Priscilla and Aquila will experience love and untold challenges in marriage, and not only for matrimonial reasons. They'll join others in the forging of a new way of faith in a Roman world in Priscilla and Aquila, a novel by Lois T. Henderson and Harold Ivan Smith.

I've enjoyed other novels by the late Henderson about biblical figures, namely, Miriam, Ruth, and Abigail--whose stories are rather popular material for fictional retellings. I think it's safe to say that novels about Priscilla and Aquila are on the much rarer side, which may be what I appreciate most about this novel.

I also like how the man/woman and husband/wife relationships are not "copy and pasted" here: copied from the twentieth century the book was written in and pasted into 48-54 A.D. The characters don't just automatically "get" how to handle the gradual shifts in gender roles in the early Church, but both the men and the women have to grapple with new ideas.

The book became a bit dull to me at some points after Priscilla and Aquila's exit from Rome. It's as if the plot isn't quite sure what to do with itself at times. Upon the arrival of the apostle Paul and the telling of his story, Priscilla and Aquila (especially Aquila) seem to fade somewhat into the background. Aquila becomes a more minor figure toward the end, cutting his character development short. Paul essentially takes over the story's leading role opposite Priscilla.

This was Henderson's final novel. It's apparent that she passed before it was published, and maybe before she'd finished writing it, since this particular novel of hers has a co-author. This could be one explanation for the disjointed feel of the plot toward the end. The rather last-minute characters like Faltius and Demetrius didn't interest or evoke much feeling in me, as they show up when the novel is ready to wrap up.

Yet, all in all, it was an enjoyable read for me, one that other Biblical Fiction readers may think worthy of seeking out. ( )

I appreciated how the man/woman and husband/wife relationships were not "cut and pasted"--cut out of the 20th Century the book was written in and pasted into 48-54 A.D. The characters didn't just automatically "get" how to handle the gradual shifts in gender roles in the early Church, but both the men and the women had to grapple with new ideas. Priscilla and Aquila had to put some extra effort into making their marriage work as believers and ministers of the Gospel.

The book became a bit dull to me at some points after Priscilla and Aquila left Rome, like the plot wasn't quite sure what to do with itself at times. Upon the arrival of Paul and the telling of his story, Priscilla and Aquila (especially Aquila) seemed to fade somewhat into the background. Aquila became a more minor figure toward the end; his development as a character was cut short. I still saw him do and say some things, but what happened to the insight concerning what was taking place in his mind, how he was changing inwardly? Paul essentially seemed to take over the story's leading role opposite Priscilla.

This was Lois Henderson's final novel. It's apparent that she passed before it was published, and likely before she'd finished writing it, as Harold Ivan Smith is its co-author. This could be one explanation for the disjointed feel of the plot toward the end. The rather last-minute characters like Faltius and Demetrius didn't interest or evoke much feeling in me, as they showed up when the novel was ready to wrap up.

Yet, all in all, it was an enjoyable read for me, my fourth from Henderson. ( )