Review: Journey to the Well
March 13th, 2009 | 
Author: 
Have you ever wondered about the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well? Remember the story of how Jesus told her she had five husbands and the one she was with now wasn’t her husband?
Under what circumstances would a woman in biblical times have five husbands over a period of time? What brought the Samaritan woman to the well in the heat of the day?
Diana Wallis Taylor, author of Journey to the Well, seeks to answer those questions. She weaves a beautiful tale of love, sorrow, and redemption.
A few weeks ago, the Faith ‘n Fiction question asked about biblical fiction – do we read it, what’s our opinion of it, etc. Many participants stated that the fiction story needed to give a broader understanding of the Bible story yet remain accurate. Taylor’s story does just that.
Growing up, I remember being taught that the Samaritan woman was a promiscuous woman and had divorced all of her husbands. Taylor doesn’t take that approach at all.
After reading this book, I know I will never think of the Samaritan woman the same way. Journey to the Well is one of those books that even when I put it down, the story is still in the back of my mind. To me, that makes a great book.
Here’s a little bit about the book:
She went to the well for water. What she found there would change her life forever.
Marah is a young girl in love with her childhood friend, Jesse. When she is forced to marry an older man, she must abandon her dreams of happiness. At the mercy of men who are often only interested in using her, Marah must fight for survival. Will she ever meet a man who can save her?
The story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well is one of hope, redemption, and a life changed in an instant through a remarkable encounter. Jesus told her “everything she’d ever done,” but we are left to wonder at the circumstances that led her life on such a tragic path to begin with. Now from the creative mind of Diana Wallis Taylor comes the full story of the woman at the well.
This well-researched portrayal of a woman’s life in the time of Jesus opens a window into a fascinating world. Taylor’s rich descriptions of the landscapes, lifestyles, and rituals mesh easily with the emotional and very personal story of one woman who desperately seeks to rise above the difficult circumstances of her life.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Journey To The Well, click HERE
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