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Michal: A Novel (The Wives of King David) Paperback – March 1, 2009

by Jill Eileen Smith (Author)

2,590 ratings

Book 1 of 3: The Wives of King David

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As the daughter of King Saul, Michal lives a life of privilege--but one that is haunted by her father's unpredictable moods and by competition from her beautiful older sister. When Michal falls for young David, the harpist who plays to calm her father, she has no idea what romance, adventures, and heartache await her.

As readers enter the colorful and unpredictable worlds of King Saul and King David, they will be swept up in this exciting and romantic story. Against the backdrop of opulent palace life, raging war, and desert escapes, Jill Eileen Smith takes her readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride as Michal deals with love, loss, and personal transformation as one of the wives of David. A sweeping tale of passion and drama, readers will love this amazing story.

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Can their epic search for true love survive a father's fury?

The daughter of King Saul, Michal lives a life of privilege--but one that is haunted by her father's unpredictable moods and competition from her beautiful older sister. As a girl, Michal quickly falls for the handsome young harpist David. But soon after their romance begins, David must flee for his life, leaving Michal at her father's mercy in the prison that is King Saul's palace.

Will Michal ever be reunited with David? Or is she doomed to remain separated from him forever?

Against the backdrop of opulent palace life, raging war, and daring desert escapes, Jill Eileen Smith takes you on an emotional journey as Michal deals with love, loss, and personal transformation as the first wife of King David.

Jill Eileen Smith has more than twenty years of writing experience, and her writing has gathered acclaim in several contests. Her research into the lives of David's wives has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan.

About the Author

Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling and award-winning author of the biblical fiction series The Wives of King David, Wives of the Patriarchs, and Daughters of the Promised Land, as well as The Heart of a King, Star of Persia: Esther's Story, Miriam's Song, The Prince and the Prodigal, Daughter of Eden, and The Ark and the Dove. Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in biblical times. Jill lives with her family in Michigan. Learn more at JillEileenSmith.com.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Revell; Original edition (March 1, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 382 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0800733207
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0800733209
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.96 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #145,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #151 in Religious Historical Fiction (Books)
- #481 in Religious Romance (Books)
- #816 in Christian Historical Fiction (Books)

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Jill Eileen Smith

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Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling and award-winning author of many biblical novels, including her first series The Wives of King David. Her upcoming release Dawn of Grace, Mary Magdalene’s Story, will hit the shelves in February 2025. After twenty years of closed doors, she has published 24 books, fiction and non-fiction, and had one of those books optioned for film. She loves Jesus and His Word and all things related to learning more about the culture and times of the people of the Book, particularly the women, whom God has immortalized there.

While she loves writing and researching, she is willingly interrupted by her west-coast children and adorable grandchildren. Traveling to Israel was a highlight of her life, but traveling west is her new favorite vacation location. When she’s not packing her bags, she can be found reading stories that take her away, playing too many games and puzzles on her phone (call it down time), or snuggling her lovable, mischievous cats Kody and Kaelee. She has been married to the love of her life for 47 years and counting and lives in a quiet neighborhood in southeast Michigan.

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Customers say

Customers find this biblical retelling engaging and well-written, appreciating how it brings biblical facts together with fiction while staying true to the Bible's narrative. Moreover, the book receives positive feedback for its character development, creating believable characters that feel like real people, and its emotional depth that fills in the emotional and human aspects of the story. Additionally, customers praise its informative content and visual appeal, with one noting how it helps create a mental picture of the scenes and surroundings.

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Story quality Historical accuracy Writing quality Insight Emotion level Character development Interest Visual appeal

453 customers mention "Story quality"431 positive22 negative

Customers find the story engaging and fun to read as a novel, with the plot being believable.

