 First edition | |
| Author | Francine Rivers |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Tyndale House Publishers |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 461 pages |
| ISBN | 0842313079 |
| Preceded by | A Voice in the Wind |
| Followed by | As Sure as the Dawn |
An Echo in the Darkness (1994) is the second novel in the Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers. [1] [2] It was awarded a RITA Award for best inspirational romance by the Romance Writers of America in 1995. [3]
The book begins where A Voice in the Wind left off, in the arena where Hadassah is thrown to the lions because her owner was jealous of her purity. A young physician, Alexander, must choose one of the mauled bodies in the arena, so that he can examine it and further his knowledge as a physician. He chooses Hadassah's, only to discover that she is alive and that the lion has struck no vital organs. [4] On a sudden impulse, Alexander saves Hadassah and nurses her back to health. Although she remains crippled, she regains the ability to walk and talk.
Meanwhile, Marcus Lucianus Valerian, believing that Hadassah is dead, tries to deal with his grief by traveling to Israel (Hadassah's homeland) and learning about Hadassah's God.
Throughout the book Hadassah's mistress, Julia Valerian contracts a fatal illness due to her sexual immoral and promiscuous behavior in her younger years, and slowly dies of a wasting disease. Hadassah, who had become Alexander's assistant, learns of her old mistress' bereavement and decides to move in with Julia and care for her until she dies. Hadassah covers her scars (and identity) with veils and heavy clothing. [5]
As she leaves Alexander, he admits his feelings for her, but she knows that he is not who she was meant to be with, and admits that she really only loves him as a brother and dear friend. As Hadassah tries to bring spiritual salvation to Julia, she finds herself feeling sorry for her and ultimately forgives Julia completely for attempting to kill her. However, she is still scared that Julia may find out her true identity.
As Julia's life nears its end, her brother Marcus returns from Israel to manage her affairs. Though Marcus accepted Christ during the time he spent in Israel, he is still extremely bitter towards his sister and unwilling to forgive her for sending Hadassah to the lions. When it is clear that Julia is about to die, Hadassah reveals her true identity to her. She tells Julia that she has forgiven her long ago and that Christ has forgiven her as well. Julia becomes a Christian and is reconciled to Hadassah. Hadassah had not realized that Marcus was listening in the whole time. He takes Julia to the garden to be baptized before she dies peacefully. He then chases after Hadassah, who had fled back to Alexander's, fearing Marcus would think her scars were ugly and reject her. Marcus finds Hadassah, grants her her freedom and the two are married. They have many children together and continue to do Christ's work as Christians are continually persecuted throughout the Empire.
In the Skin of a Lion is a novel by Canadian–Sri Lankan writer Michael Ondaatje. It was first published in 1987 by McClelland and Stewart. The novel fictionalizes the lives of the immigrants who played a large role in the building of the city of Toronto in the early 1900s, but whose contributions never became part of the city's official history. Ondaatje illuminates the investment of these settlers in Canada, through their labour, while they remain outsiders to mainstream society. In the Skin of a Lion is thus an exposé of the migrant condition: "It is a novel about the wearing and the removal of masks; the shedding of skin, the transformations and translations of identity."
Henrietta Szold was an American-born Jewish Zionist leader and founder of Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America. In 1942, she co-founded Ihud, a political party in Mandatory Palestine dedicated to a binational solution.
Cypher, is a 2002 science fiction spy-fi thriller film directed by Vincenzo Natali and written by Brian King. The film follows an accountant whose sudden career as a corporate spy takes an unexpected turn when he meets a mysterious woman, uncovering secrets about the nature of his work. The film was shown in limited release in theaters in the US and Australia, and released on DVD on August 2, 2005. The film received mixed reviews, and Northam received the Best Actor award at the Sitges Film Festival.
Audrey Roberts is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by actress Sue Nicholls. Audrey made her first appearance on 16 April 1979 and appeared on a recurring basis for three years until April 1982. She returned over two years later in July 1984, before becoming a full-time regular character from 1985.
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(Helen) Diane Glancy is an American poet, author, and playwright.
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Francine Sandra Rivers is an American author of fiction with Christian themes, including inspirational romance novels. Prior to becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Rivers wrote historical romance novels. She is best known for her inspirational novel Redeeming Love, while another novel, The Last Sin Eater, received its own film adaptation released in 2007 by Fox Faith. A film based on Redeeming Love was released on January 21, 2022 through Pinnacle Peak Pictures and Universal Pictures.
The Last Sin Eater is a 1998 Christian book by the American author Francine Rivers. It deals with the themes of sin, guilt and forgiveness, and tells about the atonement of Jesus Christ.
The Mark of the Lion series is authored by Francine Rivers and consists of three novels: A Voice in the Wind (1993), An Echo in the Darkness (1994), and As Sure as the Dawn.
Abby Hadassah Smith was an early American suffragist who campaigned for property and voting rights from Glastonbury, Connecticut. She was a subject of the book Abby Smith and Her Cows in which her sister Julia Evelina Smith told the story of a tax resistance struggle they undertook in the suffrage cause.
A Voice in the Wind (1993) is a novel by Francine Rivers, and the first book in the Mark of the Lion Series.
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The Ruling Class is a 1968 British play by Peter Barnes. The black comedy centres on Jack Arnold Alexander Tancred Gurney, the 14th Earl of Gurney and the attempts to cure him of insanity.
Sarah Bavly was a Dutch–Israeli nutritionist, educator, researcher, and author. Having immigrated from the Netherlands to British Mandatory Palestine in 1926, she became the chief dietitian for Hadassah hospitals and head of Hadassah's school lunch program. Her 1939 book Tzunatenu was a standard elementary-school textbook for nearly 30 years. She founded and directed the Institute of Nutrition Education in 1952 and was founder and dean of the College of Nutrition and Home Economics in Jerusalem from 1953 to 1965. After her retirement, she continued to engage in research and conducted periodic nutrition surveys for the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics.