Fair is the Rose

Fair is the Rose, by Liz Curtis Higgs

This is the sequel to Thorn in My Heart. It follows the Biblical story of Jacob's marriage, first to Leah, then to Rachel. In 1790s Scotland, divorce is unheard of, and so is marriage to two women at once. The way in which the author manages to stick to the Biblical story and still make it realistic as a historical novel is ingenious.

Although the whole series is written from the points of view of several characters, each book is about the plight of a main character. In Thorn, the main plight was Leah's. In Fair is the Rose, the main character in distress was Rachel. As with all love triangles, however, everyone is in distress over something at all times.

There is just as much sneaking and conniving and drama as in the first book, kind of in a soap opera way, but much less cliche. I admire the author's ability to take an old theme (unrequited and/or betrayed love) and make it interesting and fresh.

One thing that bothered me about the book is that the character of Leah was so developed in the first book, and I connected so much to her, that in the second book I really struggled to line up behind Rachel and cheer her on. By the end, I think that I managed to get on board, but I still felt guilty for shifting my loyalties. However, now that I have started the third book, I realize what the author was trying to do there. I'll tell you all about it when I review the third book.

As before, anyone with an interest in re-inventing Biblical stories, historical Scotland, or deep and scandalous and heart-wrenching drama will be interested in reading this book series.