"...As for David, he's delightfully and refreshingly human as well. This young king is often held up to believers on a pedestal...." Read more

"...In conclusion, it's a good book, well written...." Read more

"...insight, description, real-to-life motives and emotion is unique and helpful...." Read more

"I loved this story! This book is a Biblical fiction story about Michal, the wife of David...." Read more

279 customers mention "Historical accuracy"274 positive5 negative

Customers appreciate the book's historical accuracy, noting how it brings biblical facts together with fiction and stays true to the facts in the Bible.

"...As for David, he's delightfully and refreshingly human as well. This young king is often held up to believers on a pedestal...." Read more

"...the stage and explore the accounts with insight, description, real-to-life motives and emotion is unique and helpful...." Read more

"I loved this story! This book is a Biblical fiction story about Michal, the wife of David...." Read more

"...Ms. Smith remains very biblical...." Read more

160 customers mention "Writing quality"153 positive7 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one customer noting how it goes well with biblical text, while another appreciates how it reads between the lines in a believable manner.

"...In conclusion, it's a good book, well written...." Read more

"...in the politics, romance, hope and failures so clearly and with such fresh prose, I was left wanting more...." Read more

"...Jill’s descriptive prose pulled me in and set me smack in the middle of an ancient kingdom and the people who lived there...." Read more

"...and Jill Smith accomplishes this feat and in many respects it is well written and the authors imagination in taking a couple of lines from the Book..." Read more

99 customers mention "Insight"93 positive6 negative

Customers find the book wonderfully insightful and informative, appreciating its research and study approach.

"...usual, Jill recreates ancient Israel with a deft hand and beautifully researched detail...." Read more

"...all the characters from Scripture onto the stage and explore the accounts with insight, description, real-to-life motives and emotion is unique and..." Read more

"...that Jill stayed close to the scriptural account and filled in the ‘blanks’ in creative, yet realistic ways...." Read more

"...this feat and in many respects it is well written and the authors imagination in taking a couple of lines from the Book of Samuel, weaves an..." Read more

68 customers mention "Emotion level"68 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the emotional depth of the book, noting how it fills in the ways of man and creates a love story.

"...Jill brings in the politics, romance, hope and failures so clearly and with such fresh prose, I was left wanting more...." Read more

"...If you like historical fiction and romance stories (without graphic sexual content) then this book would be a good choice for you." Read more

"...So Kudos to the author for creating a love story and built characters with human flaws without removing their scriptural personas and made them..." Read more

"...What I realize is that it's easy for us to sympathize with her but we should recognize our own sinful tendencies in her actions when we put other..." Read more

56 customers mention "Character development"48 positive8 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, noting how it brings biblical figures to life and makes them feel like real people, with one customer specifically praising the compassionate portrayal of Michal.

"...thing, but because she brought the setting to life and made the characters fully human...." Read more

"...But author Jill Eileen Smith portrays his humanity in believable ways as she insightfully reads between the lines of Scripture for her fictional..." Read more

"...So Kudos to the author for creating a love story and built characters with human flaws without removing their scriptural personas and made them..." Read more

"...Smith and I have drawn many of the same conclusions about this fascinating woman. Ms. Smith remains very biblical...." Read more

31 customers mention "Interest"31 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging, with multiple reviews noting it kept them interested throughout, and one mentioning it was exciting with lots of action.

"...It kept me reading all the way through. After reading and disliking similar books, I expected this one to be fluffy and shallow too...." Read more

"...The book was interesting enough to keep me reading well past my already late bedtime, and I finished it in two sittings." Read more

"...to take what little info we have on the wives and turn it into an engaging and mesmerising work of fiction!" Read more

"...From that point on, it held my interest and was a very plausible explanation of the rest of Michal's life. I did enjoy it." Read more

22 customers mention "Visual appeal"22 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the visual appeal of the book, with one noting how it helps readers picture the people and surroundings, while another mentions its romantic portrayal of a princess.

