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Ordinary Women of the Bible
The Dearly Beloved: Apphia's Story
Apphia's life changes the day she finds a precious exposita—an abandoned baby—on the steps of the temple and claims it as her own. She names the little girl Kalyani and is thrilled and grateful to finally be a mother. But Kalyani is only three when Apphia’s brother declares that the child is his slave, as Apphia cannot legally adopt her. To save her daughter’s life and future, Apphia flees with Kalyani to Kolossai. There they are welcomed by a house church whose members not only value Apphia’s skills but treat her as family. However, even as Apphia settles into her new life and learns to become a follower of the Way, she fears that her brother may one day locate her and Kalyani. Can she trust those who have taken her in to protect her? Or will her brother’s greed steal away her daughter and the happiness they have found?
- GenresBiblical FictionFiction
ebook
Published September 1, 2021
168 people want to read
About the author
Carole Towriss
22 books277 followersCarole Towriss and her husband live just north of Washington, DC. In between making tacos and telling her four children to pick up their shoes for the third time, she writes, watches chick flicks, and waits for summertime to return to the beach.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 31, 2022
It was a treat to read this New Testament story by Carole Towriss featuring Apphia, a character the apostle Paul mentioned in his letter to the Philippians. I was immediately drawn into her plight, and that of her adopted daughter, Kalyani, an abandoned child. Betrayal by a family member forces them to flee their home or face brutality and slavery. But Appphia's father's final words send her to Nympha, one of those strange people, the Christians.
From the beginning, Apphia tries to go her own way. How can she trust anyone, when her own relative has turned against her? Despite her choices, she finds a place she will be safe, if only she can keep her identity a secret.
This book was a joy to read - pleasant, evocative, with just enough suspense to keep me turning pages. I always love to read historical accounts of food - don't judge me - and I got a kick out of learning that carrots used to be white, rather than orange, at this time and place. The description of its preparation made me want to try it out.
Highly recommended to those who enjoy biblical novels. I'm a big fan of the beautiful Guidepost books, and this one did not disappoint.
From the beginning, Apphia tries to go her own way. How can she trust anyone, when her own relative has turned against her? Despite her choices, she finds a place she will be safe, if only she can keep her identity a secret.
This book was a joy to read - pleasant, evocative, with just enough suspense to keep me turning pages. I always love to read historical accounts of food - don't judge me - and I got a kick out of learning that carrots used to be white, rather than orange, at this time and place. The description of its preparation made me want to try it out.
Highly recommended to those who enjoy biblical novels. I'm a big fan of the beautiful Guidepost books, and this one did not disappoint.
April 7, 2024
Apphia finds an infant abandoned at the temple and takes her home. Her father is delighted with the child but her brother says if she won't return the baby it will become his slave. When her beloved father is dying he tells her to seek a certain woman at the gate of the town because Apphia plans to take her daughter Kalyani and run away. She does on the day her father dies. She did not seek the help of the woman but Nympha finds her and aids her. When she reaches Kolossai a man offers her a job. It is a house church for followers of the Way. They are kindness itself to Apphia and her daughter Kai. They treat her like family. She is unsure of the Way but slowly but surely she learns. Apphia helps out wherever she can and becomes a valued member of the group. But she never told anyone about how she became a mother or about her cruel brother. She and the owner of the house marry, Apphia has chosen to follow the Way. The Dearly Beloved by Carole Towriss is a look at the early church and how it functioned. Even so they knew the could be persecuted and put to death but they followed Jesus Christ.
December 23, 2024
The Ordinary Women of the Bible series comes full circle with a finale from Carole Towriss. I was a bit heartbroken to learn this was the last of the series (there are a few more, but since they were the few I honestly didn't care for as much, I may not review them). But I can't linger on sadness long, because The Dearly Beloved was a perfect way to end a star-studded series.
In a first for me, the cast and plot united to be the parts I loved most about The Dearly Beloved. Everyone is three-dimensional, from Apphia all the way down to three-year-old Kasia (and it's not easy to create a multifaceted toddler, so kudos)! Moreover, these characters are pitted against what might be the highest-stakes plot in the series. Apphia's need to protect her daughter from a real villain, one in her own family, no less, won my concern and empathy right away. I worried for her, and while I understood that Marcus disliked being lied to, I completely understood the thorny ethical dilemma everyone found themselves facing. That, plus the overarching externals facing the church in Colosse, fascinated me and kept my pages turning at a great clip.
Speaking of the church in Colosse, Carole wrote it with an expert hand. It's clear she did her homework within both Scripture and scholarly sources. For instance, I first read The Dearly Beloved during a heat wave and absolutely craved some of Colosse's icy spring water. I also loved the diversity and "family" atmosphere of the church. Yet I was drawn to the evergreen nature of the divisiveness and "issues" facing that same church. I often felt the pinch of sadness while reading about them, but drew encouragement from reminders of what the Church at large once was, could be, and still is a lot of the time, despite our current problems. Some things truly never change, and while some of that is negative, some is also positive, such as how we forgive each other, help each other find our gifts and niches, and shelter those who need us.
