. It displays all kinds of people. It brings out the best traits known to mankind and the worst traits known to mankind. "Voice" is centered around two different stories: that of Hadassah, the Hebrew/Christian girl sold into slavery, and her masters, the Valerian family- stern but fair Decimus and gentle, loving Phoebe; and their children, Marcus, whose feelings for Hadassah run high over, and Julia, the girl who Hadassah serves, whose only care in life is for her own pleasure.
The second is that of Atretes, German warrior-turned-Roman gladiator. All brawn and beauty....but also vulernability and anger. The object of Julia Valerian's affections. Draw your own conclusions. Francine Rivers is a masterful story teller, and the way she draws you into this book is amazing. It is life changing. Literally. You love some characters- Hadassah [the obvious!] and even the vulernable Atretes and the lustful Julia. You also hate some- Caius Urbanus, Calabah Fontaine; and feel pity for some, such as Arria and Octavia, God help her. In short, this is one of the best books of the decade...no, century...no...how about millennium!!!!!! You will be supporting one of the most talented authors on the planet by purchasing "A Voice in the Wind" and its magnificent follow-ups, "An Echo in the Darkness" and "As Sure as the Dawn". God Bless!
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