I was captivated by the world I entered into and imagined standing in. The characters and setting felt completely real. This story was impeccably written and developed. No one makes the biblical times come to life quite like Tessa Afshar! I always enjoy reading her stories and imagining what the world looked like during the times that Jesus and his disciples walked the streets. Still, Lydia can’t outrun her secrets forever, and when past and present collide, she must either stand firm and trust in her fledgling faith or succumb to the fear that has ruled her life. But fear lingers in every shadow, until Lydia meets the apostle Paul and hears his message of hope, becoming his first European convert. Determination and serendipitous acquaintances–along with her father’s precious dye–help her become one of the city’s preeminent merchants. With only her father’s secret formulas left, Lydia flees to Philippi and struggles to establish her business on her own. Then unbearable betrayal robs her of nearly everything.
And along the way, she changes the world.īut before she was Lydia, the seller of purple, she was simply a merchant’s daughter who loved three things: her father, her ancestral home, and making dye.
One woman rises up to take the reins of success in an incredible journey of courage, grit, and friendship. The foundation of an influential trade in a Roman world dominated by men. Basing her novel on the Biblical story of Lydia during Paul’s second missionary journey, Afshar teases out a rich and emotional story from only a couple mentions of Lydia in Acts 16. A very enjoyable story.Purple. Additionally, the time period and places are captured skillfully. The fears and insecurities of the main characters are genuine and relatable. However, Afshar masterfully builds both character and plot. While there are some lovely faith-filled dialogues, Afshar’s messages are sometimes laid out too clearly, which can come across as preachy. But when Lydia’s past comes knocking at her door, will she be able to stand firm in her new-found faith, or will she allow her fears to destroy all she’s worked for? By chance, Lydia meets the apostle Paul, who teaches her about Jesus. Moved by his words, she becomes baptized. Through an old acquaintance of her father’s and her own fierce determination, Lydia is able to become a well-known merchant. When her father is falsely accused of theft, and his business is swept up by a wealthy Roman citizen, Lydia flees to Philippi with her father’s secret formulas. Lydia is the daughter of a well-established cloth dyer whose purple is unmatched.
0 kommentar(er)
