I actually picked up with book with a hint of hesitation. I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like, but I’ve never read a great book about a great book. However, I was quite pleasantly surprised. Matt Litton does an excellent job of drawing various lessons and parables out of Lee Harper’s classic novel. He breaks down everything from racism to environmental care to poverty. The book was incredible. It offered excellent insights and showed that the author really did have a strong grasp on the book. You could tell through the reading that Litton is passionate about the novel. I’ve gained new respect for the character of Atticus Finch and this book made me want to go re-read the book. I would highly recommend you go read this book if you’re a fan of the original or if you want some excellent Christian examples in classic literature.
Also, according to the law I’m supposed to let you know that I received this book for free to review. However, in no way has that impacted my review, I wrote honestly and openly about what I thought of the book.
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
026 - The Lovely Bones
The Lovely Bones, a book about a 14 year old girl who is raped and murdered and her family’s (and loved ones’) inability to continue living without her. This is a rather odd story that is very melancholic. The girl is in her “heaven” watching her family and longing to be back with them. With this image of heaven, it would explain why her presence there was so lonely and her parents’ inability to move on without her.
The killer was weaved in and out of the story but never caught, leaving him free to continue killing. At one point, the book seemed to imply he was interested in the dead girls’ sister but that thread in the plot dropped off immediately after it was introduced. I felt the father was admirable in his pursuit of the killer. Although, it was sad that he didn’t have a belief in God and heaven so that he could find peace with his daughter’s death.
The dead girl’s mother has an affair with the police lieutenant and then moves to California but the book didn’t seem to make a clear reason for this. In the beginning, it seemed to be due to reasons that had nothing to do with the girls’ death but later it hints that her reasons were due to the death or the reaction of the father to the death. It was very unclear. At the end, the dead girl’s ghost comes back and while in her friend’s body was able to have sex with the boyfriend she had at the time of her death. Apparently, neither she nor the boyfriend were able to move on with their “lives” until this happened. It is hard to imagine that a 14 year old boy could not move on to another love in the course of 8 or 9 years in which this story took place. And earlier in the story, her sister has extramarital sex at the age of 14 but grows up to live happily ever after with this boyfriend. This romanticizes extramarital sex and gives unrealistic notions to any young reader. The author uses sex to solve everyone’s problems or maybe she intended for it to just cure everyone’s loneliness. From a Christian view, the author’s use of sex was shallow and definitely not the answers to seek during the times of losing a loved one(s).
This book was at one time a “#1 bestseller” and is described as “succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.” I don’t see that. Overall, I was disappointed with the weak plot, disappointing ending, and lack of Christian values.
Submitted by - K. Wynn
The killer was weaved in and out of the story but never caught, leaving him free to continue killing. At one point, the book seemed to imply he was interested in the dead girls’ sister but that thread in the plot dropped off immediately after it was introduced. I felt the father was admirable in his pursuit of the killer. Although, it was sad that he didn’t have a belief in God and heaven so that he could find peace with his daughter’s death.
The dead girl’s mother has an affair with the police lieutenant and then moves to California but the book didn’t seem to make a clear reason for this. In the beginning, it seemed to be due to reasons that had nothing to do with the girls’ death but later it hints that her reasons were due to the death or the reaction of the father to the death. It was very unclear. At the end, the dead girl’s ghost comes back and while in her friend’s body was able to have sex with the boyfriend she had at the time of her death. Apparently, neither she nor the boyfriend were able to move on with their “lives” until this happened. It is hard to imagine that a 14 year old boy could not move on to another love in the course of 8 or 9 years in which this story took place. And earlier in the story, her sister has extramarital sex at the age of 14 but grows up to live happily ever after with this boyfriend. This romanticizes extramarital sex and gives unrealistic notions to any young reader. The author uses sex to solve everyone’s problems or maybe she intended for it to just cure everyone’s loneliness. From a Christian view, the author’s use of sex was shallow and definitely not the answers to seek during the times of losing a loved one(s).
This book was at one time a “#1 bestseller” and is described as “succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.” I don’t see that. Overall, I was disappointed with the weak plot, disappointing ending, and lack of Christian values.
Submitted by - K. Wynn
023 - Prince of Tides
This is a story of childhood abuse, a dysfunctional family and how the damage is carried into adulthood. The family insists that nothing wrong happened and everything in life is as it should be. It is also a story of a mother whose ambition in life is to become apart of the elite group in the community, even though this means putting aside her family’s needs. Maintaining family secrets are essential to her successful inclusion into society.
And it is a story of a sister and two brothers who bond together against these odds. Their struggles in life are stifling at times but they always have each other to carry them through. Although, their untold stories inhibits them from healing. The sister suffers from schizophrenia with her childhood revisiting her in the form of demons and hallucinations. The brother takes from life what is good and precious to him, only to be cheated of it by his mother’s pursuit of elitism. The brother (“The Prince of Tides”) loses his life in the struggle, breaking the bond that kept the three siblings strong. At this point, the remaining brother and sister begin losing their battle with life. It takes the telling of the family story by the remaining brother to allow the family to heal, where it was not possible before. The brother telling the story has felt that his past is behind him and has no impact on his current adult life. As he tells the story to save his sister, he learns it has influenced his life and the wrongs it has made in his life, thereby saving him, as well as his sister.
I felt this book was an incredible tale of tragedy and its effects on three bonded siblings. They dealt with their tragedy in different ways although none of their ways could save them. One sibling fought out and lost his life, the next gave up hers. The last sibling who had chosen to ignore it all was forced to face the issues in order to save his sister and his self.
Sometimes Christians mistakenly think that to “forgive and forget” means to put aside any ills without future consideration or assessment of its impact on our lives. To “dwell” on something means you are unwilling to forgive and thereby disobeying God. But this kind of thinking often inhibits healing. I believe God wants us to explore our true feelings, not ignore them. By working through past issues, we can move on to the future. Working through our misgivings gives us the power to truly forgive. And forgiving is not forgetting. To forget would not allow us to move forward from our problems. It would also not allow us to see the awesome things God can bring out of our tragedies. If there had been a “Prince of Tides 2”, I believe it would have been a wonderful story of the growth and freedom the brother and sister gained and the new life God gave them.
And it is a story of a sister and two brothers who bond together against these odds. Their struggles in life are stifling at times but they always have each other to carry them through. Although, their untold stories inhibits them from healing. The sister suffers from schizophrenia with her childhood revisiting her in the form of demons and hallucinations. The brother takes from life what is good and precious to him, only to be cheated of it by his mother’s pursuit of elitism. The brother (“The Prince of Tides”) loses his life in the struggle, breaking the bond that kept the three siblings strong. At this point, the remaining brother and sister begin losing their battle with life. It takes the telling of the family story by the remaining brother to allow the family to heal, where it was not possible before. The brother telling the story has felt that his past is behind him and has no impact on his current adult life. As he tells the story to save his sister, he learns it has influenced his life and the wrongs it has made in his life, thereby saving him, as well as his sister.
I felt this book was an incredible tale of tragedy and its effects on three bonded siblings. They dealt with their tragedy in different ways although none of their ways could save them. One sibling fought out and lost his life, the next gave up hers. The last sibling who had chosen to ignore it all was forced to face the issues in order to save his sister and his self.
Sometimes Christians mistakenly think that to “forgive and forget” means to put aside any ills without future consideration or assessment of its impact on our lives. To “dwell” on something means you are unwilling to forgive and thereby disobeying God. But this kind of thinking often inhibits healing. I believe God wants us to explore our true feelings, not ignore them. By working through past issues, we can move on to the future. Working through our misgivings gives us the power to truly forgive. And forgiving is not forgetting. To forget would not allow us to move forward from our problems. It would also not allow us to see the awesome things God can bring out of our tragedies. If there had been a “Prince of Tides 2”, I believe it would have been a wonderful story of the growth and freedom the brother and sister gained and the new life God gave them.
Submitted by - Kathrine Wynn
007 - The Testament
This story was inspirational in such a way as I did not expect from John Grisham. I have only read one other book by Grisham, but so far this one stands head and shoulders above it and the reputations of his additional ones. I was captivated by several elements. The opening chapter was one of the most exciting beginnings of a book I have ever encountered. Grisham had my heart from page one.
Additionally, I did not expect so many spiritual aspects in a John Grisham novel. I felt like I was reading a Christian novel, except it was really good. He tackles the issue of greed and pierces the hearts of his American readers.
Grisham does a great job of painting a picture of what the love of money can do to a person. His characters are highly developed and their financially destructive behaviors are portrayed brilliantly. Your stomach turns sick as you encounter the wastefulness of the rich in opposition to the hunger and disease of the poor. These irresponsible spenders are contrasted against the selfless Christian missionary. Worldviews and morals clash in this adventurous journey toward the eternal.
Additionally, I did not expect so many spiritual aspects in a John Grisham novel. I felt like I was reading a Christian novel, except it was really good. He tackles the issue of greed and pierces the hearts of his American readers.
Grisham does a great job of painting a picture of what the love of money can do to a person. His characters are highly developed and their financially destructive behaviors are portrayed brilliantly. Your stomach turns sick as you encounter the wastefulness of the rich in opposition to the hunger and disease of the poor. These irresponsible spenders are contrasted against the selfless Christian missionary. Worldviews and morals clash in this adventurous journey toward the eternal.
006 -The DaVinci Code
Intriguing! Dan Brown is a very captivating writer. The plot is thick, deep, and dripping with mystery. I was glued to every page. The level of intelligence and creativity that he possesses in his writing is obvious and what makes the story worth reading.
Yet the book is also loaded with false history. Dan creates his own facts based on real historical events to fit the plot of his fictional story. The problem with this is that the average reader does not know what to take as real historical fact and created fact. Even in fictional stories, you expect plot points based on facts to be true. That is what makes a story realistic and even more exciting to read. Yet the way Dan creates his own facts makes the story more closely comparable to a science fiction novel than any other type of novel. The facts were created to sound realistic but anyone educated in world history or church history would find these things to be false. Yet his created facts are what makes the story exciting! And exciting it is!
He is a fascinating author, and I do recommend this book. But I also recommend that it be coupled with a church history book or other historical records. Indulge in the fantastic twists and turns of this fantasy novel but do not let the conspiracy theories get the best of your educated brain.
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