Reviews with content warning for Incest - Redeeming Love

Pros: You’ll read this book in a flash.

Cons: I felt like I was reading a dated or just not-my-speed version of Christianity.

There should be tons of content warnings for this book - incest, rape, infertility, etc.

I wished that in the end Sarah had stayed in San Francisco helping others find a better path (one that they freely chose for themselves, unlike Sarah, whose decision was made for her - even if Michael wants to say she was “free” the whole time). She seemed so purpose driven there - loved that for her.

Ultimately, everyone finds God through a different path - I just didn’t like that the first 3/4 of the book felt like the wrong way to evangelize.

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lizzy_hatesreading's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Book was unnecessarily long. But, the reaction ( positive or negative) is strong. It’s brings emotion out.

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cathrynlmiller's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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allisonshewfelt's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Francine Rivers has crafted such a beautiful and inspiring work of art. I really can't wrap my head around how this romance is unlike anything I've ever read. In redeeming love we follow Angel and Michael. Angel is sold into prostitution at 8 years old and it's all she knows. She despises it but is stuck there and can't do anything about it but she also puts on a mask of feeling when in reality her work has erased every part and emotion of her. Then we meet Michael, a Christian farmer who asks God for a wife. Not coincidentally he spots Angel and God tells him that he must rescue her from this life and teach her how to love.

This book is really deep and has a lot of trigger warnings but it's really powerful. It's a perfect example of how God's unending love can redeem anyone no matter how dire their sins are. Love can overwhelm any evil or darkness and always results in pure happiness.

Angel does run back to her life a few times because of her demons and she's confused on why someone like Michael is rescuing her. She had deep feelings of unworthiness and shame. Michael goes back for her twice similar to how God always comes back for us and forgives us no matter how bad the situation is. It also shows that you really need someone that knows how to forgive multiple times because I don't think she would have changed if he hadn't gone back for her.

My favorite scene is when Angel leaves him for the third time, not because she's confused but because Michael wants children and unfortunately, she can't have them. She runs away in the best interest of him which really shows how she's grown to love his good natured demeanor. I also love her interactions with the Altman family especially the children. Once Angel realizes no one's going to hurt her anymore and all Michael wants to do is love her, her personality really comes out and she's so sweet and silly. I love her and Michael so much.

I think some people gave this one star because of all the heavy topics but keep in mind this is based off a book in the bible and, unfortunately, there was a lot of prostitution during that time so I think the book is just trying to be as realistic as possible to portray the true message and I think she really wanted to show the dirtiness of sin. I didn't mind the sex scenes between Michael and Angel. I'm not sure why people had a problem with it because usually when you get married you copulate your marriage and married couples in general have sex. It's not bad and it's a gift from God.

The movie was soo good. It portrayed the intensity of the book very well as this is very intense for a christian book. The casting was amazing for Angel and Michael. Even though the movie is heavier there was still some moments of laughter. I still recommend it even if you're not Christian. If you're going to read any book from my reviews, please read this one. It's so impactful and really worth the read.

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