Whence Came a Prince

Whence Came a Prince, by Liz Curtis Higgs

This is the third book in THIS series about Jacob's deception and subsequent marriage to both Rachel and Leah, set in 1790s Scotland. As I mentioned in my last review, the author managed to get my loyalties to shift from Leah to Rachel. The reason is: Jacob's loyalties shifted as well. From reading the Bible, we have no idea how each of the characters felt about the situation, only the actions. The author has derived the characters' emotions from the actions found in the Bible, and also from (I think) putting herself in their places.

When Jacob first comes upon Rachel, he is smitten and wants to marry her. He works for her hand in marriage, only to be tricked into marrying Leah on the wedding night. In exchange for more work, he also marries Rachel. That's what is written in the Bible. What we find in this series is that somewhere between marrying Leah and marrying Rachel, Jacob has fallen for Leah. Now, forced to marry Rachel, he feels guilty for betraying Leah, but slowly begins to renew his feelings for Rachel. This is where the reader starts to shift loyalties as well, and with it comes all the same guilt Jacob must be feeling.

At this point I should probably mention that the author changed the names, but for simplicity's sake I have been using the Biblical names. In the book series, Jacob becomes Jamie, Rachel becomes Rose, and Leah becomes Leana. Many other Biblical characters show up and their names have been changed as well. About halfway through the book, a reference was made to Archibald, Jamie's grandfather, who I assume corresponds to Abraham, Jacob's grandfather. One thought led to another and pretty soon I was re-reading the Biblical story (in search of names). What I found was a spoiler for how the book ends. Rather, I knew the story already but becoming engrossed in it as I was, I had forgotten the sad end of the story. So for the last half of the book I was merely anticipating the bittersweet events rather than discovering them for myself.

If you must read Genesis 27 - 33, do it before you read any of the book series, or after. If you do it in the middle, you will know what's coming.

Anyway, at the very end, the characters have gone through an incredible amount of emotional and physical pain and most of them live happily ever after with their pain. I know that sounds a little odd, but if you have ever been involved in any kind of love triangle, or even just a bad break-up or betrayal, you will understand. The pain makes you a better person, and may go away, but the memories will always be bittersweet, and yes, they are experiences you wouldn't want to have again, but which you wouldn't trade for the world. This book is unique among love stories because it realistically can happen.

Keep on the lookout for my review of book four, which is primarily about Jacob's daughter Dinah.