book reviews

Divine By Karen Kingsbury / Tyndale House A riveting tale of tragedy and redemption! The child of a drug-addicted mother, Mary Madison moves from a life of prostitution to juvenile detention. But her praying grandmother never stops interceding. When Mary is sent into community service at a mission center, she meets a very special man—and those prayers are answered dramatically! 400 pages, softcover from Tyndale.

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This is a book that really messed me up. And, when I say that, I mean it. This book got into my heart and head like no other book has in quite a long time. It really messed me up. It messed with my sleeping, my train of thought – you name it, this book got into it. That is because this is one powerful novel. It was a book that drew me in and kept me glued because the story is so emotionally powerful and the message is so strong and real. There are parts of this story book that are difficult to read. As Kingsbury points out in the prologue to this novel, it is difficult reading, but not graphic. There were a few times when I had to make myself shut the book for a little while so that I could regroup and keep reading. This is not a bad thing at all. Rather, it demonstrates the emotional depth in Kingsbury’s writing and the pull of the story.

This novel is a modern day telling of the story of Mary Magdalene. The lead character is Mary Madison, a prominent figure in modern day Washington, DC who has had to overcome some awful circumstances in her own life to get to where she is in her career and in her faith. The trials and sufferings Mary goes through are horrifying and disturbing, but Kingsbury’s writing style is careful and deliberate not to be graphic or violent. Readers get the general idea of what has happened to Mary without being exposed to anything gruesome. Eventually Mary finds her way back to faith and accepts salvation through the guidance of a special man in her life. Mary uses her story and her faith to reach out and help others in selfless acts of mercy and love. In this novel, she encounters a desperate young mother named Emma and through the telling of Mary’s own story, she reaches out to try to help rescue Emma from a life of drugs, abuse and self-hatred and share with her the salvation of Christ.

I can’t say enough that this book is incredibly powerful. Oftentimes in this life, I have asked “Why God?” as in why do such bad things happen, especially to innocent children? I will never have those answers here on this earth. I have absolute faith that God will bring everything back to good as only He can. This novel demonstrates that. This novel shows God’s unwavering faithfulness, even in the face of unthinkable evil. This novel also shows that even the most downtrodden amongst us can still be revived to full faithfulness by accepting the salvation of Christ.

I recommend this novel to everyone. It’s not light reading, but it’s a novel that I had a hard time putting down. It’s a novel that will touch hearts and open eyes to the beauty of God’s boundless love and salvation. If you ever get a chance, read this one. I would love to discuss more.

Like Dandelion Dust By Karen Kingsbury / Center Street In a quiet Florida town, life is idyllic for Jack and Molly Campbell and their 4-year-old son, Joey. But one day a phone call shatters their peace. A social worker reports that Joey’s biological father, newly released from prison, wants his son back. Can Jack devise a plan to circumvent a judge’s devastating decision? 256 pages, softcover from Warner Faith.

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This book was one of two that I checked out from our local library last week. I just started it on Sunday and I could hardly put it down after a couple of chapters. This is a book that captivated my heart and emotions. It’s a family drama that reveals so much about having faith. Specifically it shows just how strong the faith of a child can be.  A great read. I highly recommend it!

I usually post book reviews on the books I have read recently. Well, I got off track. So, here are some of the books I have read in the last couple of months.

Savannah by the Sea, Savannah Series #3 By Denise Hildreth / Thomas Nelson * The only constants in reporter Savannah Phillips’s life are her best friend Paige, her workplace tormenter Joshua, her steady father—and her crazed mother. In spite of that, she agrees to take a Florida vacation with her parents and enjoy some seaside “rest and relaxation” for a week. What could possibly go wrong? 320 pages, softcover from WestBow.

This was the third and final book in the Savannah series by Denise Hildreth. I really enjoyed it. The setting of Seaside, FL really made me nostalgic for the beach and the beaches along Florida’s Highway 30-A in particular. This whole series was great and I enjoyed reading every book!

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Alaska Twilight, Women of Faith Series #11 By Colleen Coble / Thomas Nelson Photographer Haley Mitchell jumps at the chance to document biologist Tank Lassiter’s work with bears in the Alaskan backwoods. She loves the Wrangell wilderness but isn’t crazy about Tank. When a doctor is found dead, Tank’s grizzlies are blamed. Can Haley and the unsociable scientist put aside their differences to find the real killer—and romance? 320 pages, softcover from Nelson.

This book had great elements of suspense, romance and faith-building. Savannah Phillips makes a cameo too. Would recommend this one as a great read!

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Be Sweet By Diann Hunt / Thomas Nelson Back home in Michigan for maple syrup season, commercial realtor Charlene jumps in to help her sister, Janni, and family with the flavorful harvest. But as Char’s old flame tries to reignite a relationship and it becomes clear that Janni is hiding a secret, can the two sisters rally to face this midlife crisis together? 320 pages, softcover from Nelson.