"...What exists is a beautiful book, and I highly recommend you read it." Read more

"Saul's daughter Michal was so deftly drawn that it was easy to follow her spiritual journey...." Read more

"MICHAL by Jill Eileen Smith was for me a fascinating look into what life might truly have been like in Old Testament times!..." Read more

"...She did a good job painting a mental picture of what things might have looked like in bible times...." Read more

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Stephanie McCall
She's Largely Unknown--But Yahweh Knew and Loved Her
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2017
Verified Purchase

I began reading Jill Eileen Smith because I was interested in her Wives of the Patriarchs series. It took awhile for me to warm up to reading this one, because the wives of King David don't get much text time in the Bible. I mistakenly thought Jill couldn't find much to say about them, at least not much that would stick with Scripture. Wow, was I wrong.

As usual, Jill recreates ancient Israel with a deft hand and beautifully researched detail. I felt like I was there, not because Jill tried to describe every little thing, but because she brought the setting to life and made the characters fully human. As noted, David's first wife Michal doesn't get many mentions in the Bible. What is there doesn't do much to recommend her (despising David for dancing before the Lord is the biggie, although her manipulation comes into play, too). In Michal, however, readers get a portrait of a real woman and the shepherd turned king who loved her--or tried his best to in a culture that really wouldn't allow it.

Michal is oftentimes scheming, whiny, and manipulative. In fact, she's so crafty that she sometimes reminds me of Rebekah from Wives of the Patriarchs (one wonders if she took lessons from the stories she would have heard as a kid). Despite those bad traits, Michal never lost my sympathy. At her core, she is a lost young woman who yearns to be loved, who has never found a man trustworthy, and has bought the lie that she must take care of herself because no one else will. While I did not agree with the way David treated her at times, I found the last scenes, in which Michal gives herself over to Yahweh, beautifully wrenching. She is every inch the portrait of the sinner who has tried to tough it out, failed, and finally fallen on God's mercy.

As for David, he's delightfully and refreshingly human as well. This young king is often held up to believers on a pedestal. He was a man after God's own heart, but let's be real. He was also impetuous, selfish, and a real ladies' man (like father, like son, eh, Solomon)? As with Michal though, I rooted for him, although at times he frustrated me. Jill gave depth and shading to the time David spent trying to outwit Saul and escape with his life. I loved her addition of Psalms, written in as David composed them.

I would have liked a bit more in some places. For instance, there is a major scene in 1 Samuel where David spares Saul's life after being given the perfect opportunity to kill him. I wanted to see it play out, but it was skipped. So too, many other important scenes, or those I felt would've added to the story, were left out. However, I guess that makes sense because Michal wouldn't have been privy to them. What exists is a beautiful book, and I highly recommend you read it.

