Ruth - Woman of Valor: A Virtuous Woman in an Immoral Land by Jim Baumgardner is a Christian historical novel that fictionalizes the biblical story of Ruth. But the story starts much earlier with a man name Elimelech. Dissatisfied with the land he was given, Elimelech moved to the greener pastures of Moab, despite the fact that the country worshipped idols and false gods. Ten years later, the story follows Naomi, Elimelech's widow. When both her sons die, Naomi is left with two daughters-in-law and a choice. With no future left for her in Moab, Naomi decides to travel the dangerous road home to Bethlehem. But Ruth refuses to let Naomi travel alone. She's questioning her own faith in the false gods and vows to remain with Naomi until their death. So the two set out on a treacherous journey, where Ruth leaves her friends, family, country, and religion behind. She starts over with Naomi in a new land, with a new god, and meets a new man. But everything is different and Ruth isn't sure if she is strong enough to face these huge challenges.

For readers that may know or be familiar with the biblical story of Ruth, this story takes them much deeper into the complexities of what may have happened behind Ruth's decision making process. This story digs behind the scenes and shows the motives of the characters, especially Ruth, as she struggles with a life full of new challenges. It is well-written, historical accurate, and follows references from the Bible. But it doesn't just have to be for religious readers. The author, Jim Baumgardner, beautifully describes the historical world of the Israelites, Canaanites, and Moabites in a refreshing new historical fiction for all.

Ruth - Woman of Valor: A Virtuous Woman in an Immoral Land by Jim Baumgardner is a compelling fictional rendition of the Bible book of Ruth. The author follows the actual Bible book account but adds details, embellishments and further scenes into the story to bring it to a novel length. The story of Ruth follows a woman named Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth as they travel to a new land. They cling to their faith in God to get them through all the trials and tribulations that not only the journey brings but also getting settled in their new home. Ruth shows unwavering compassion to Naomi and finds work in order to support them both. She ends up meeting a new man, but questions if this is really what God has in store for her life. Read along to discover how God’s plan for Ruth comes to fruition.

I found Ruth - Woman of Valor: A Virtuous Woman in an Immoral Land to be an interesting read. I have read the actual Bible book of Ruth many times before and found that this story follows the same line but just adds more details to reach a book length. Baumgardner does a good job describing biblical history as well as really bringing to life all of the engaging locations that the characters travel to in the book. I see that the author has a fictional rendition of the book of Esther that I will check out next! I would recommend this book to fans of Christian history, biblical stories and women’s literature.