I thought this was a nice read. I found it a touch hard to get into at first, but overall I enjoyed it and glad I stayed with it.

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Other books I have read in the last couple of months:

Jewel by Bret Lott – This book is about Jewel Hilburn, a wife and mother in Mississippi. The story begins in 1943 when Jewel discovers she is pregnant for the last time. As the story unfolds, we learn of Jewel’s plight as a mother of a child growing up with Down’s Syndrome in a time when such a condition was very misunderstood. This book was somewhat of a slow read and was very sad in parts. Overall, I enjoyed it. I can’t say that I loved it, but it was a good read.

Marley & Me by John Grogan – This is a book that I have been intending to read for quite a long time, so I finally purchased it after Christmas. It was such a great read. A great memoir about the “world’s worst dog” who was completely loved by his family.

In the Arms of God by Lynne Hinton – I discovered this book recently at the library and checked it out not knowing much about it. To me, it was well written, but the story left me feeling sad. In the beginning, we learn that Alice (the narrator) was abandoned by her mother Olivia at the age of four. Olivia meets and reunites with Alice and Alice’s daughter just before Olivia passes away. After Olivia’s passing, Alice learns more about her mother’s life and the events that lead Olivia to eventually abandon Alice. Olivia’s story was moving, dark and sad. I didn’t come away from this book feeling uplifted as I would have hoped. But, I guess that all books cannot and should not be that way. The writing style was excellent, but I didn’t enjoy the book much overall, unfortunately.

Savannah Comes Undone, Savannah Series #2 By Denise Hildreth / Thomas Nelson When Savannah’s “drama queen” mother chains herself to a town landmark and becomes the lead story on the six o’clock news, Savannah takes it like a southern lady—and that “ain’t” sitting down! Fans of Savannah from Savannah will rejoice to see this hilarious heroine back in another laugh-out-loud romantic adventure. 320 pages, softcover from WestBow.

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This is the second book in Denise Hildreth’s “Savannah” series. In the first novel, Savannah from Savannah, we meet Savannah Phillips and her family and get to know Savannah more through her move back home from college and her starting a new job at a newspaper in Savannah, GA. At the end of that novel, we learn that Savannah’s mother, Victoria, has done something huge, something quite drastic and we are left with Savannah rushing to the scene of her mother’s created chaos. Savannah Comes Undone seamlessly picks right up where Savannah from Savannah ended.

In this novel, we follow Savannah through her own journey as she deals with her mother having chained herself to a monument of the Ten Commandments. We first find Savannah’s thought process to be petty and self-serving and as the novel develops so does the depth of her character.  Along the way she meets a unique stranger named Joy whose presence is initially off-putting to Savannah, but eventually becomes a comfort and a source of, well, joy. Eventually Savannah realizes what is important and it’s NOT all about her.

This novel is rich in character development. I also appreciate the way Hildreth sets the scene and takes us right into the heart of Savannah, Georgia. As a fan of Southern literature, I’m also appreciative of the fact that Southern dialect is appropriately interjected, but without overkill or gross exaggeration. This novel continued right from the first book with no interuption which I found to be refreshing and engaging.

I’m a fan of Denise Hildreth and I am so glad to have finally started on this wonderful series. I might be a few years late to the Savannah party, but I’m here now and I’m eager to move right along to the next and final installment in this wonderful series, Savannah by the Sea.

Savannah from Savannah, Savannah Series #1 By Denise Hildreth / Thomas Nelson When 24 year old Savannah learns her mother-a cross between Scarlett O’Hara and Martha Stewart-is behind her recent triumph in a fiction contest, she abandons her dreams of literary fame and decides to pursue journalism instead. Her first assignment for the local paper? Investigating a rigged beauty pageant.

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I have become a big fan of Denise Hildreth since reading The Will of Wisteria and Flies on the Butter, so I knew that I needed to check out her Savannah series as well. I am happy to report that I have now started the Savannah series and I am loving it! This first installation has me hooked and ready for more!!

In this novel, we meet Savannah Phillips – aka Savannah from Savannah. She has just finished her studies at the University of Georgia and makes a rash (at the time) decision to return to her home in Savannah, Georgia. It is in going back home that Savannah starts to learn to relate better to those around her. Throughout the novel, she realizes her own strengths and weaknesses of character and learns to appreciate those in others as well.

The way Denise Hildreth writes, her characters come to life. Savannah truly seems as if she could be any one of a number of people I have known all my life. She’s real and readers can relate to her. She’s not perfect and has her quirks, but is endearing all the same.

I enjoyed this novel from cover to cover. Can’t wait for the remaining two novels in this series!