On This Foundation (The Restoration Chronicles #3) by Lynn Austin

Title: On This Foundation (The Restoration Chronicles #3)

Author: Lynn Austin

Pages: 416

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Genre: Biblical Fiction

Publisher: Bethany House Publisher

Format: Paperback (also available in eBook)

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

About the book:

     Stone by stone, the wall will rise once more around God’s city.

     When news reaches him that Jerusalem’s wall is shattered and its gates burned with fire, a distraught Nehemiah seeks God’s guidance in fasting and prayer. Granted an unexpected leave from his duty as cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah sets out for Jerusalem to rebuild the city wall – never anticipating all the dangers that await him on his arrival.

     The leaders of the surrounding nations become his fierce enemies, plotting to assassinate him and stop the wall’s reconstruction forever. A drought, meanwhile, has left the country impoverished, with many families resorting to selling their children as bondservants just to keep from starving.

     Capturing the rebuilding of the wall through the eyes of a number of characters, On This Foundation is the powerful conclusion to THE RESTORATION CHRONICLES. This exploration of faith in the midst of oppression offers hope that, in spite of appearances, the gracious hand of God is upon those who believe.

My review:

     Another wonderful biblical novel!

     This is the third book in a “true” series. You have to read the first two books for this one to make sense. Over the course of the three books the full story of the return of the Jews to Jerusalem after their exile to Babylon, and the rebuilding they did, is beautifully told.

     I loved the characters in this book. There is a great variety of people and situations that they are dealing with during a very trying time in the history of the Israelites. I think that the ones I felt the most for were Nava and Chana. They both struggled with feelings connected to loving someone they couldn’t be with, even though the reasons for the separation were very different. They had to try and navigate their way during a time when women usually didn’t have any say in what they could do and who they could be with.

     The continuing story of the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the exile to Babylon was fabulous. I thoroughly enjoyed reading how Lynn Austin brought Nehemiah on the scene. I don’t remember there being very many details about his background in the bible other than that he was the cupbearer to the King of Persia. The story as it is presented in this book is very plausible. One of the things that I really liked about Nehemiah was his humility. He continued to seek God throughout the book wanting to make sure that he was the one chosen to complete the task and that it wasn’t just his own idea.

     It held my attention from start to finish. I believe that reading this book is an incredible way to spend some of your leisure time. I’m highly recommending it and giving it a rating of 5 stars.