That last one brings me to the subplot with Hermes and his daughter. I often wasn't sure where it was going, and I worried Hermes might bring permanent, inescapable trouble on Apphia, Kasia, and others. Actually, the subplot ties back into the main one with unexpected but beautiful deftness, providing a great contrast between people like Hermes and Tricia vs. Apphia's brother--people who are difficult but open, vs. those who refuse to bend. The latter is not a "cautionary tale" per se, but the former both increase Apphia's emotional and spiritual confidence in ways she sorely needed.
Finally, as the best books do, The Dearly Beloved hosts several small "popping" scenes with different tones and atmospheres. Among these are Apphia's initial journey to Colosse, the sweet friendship between Kasia and Zoe, Apphia's protectiveness of Tricia--on more than one occasion--many subtly romantic moments--and Apphia's baptism. In addition, I loved Apphia's gentle, probing conversations with Philemon, as she worked to help him understand what freedom could mean for him. As a woman who prizes autonomy, I admit a little conviction there, as well as not a little identification.
I wish I could remember more, because as I recall, The Dearly Beloved was one of my favorite Ordinary Women novellas. Yet if I continued, I think I'd spoil this one. I'll leave you with my recommendation, and again, a recommendation for the series as a whole. Plus, if you liked this one as much as I did, Guideposts has graced us with the Extraordinary Women of the Bible series, home to even more Scripturally inspired gems!
In a first for me, the cast and plot united to be the parts I loved most about The Dearly Beloved. Everyone is three-dimensional, from Apphia all the way down to three-year-old Kasia (and it's not easy to create a multifaceted toddler, so kudos)! Moreover, these characters are pitted against what might be the highest-stakes plot in the series. Apphia's need to protect her daughter from a real villain, one in her own family, no less, won my concern and empathy right away. I worried for her, and while I understood that Marcus disliked being lied to, I completely understood the thorny ethical dilemma everyone found themselves facing. That, plus the overarching externals facing the church in Colosse, fascinated me and kept my pages turning at a great clip.
Speaking of the church in Colosse, Carole wrote it with an expert hand. It's clear she did her homework within both Scripture and scholarly sources. For instance, I first read The Dearly Beloved during a heat wave and absolutely craved some of Colosse's icy spring water. I also loved the diversity and "family" atmosphere of the church. Yet I was drawn to the evergreen nature of the divisiveness and "issues" facing that same church. I often felt the pinch of sadness while reading about them, but drew encouragement from reminders of what the Church at large once was, could be, and still is a lot of the time, despite our current problems. Some things truly never change, and while some of that is negative, some is also positive, such as how we forgive each other, help each other find our gifts and niches, and shelter those who need us.
That last one brings me to the subplot with Hermes and his daughter. I often wasn't sure where it was going, and I worried Hermes might bring permanent, inescapable trouble on Apphia, Kasia, and others. Actually, the subplot ties back into the main one with unexpected but beautiful deftness, providing a great contrast between people like Hermes and Tricia vs. Apphia's brother--people who are difficult but open, vs. those who refuse to bend. The latter is not a "cautionary tale" per se, but the former both increase Apphia's emotional and spiritual confidence in ways she sorely needed.
Finally, as the best books do, The Dearly Beloved hosts several small "popping" scenes with different tones and atmospheres. Among these are Apphia's initial journey to Colosse, the sweet friendship between Kasia and Zoe, Apphia's protectiveness of Tricia--on more than one occasion--many subtly romantic moments--and Apphia's baptism. In addition, I loved Apphia's gentle, probing conversations with Philemon, as she worked to help him understand what freedom could mean for him. As a woman who prizes autonomy, I admit a little conviction there, as well as not a little identification.
I wish I could remember more, because as I recall, The Dearly Beloved was one of my favorite Ordinary Women novellas. Yet if I continued, I think I'd spoil this one. I'll leave you with my recommendation, and again, a recommendation for the series as a whole. Plus, if you liked this one as much as I did, Guideposts has graced us with the Extraordinary Women of the Bible series, home to even more Scripturally inspired gems!
March 13, 2022
I think this was my most favorite of The Ordinary Women of the Bible Series. I really liked this book. I have enjoyed all the books in the series, but this one really spoke to me. Maybe because I found many things that made me think about my upbringing in the Catholic Church.
March 6, 2022
What a wonderful book. Heartwarming and full of love and hope.
December 13, 2022
A beautifully written story about the lives of early Christians who were called "followers of the Way."
Jesus said of Himself, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Way was an entirely different lifestyle in relationships, speech, attitudes, habits, values.
When Apphia rescues an abandoned baby girl, she must flee her home because of her cruel brother, who has threatened to sell her into slavery. She has no idea where she will go or how she will live, but she encounters others who point her to members of the Way who take her in, provide for her and protect her.
She is cautious and curious about these people who are so different. As Apphia watches and learns, she begins to understand and accept Jesus.
Scripture is incorporated in a natural way in routine activities and conversation. As the characters live out the Way, others are drawn to it.
Jesus said of Himself, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Way was an entirely different lifestyle in relationships, speech, attitudes, habits, values.
When Apphia rescues an abandoned baby girl, she must flee her home because of her cruel brother, who has threatened to sell her into slavery. She has no idea where she will go or how she will live, but she encounters others who point her to members of the Way who take her in, provide for her and protect her.
She is cautious and curious about these people who are so different. As Apphia watches and learns, she begins to understand and accept Jesus.
Scripture is incorporated in a natural way in routine activities and conversation. As the characters live out the Way, others are drawn to it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews