ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tessa Afshar was born in a nominally Muslim family in Iran and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She survived English boarding school for girls before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her mid-twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDIV from Yale University where she served as co-Chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the
Divinity School. She has spent the last twelve years in full and part-time Christian work and currently serves as the leader of Women’s and Prayer ministries at a church in Connecticut.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Can a Canaanite harlot who has made her livelihood by looking desirable to men make a fitting wife for one of the leaders of Israel? Shockingly, the Bible’s answer is yes. At the age of fifteen Rahab is forced into prostitution by her beloved father. In her years as a courtesan, she learns to mistrust men and hate herself. Into the emotional turmoil of her world walks Salmone, a respected leader of Judah. Through the tribulations of a stormy relationship, Rahab and Salmone learn the true
source of one another’s worth in God and find healing from fear and rejection.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Pearl In The Sand, go HERE
Watch the book video:
My Review:
Where do I start with singing my praises with this gorgeous book? Stunning. Beautiful. Fascinating. Those are just some of the many ways to describe this novel. Tessa Afshar is truly talented and captures the heart of her readers instantly, by picking us up and setting us down in the middle of Jericho. The characters of this novel are superbly created and reach out to help pull us into that long ago Biblical time and place.
Rahab was an incredibly strong young woman. Her days of being a prostitute (or in a better term, a harlot) was wonderfully re-created in this stunning, riveting Biblical account taken straight from the book of Joshua. The compelling character of Salmone adds depth to both the true and fictional aspects of this novel. Both characters become one in your heart and you cry for them and pray for them continuously through this AWESOME book!
I don’t always like comparing novels and authors, because I feel that each author and novel have their own talents and strengths or weaknesses. However, this novel MUST be compared to one book and one author! Tessa Afshar has nearly as great a talent as Roseanna White and Pearl in the Sand is nearly as beautiful and stunning as A Stray Drop of Blood, even more so than E.G.Lewis’ Witness! Pearl in the Sand is a 5 star novel that should be read by everyone who loves a great new story. Through Rahab, Salmone and Jesus, Tessa Afshar has brought us a novel worth taking the take to read! Filled with God’s love, this story has many lessons from redemption to forgiveness to second chances and love. If you’ve never read a Biblical fiction novel, PLEASE, start with Pearl in the Sand. It’s incredible and will leave you thirsting for more journeys like this!
