*Sniffles*
Well, Francine, you've done it again. Touched my heart, made me think, inspired me... Here's my review:
1. Characters: How does Francine do it? I can always connect with her characters. Good, bad, old, young... Her characters are all real. I long for the good relationships in her novels and my heart breaks for the strained ones. She has a way of creating a diverse mix of people and lets the reader get inside of each of their heads by alternating points of view.
2. Setting: Honestly, I'm at a loss for what to write regarding the setting. All I can think about are the characters, the story and the theme of this novel. There's two primary settings for this story and neither particularly stood out to me. In fantasy novel reviews, I usually have a lot to say about world-building, but for a contemporary set in the US that is very character/situation driven, I didn't give much thought to the setting.
3. Story: Here's where I expect to see a lot of controversy regarding my review. This story focuses on Dynah, a college student attending a Christian university, who is raped one night while walking home from work and later finds that she is with child. Everyone in her life has an opinion on how the situation should be handled- from her fiance to her roommate to the dean of the school to her parents to the doctors... everyone has an opinion. Many readers (and yes, I read many reviews for this book before and after reading) claimed this was just one big pro-life piece of propaganda. Please, allow me to assure you it is not. This is a story about pain and darkness, faith and family, forgiveness and redemption. It is not an easy topic to read or discuss, and many readers have left very hateful and critical reviews across platforms such as Goodreads, bashing Francine Rivers for daring to write about this subject let alone take a clear stance on the issue of abortion. Many claim that she doesn't know what it's like to be in a situation where abortion may be the "best option" or "only option," or they claim that it's all about preserving one life and saying "who cares about the mother?" This is not that stance. I encourage anyone and everyone to read into Francine's reason for writing this novel (you can find details on her website under FAQ where she discusses inspiration for the story). She has a personal history with the subject and this novel didn't serve to reach an agenda but rather to discuss the very difficult and heartbreaking decision many young women face. This story is much less about the issue of abortion itself and more about the women (and men!) who face these decisions or are affected by them (not just in cases of rape but in general- there are other characters in the story who come at the issue from other situations as well). Like I said, this is not just pro-life propos; this is a story of grace in dark times and the weight that unexpected tragedy can bring upon people of even great faith. "Why do bad things happen to good people?" is also a major theme throughout this novel and it's a question we've all asked at some point during our lives- some of us more than once. If you have questions about the content or have read this story and would like someone to talk to about it (whether you loved or hated it), please feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me in some way!
4. Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars. All the stars. Forever all the stars for every Francine Rivers novel I ever read. I keep expecting one of her novels to come up short but, thus far, she has constantly delivered. And if you read the testimony on her website about why she writes, you'll understand why. She writes when she's searching for an answer, when she's exploring something heavy on her heart, or when she feels God is trying to reveal something to her through her characters and their journeys. There is a definite purpose behind each of her works, and it is evident when reading. I would absolutely recommend.
5. Similar reading: Below you will find two other novels by Francine Rivers that I highly recommend!! Click the covers to visit their respective Goodreads pages and add them to your tbr!
Well, Francine, you've done it again. Touched my heart, made me think, inspired me... Here's my review:
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| Click the cover to read the full synopsis on Goodreads! |
2. Setting: Honestly, I'm at a loss for what to write regarding the setting. All I can think about are the characters, the story and the theme of this novel. There's two primary settings for this story and neither particularly stood out to me. In fantasy novel reviews, I usually have a lot to say about world-building, but for a contemporary set in the US that is very character/situation driven, I didn't give much thought to the setting.
3. Story: Here's where I expect to see a lot of controversy regarding my review. This story focuses on Dynah, a college student attending a Christian university, who is raped one night while walking home from work and later finds that she is with child. Everyone in her life has an opinion on how the situation should be handled- from her fiance to her roommate to the dean of the school to her parents to the doctors... everyone has an opinion. Many readers (and yes, I read many reviews for this book before and after reading) claimed this was just one big pro-life piece of propaganda. Please, allow me to assure you it is not. This is a story about pain and darkness, faith and family, forgiveness and redemption. It is not an easy topic to read or discuss, and many readers have left very hateful and critical reviews across platforms such as Goodreads, bashing Francine Rivers for daring to write about this subject let alone take a clear stance on the issue of abortion. Many claim that she doesn't know what it's like to be in a situation where abortion may be the "best option" or "only option," or they claim that it's all about preserving one life and saying "who cares about the mother?" This is not that stance. I encourage anyone and everyone to read into Francine's reason for writing this novel (you can find details on her website under FAQ where she discusses inspiration for the story). She has a personal history with the subject and this novel didn't serve to reach an agenda but rather to discuss the very difficult and heartbreaking decision many young women face. This story is much less about the issue of abortion itself and more about the women (and men!) who face these decisions or are affected by them (not just in cases of rape but in general- there are other characters in the story who come at the issue from other situations as well). Like I said, this is not just pro-life propos; this is a story of grace in dark times and the weight that unexpected tragedy can bring upon people of even great faith. "Why do bad things happen to good people?" is also a major theme throughout this novel and it's a question we've all asked at some point during our lives- some of us more than once. If you have questions about the content or have read this story and would like someone to talk to about it (whether you loved or hated it), please feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me in some way!
4. Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars. All the stars. Forever all the stars for every Francine Rivers novel I ever read. I keep expecting one of her novels to come up short but, thus far, she has constantly delivered. And if you read the testimony on her website about why she writes, you'll understand why. She writes when she's searching for an answer, when she's exploring something heavy on her heart, or when she feels God is trying to reveal something to her through her characters and their journeys. There is a definite purpose behind each of her works, and it is evident when reading. I would absolutely recommend.
5. Similar reading: Below you will find two other novels by Francine Rivers that I highly recommend!! Click the covers to visit their respective Goodreads pages and add them to your tbr!
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