In the Field of Grace

Without wealth or family, the widow Ruth left her people and followed Naomi, her beloved Hebrew mother-in-law, to rebuild Naomi's home in Israel. Provisions gone and starvation at the door, Ruth used all that she had left--a strong back and a willing heart--to gather grain in a field, abandoned after the harvest.

Tormented by others, Ruth is shocked to find the owner of the field watching her. Talking to her. Bringing food to her and Naomi. Boaz tells himself his kindness toward Ruth is repayment for the love she has shown to his cousin Naomi. But his heart knows better.

My thoughts: I have had this on my TBR list ever since it came out. I am embarrassed that it took me this long to get around to reading it! Once I started it, I could not put it down, since Tessa nails bringing the story of Ruth to life. I can imagine that it is a delicate balance between staying true to what we know about the story and times and bringing it to life by adding more characters to the story. I think she does a wonderful job of filling in the story of Ruth and Boaz. I loved that both of the main characters challenge the reader to be a better person. While I have enjoyed all of her stories, I think that this one is my favorite yet, since it's a wonderful story of loss and hope, pain and joy. I know I have a tendency to just focus on the blessings that people in the Bible received and not think too much about what they went through to get to that point. This book is a great reminder to trust God through the trials, since He always has our best interest at heart, and often there is a blessing on the other side of the trial.
I received this book from Moody in exchange for my honest review.