Up From Dust by Heather Kaufman

Martha of Bethany in the Bible is known for being super responsible and calling out her sister, Mary, in front of Jesus for not helping her. Yet, as a reader, I wonder just who this Martha is. How did she become this responsible, hard-working woman? Up From Dust by Heather Kaufman is Martha's Story in her new Women of the Way series.

This book is divided into two parts. The first part chronicles Martha's early life. Martha was responsible for raising her siblings, Mary and Lazarus, after her mother passed away and her father became apathetic towards life. She is forced to take up a mother role that she wasn't really ready for. She also gives her young heart to a shepherd and then tragedy strikes. Martha has faced many challenges.

The second part is her life around the time that Jesus enters her life. One of Martha's friends calls on Jesus to heal her husband from leprosy. Martha struggles with her feelings towards Jesus. She isn't sure she can trust him because of his connection to her past. She isn't sure he is who he says he is, at first. Then he performs more miracles and, more importantly, seems to see inside Martha's heart to her real self.

I enjoyed this first book from Heather Kaufman. I haven't read Biblical fiction in awhile. Up From Dust takes the reader right back to the time of the Bible and brings it to life. She shares some of her thoughts on writing the book in the author's note at the end. She shares how she came to write this story and liberties she took. And she encourages readers to always refer to the Bible. I enjoyed how this story was written. It was easy to follow. It showcased how people had relationship issues of various kinds since Bible times. There is a lot to think about and this would be a good book to discuss with a book club. There are discussion questions in the back of the book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.