The Stones

We know more of David’s life than any other biblical person. But not nearly enough. The tangle of motives and emotions, chaos and charisma continue to kindle the imaginations of our best writers, drawing us into a story in which we see every detail of our humanity against the epic of salvation. Eleanor Gustafson is one of our best.

High-quality biblical novels are both difficult to write and to “get right.” Eleanor Gustafson brilliantly succeeds in bridging the spheres of creative imagination and historical reality. In The Stones: A Novel on the Life of King David we meet ourselves in the Bible. We, like Israel’s greatest king, are humanly complex and spiritually a “work in progress.” In this work, Gustafson skillfully takes her readers on an enlightening and absorbing journey into David’s world. Like a needle and thread, Gustafson’s well-chosen words guide her readers skillfully into the rich and colorful fabric of David’s character and the interweaving of his life’s experiences.

Few persons have a more prominent place in the Bible than David, son of Jesse. And few have captured the drama and the grief more dramatically than Eleanor K. Gustafson in The Stones: A Novel of the Life of King David. Though these events are very familiar to me after a half-century of teaching and tracing Old Testament details, I found that Gustafson’s creative, imaginative, and enjoyable approach brought David’s story to life for me all over again. I highly recommend this novel as a wonderful reading experience that will open up new vistas on life and a new portal through which to view this giant character of the Bible.

This is a massive book, not just in size but in scope and sweep. Eleanor Gustafson takes the story of David as recorded through the eyes of Asaph and brings meat and sinew to the life of David. As you read, you see David taking on passion and emotion; you begin to understand the raw brutishness of Joab and the psychosis of Saul. And that is only in the first three chapters. . . . I will never read the biblical account of the life and times of David again with it being enriched by your magnificently told story.

Wow! I just finished reading The Stones. I didn’t want it to end; found myself re-reading the preface, the printing notes—anything to keep from closing it. I am glad you persevered! It’s a wonderful book. Thank you for all the years of research, rewrites,and faithfulness to the task. I managed to make it last four days–even with work to do and a kayak to paddle.

I enjoyed The Stones very, very much. I honestly have not read a fictionalized account of the whole of David’s life as good as this was. The research was fascinating, and as a soldier, I have to say that you did a terrific job of capturing the feel of how warriors interact. I was honestly quite surprised, since (please take this the right way) you are a woman! The Stones covers David’s entire life in an epic manner. . . . I truly enjoyed the book. Very powerful.