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Christian Novel Review

Having always been an avid reader, since becoming a Christian I have found a wealth of reading material in Christian bookshops and in various second hand bookshops. I have found that in Christian novels one often finds truths that help in one’s Christian walk. I enjoy reading about how the various characters deal with life, and I also find I am the richer for reading a really good Christian novel. Certain authors, through their books, give you a real insight into their joys and struggles, which I find very interesting. The books which I am going to review are those which I have really enjoyed, and have read at least twice – some books, for example the “Mark of the Lion “ series by Francine Rivers, I have read at least five times each. The first books that I am going to talk about are the latest two novels by Francine Rivers,


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Friday 28 October 2016

WHERE SHE BELONGS by JOHNNIE ALEXANDER

In WHERE SHE BELONGS, JOHNNIE ALEXANDER shows us what really is important in life.
Shelby Kincaid is the daughter of missionaries and has never felt that she really belonged anywhere, excepting at Misty Willow, when she stayed there with her grandparents. Her grandparents had a strong marriage and she wants the same for herself. Recently widowed, she takes her two little girls and goes back to the place that was "stolen" from her grandparents by Sully Sullivan, to make a new life there.
AJ Sullivan doesn't feel the same way about Misty Willow, however, having been left the place by his unkind and unscrupulous grandfather. His grandparents' marriage was anything but idyllic, and neither was that of his parents. He shared a loving grandmother, Joyanna, with his worldly cousins, Brett and Amy. She had a lot to do with the three of them while they were growing up and was sad that the cousins didn't get on. When she died, AJ lost his sense of belonging, as she was the only real stability in his life.
These two unlikely people are drawn together by circumstance and an overlapping history. We follow their story, told against the backdrop of a small and caring community, as they learn to forgive, to love unconditionally, and to discern what really is important in life.
As they cling to the promises God has given them, we are made party to their struggles. It is a beautifully written story with a strong Christian message. I am reading the second novel in the MISTY WILLOW series, which I know I am going to enjoy as well.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tuesday 11 October 2016

FOR SUCH A TIME by KATE BRESLIN

I have just finished reading FOR SUCH A TIME by KATE BRESLIN and all I can say is WOW! What an incredible book - I literally couldn't put it down!
The novel follows closely the biblical story of Esther and takes place towards the end of the Second World War in and around a prisoner of war camp in Czechoslovakia called Theresienstadt.
Whilst the Author has made no effort to sugarcoat the atrocities of war, and anti Semitism in particular, there is such a message of hope and salvation throughout. We are reminded of the truth of God's Word and His promises to His people. We see incredible courage in the face of horrific adversity.
This novel is one I will read again and that I put "up there" as one of the best books I have read.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sunday 9 October 2016

WAVES OF MERCY by LYNN AUSTIN

I have been eagerly waiting for WAVES OF MERCY, LYNN AUSTIN's latest novel, and I have definitely not been disappointed!
It is a story that spans a generation, and when it starts we meet Anna, a wealthy young woman from Chicago who has come to Holland with her mother, hoping to get over a broken engagement. Her fiancé forbids her to attend a church which he feels is full of fanatics and undesirable characters who are making her crazy! However, she cannot keep away and does go back, drawn by the loving God who the preacher obviously knows personally. This church is not fashionable like the dead church that she and William attend with their parents, where God is portrayed as a cold and authoritarian figure.
We meet Geesje, an elderly Dutch woman, who came from Holland to settle in the Holland area fifty years ago with her parents and other members of the Separitist church. They had been badly treated by the government church and left for a new life in America, where they would be able to worship the Lord as they chose.
To put it mildly, they didn't have an easy time of it, and Geesje is very honest when she writes about it all. Her parents never seem to lose faith in the God they serve with their whole heart, but Geesje really battles at times. The novel is full of Scriptures whose truth is well brought out in the story. We get the strong assurance that, no matter what happens, absolutely nothing can ever separate us from the love of God!
Journeys by ship play an important part in this novel. Anna is terrified of boats because of a recurring nightmare she has had since she was a little girl, which becomes more vivid after a rough voyage across the lake from Chicago.
Anna is a lonely young woman. She has a lot of questions about God and life in general and knows she won't get any answers from the people she mixes with in the privileged life she leads. That is why she keeps going back to the "castle" church, and also why she risks her mother's and William's displeasure by making friends with Derk. Derk is a seminary student who is working at the hotel she is staying in, mostly taking tourists sailing on the lake.
Anna is adopted and feels rejected by her birth parents. There is a mystery about her birth mother that she is determined to find out about, even though she loves her adoptive parents dearly.
I really cannot recommend this novel highly enough. It is a heartwarming story that is hard to put down. The Author makes you feel the characters' joys and heartaches. It is also full of biblical truth.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Tuesday 4 October 2016

CROSSROADS BY IRENE HANNON

CROSSROADS by IRENE HANNON is a really good read. Not only is it full of Christian truth, but the story is very relevant to life today. 
Tess Lockwood is a single mother who has moved to a new town in order to start afresh after an abusive relationship with her ex husband. She has a new job, which takes up a lot of her time, and she feels guilty for not spending as much time as she used to with her teenage son, Bruce. 
Since moving to a new neighbourhood and a new school, Bruce has changed. Because he wants to belong, he is moving with the wrong crowd. 
Added to Tess's lack of self confidence, which is the result of her husband's attitude towards her and their son, she feels that she is a terrible mother and a total loser.
Mitch Jackson is the school principal. He feels terribly guilty for something that happened in the past when he was a law enforcement officer. Because of this he became a teacher, wanting to guide young people into making right choices, to keep them away from involvement with drugs and crime. He works long hours, has no social life, and the only person to whom he has ever opened up is his uncle.
It is not only Bruce that is at a crossroad in his life. 
This is a beautifully told story of second chances, of making choices, of redemption and deliverance. I highly recommend this novel.