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her name means, Rivulet
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
Like other women in the Bible, hers is a sad story, and like her name, she's just a rivulet of water in David's life; just enough to wet the bottoms of his sandals, but not to quench his thirst. The "i" is pronounced as a long i, the "ch" as k, but it's not the feminine form of Michael (which was pronounced with a long i, and long a). Names were extremely important to the ancients, and were carefully thought out...for boys, that is. I've noticed in the Bible that only high-born women have distinctive names; in Jesus' time, the name "Mary" was so common, it's a wonder they weren't given numbers, instead. Michal holds the unique distinction of being the only woman in the Bible listed as loving her man; all the others, you have to guess. When Goliath enters the story, a glaring detail was left out of the book that shows the extent of Saul's mental disturbance; David had been coming to the palace to play the harp for Saul, but when David comes to visit his brothers at the camp, Saul has a senior moment and doesn't know who he is (1 Samuel 17:55). General Abner either didn't know about the harpist, or suffered from short-term memory loss. It's a puzzle I haven't yet heard anyone address. The scene where Saul slapped her around is believable; in 1 Samuel 18:21, Saul gave David to her as a "snare." She was daddy's girl; he must have believed she'd be loyal to him. But, reading the Bible story as often as I have, I don't get a feeling that David loved Michal, or any of his women, until Bathsheba came along. Even then, it seems to be compensation. The part I really hate in Michal's life, is when David demands her return. Women were property; David had paid a very weird bride-price for her, 200 foreskins. For some reason he says 100, but the fact he states the price for her says loads; he paid for her, she's his, and he wants her back! No romance, just getting back what was stolen from him. Michal's 2nd husband was Phalti, but he's renamed here as Paltiel. I think the guy really loved her, and hate it that David tore her away from what could have been a happy life. Jill does an excellent job of filling out the character of Phalti and how Saul thought of choosing him as a son-in-law. Also with Michal's adjustment to her estranged husband and his new life, being thrust into a strange home life of 6 wives (later, 7) and countless concubines in the harem. She had to share her husbands time and body with all those women. And if she'd come to love Phalti, it made it all the more devastating. I can totally understand her bitterness and why she lashed out at David that day when he danced. But Jill didn't clearly convey the extent of David's dancing. Yes, he was dancing for God, but he got carried away, big time. In 2 Samuel 6:20 she's telling him off; the word uncovereth, means denuded. While he was jumping around, he either purposely removed the linen ephod, or pulled it aside, so that he was down to his boxers. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that he wasn't completely naked. I think she's still adjusting to her new life, and jealousy sounds as if it played a big part. 1 Samuel 16:12, and 18, describes David's looks and personality, but when you look up those adjectives in Strongs Concordance, you get a better picture of how devastatingly handsome David was; and he was showing off his body to all the women! God's people weren't supposed to be like the heathen, which included exposing their bodies. But in David's mind, because he did it for God, it was okay. He was highly offended and never had sex with her again (2 Samuel 6:23). The ending of Jill's book is bitter-sweet, as is Michal's; I like to think, in real life, Michal and David reconciled before his death. In conclusion, it's a good book, well written. Michal has been badly portrayed as the bad guy in countless sermons; I don't see her as that, and I'm glad she's getting her due in this story.

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Heather Mary
Fact based love story with a Godly message.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2019
Verified Purchase

An enjoyable read based on the the bible story giving some background on the times and how a relationship with God is so important. It highlights the troubles and treachery of the life of King David and his wives.

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ShirleyD
An insight into what life may have been like
Reviewed in Australia on November 7, 2019
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As a Christian, this genre of book would not normally appeal to me. I’m glad that I did read it as it has given me some perspective of what life may have been like. Women had a very precarious life, with no thought for the “rights” the we claim in todays life.

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CharonAndrews
I really loved this story.
Reviewed in Canada on September 28, 2015
Verified Purchase
The author portrayed the story of King David's first wife Michal in such a way that really brought the culture and bible characters to life, allowing me to understand more clearly this Old Testament time. Even though this is a fictional, Smith did a great job to see that biblical accounts are in line. While reading this novel I felt like I went right back in the biblical time of King David, and I was able to sense Michal was a real person (with feelings and faults just like us women today). She first lived a privileged life as a princess and had hopes of one day being a Queen. She had not only experienced love and joy, but also heartache and pain, and she lost everything before finally turning to God. I very much so look forward to reading "Abigail (The wives of King David Book #2)". Karen Andrews

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Jeanne
Interesting and well written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2015
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An interesting and well written take on the life of David, from Michal's perspective. The narrative winds its way through the bible stories of King David, filling the gaps with realistic possibilities. You get to feel you know the characters; and the events become more accessible. An enjoyable read. Brought this section of the bible to life for me.

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Sharon Harrold
Four Stars
Reviewed in Australia on October 23, 2014
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It was a great read.

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5.0 out of 5 stars She's Largely Unknown--But Yahweh Knew and Loved Her

4.0 out of 5 stars her name means, Rivulet

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Fact based love story with a Godly message.

5.0 out of 5 stars An insight into what life may have been like

5.0 out of 5 stars I really loved this story.

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and well written

4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars

She's Largely Unknown--But Yahweh Knew and Loved Her

her name means, Rivulet

Fact based love story with a Godly message.

An insight into what life may have been like

I really loved this story.

Interesting and well written

Four Stars