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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
One of the best books I have read this year! It takes you on a journey to see the amazing love God has for us and also that we have for each other. This book is so well written and keeps you wrapped in the story.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I just love this story so much. I watched the movie first, and while I still like the movie more this is really good! Imthe book has good additions to that story that make the characters stories more impactful. I'm about to watch the movie again haha.
emotional
hopeful
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
I put off reading this book for years because I started with the prologue and after a few pages couldn’t bear the darkness of it. Decided to finally pick it up again and jump into chapter 1 and I’m glad I did. Such a powerful story of God’s redeeming love. It was an emotional roller coaster of a journey but worth it in the end. Ten ten recommend.
A childhood friend of mine and I used to read all of Lori Wick's books when we were younger. We were especially into the Kensington Chronicles. After reading this book she insisted that it was even better than The Hawk and the Jewel (our favorite) and that it was a truly great read. It took me about 10 years to get around to reading it, and now I feel like I could have gone on without experiencing it. As essentially a cheesy Christian bodice ripper, it isn't as bad as it could have been. The writing is sophomoric, but not any worse than a Dan Brown novel and the story is engaging. However, as one would expect there's not a whole lot of feminist self reliance in this one. I found myself a little exhausted with the main character after her third "escape" from her hopelessly devoted husband.
One of the best books I have ever read! I loved it from cover to cover. It is one of those books that is very hard to review- all I can say is that it is MUST read!!!
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
While the overall story had a powerful message, some of the issues really bothered me and detracted from the message.
Angel struggles with trusting and accepting Michael's love. It's not something she could ever do to earn. Throughout the story, she is calculating how much she receives so she can make sure to pay it back. When she decides to stay, she works and toils to make up for it. But Michael doesn't want her to toil, he wants her to love him.
This is such a good picture of how we have such a hard time trusting God and His love for us. We work for Him without falling in love with Him. He doesn't want us to strive, He wants us to abide.
Now for the things that don't work:
-Michael marries Angel when she is basically unconscious. Marrying her under duress like that is not ok!!!! And it sets the rest of the story on a really rocky foundation. It doesn't make sense later when Michael is mad that she is going back to being a prostitute. She never really agreed to be faithful to Him and she was never interested in changing her ways. And then it's frustrating that Michael is frustrated with her for treating him like she does instead of gently wooing her and understanding that change takes time.
-Early in the book, Michael says something like "I won't have sex with you until it means more to you than just work." But then... HE DOES! What the heck? He doesn't wait until she loves him. He doesn't wait until she actually wants it. He says something like, "I want to show you that sex can be a celebration of love." And then has sex with her.
-I felt like a lot of horrible things happened to Angel literally just for shock value.
-Paul, the brother in-law, was a major issue. Everything with him was poorly written. He uses his position of power when they were riding to Pair-A-Dice to have sex with Angel (to me, that's borderline rape). And then he seethes with hatred for her almost the rest of the book. But Michael just forgives him and expects Angel to forgive him? That's not ok. What about boundaries? What about repentance? What about righteous anger that this man took advantage his wife? And later on, Michael suggests that Miriam and Paul should marry. Absolutely not. And when Miriam does marry him, no one informs her that Paul had had sex with her friend, Angel. That's something Miriam should have a right to know before marrying him. And at the end, his change of heart comes about way too easily and quickly. He doesn't really repent. The whole Paul situation was just bad!
-I did not like the ending. In this story, Angel was barren. It was a key part of redeeming love that Michael wanted a life with her even though she could never give him children. But then at the end, she gets pregnant and has so many kids. I get that it is supposed to be a miracle, but it takes away from the powerful message. That God loves us and chooses us despite what we could never give Him.
I was very engaged for the first fourth of the book, but the issues just became more glaring over time. 2 out of 5.
Angel struggles with trusting and accepting Michael's love. It's not something she could ever do to earn. Throughout the story, she is calculating how much she receives so she can make sure to pay it back. When she decides to stay, she works and toils to make up for it. But Michael doesn't want her to toil, he wants her to love him.
This is such a good picture of how we have such a hard time trusting God and His love for us. We work for Him without falling in love with Him. He doesn't want us to strive, He wants us to abide.
Now for the things that don't work:
-Michael marries Angel when she is basically unconscious. Marrying her under duress like that is not ok!!!! And it sets the rest of the story on a really rocky foundation. It doesn't make sense later when Michael is mad that she is going back to being a prostitute. She never really agreed to be faithful to Him and she was never interested in changing her ways. And then it's frustrating that Michael is frustrated with her for treating him like she does instead of gently wooing her and understanding that change takes time.
-Early in the book, Michael says something like "I won't have sex with you until it means more to you than just work." But then... HE DOES! What the heck? He doesn't wait until she loves him. He doesn't wait until she actually wants it. He says something like, "I want to show you that sex can be a celebration of love." And then has sex with her.
-I felt like a lot of horrible things happened to Angel literally just for shock value.
-Paul, the brother in-law, was a major issue. Everything with him was poorly written. He uses his position of power when they were riding to Pair-A-Dice to have sex with Angel (to me, that's borderline rape). And then he seethes with hatred for her almost the rest of the book. But Michael just forgives him and expects Angel to forgive him? That's not ok. What about boundaries? What about repentance? What about righteous anger that this man took advantage his wife? And later on, Michael suggests that Miriam and Paul should marry. Absolutely not. And when Miriam does marry him, no one informs her that Paul had had sex with her friend, Angel. That's something Miriam should have a right to know before marrying him. And at the end, his change of heart comes about way too easily and quickly. He doesn't really repent. The whole Paul situation was just bad!
-I did not like the ending. In this story, Angel was barren. It was a key part of redeeming love that Michael wanted a life with her even though she could never give him children. But then at the end, she gets pregnant and has so many kids. I get that it is supposed to be a miracle, but it takes away from the powerful message. That God loves us and chooses us despite what we could never give Him.
I was very engaged for the first fourth of the book, but the issues just became more glaring over time. 2 out of 5.
There were many things wrong with this book.
You don’t force a woman to say your name when have sex because you want her to acknowledge that she’s starting to feel something for you.
I don’t care if it wasn’t a typical rape scene - it was one.
You don’t get to just forgive someone sleeping with your wife and think they are a good man still.
Gentle as doves, wise as serpents.
I stopped when I found out that Paul and Miriam get married.
Somethings you don’t forgive.
Their are consequences.
The whole point of this book was to point a finger of sainthood at something that deep inside me I KNOW is wrong. They are saying it is the whole point of grace. They are saying Christ wants us to forgive. That I’m a bad Christian for the voice that is screaming inside me.
I feel alone. Like I’m at the bottom of a pit yelling out, but no one would believe in what I’m saying because it doesn’t fit with what they think right and wrong is. And it is all wrapped up in Gospel truths, so how could it be wrong? Doesn’t everyone deserve second chances?
No. They don’t.
To say otherwise is to twist Christ into something just as dark and dangerous as to say all sinners deserve hell.
But what about Angel?
That’s different.
Oh really? How?
It is.
But she-
It just is!
I wish I had never read this book.
You don’t force a woman to say your name when have sex because you want her to acknowledge that she’s starting to feel something for you.
I don’t care if it wasn’t a typical rape scene - it was one.
You don’t get to just forgive someone sleeping with your wife and think they are a good man still.
Gentle as doves, wise as serpents.
I stopped when I found out that Paul and Miriam get married.
Somethings you don’t forgive.
Their are consequences.
The whole point of this book was to point a finger of sainthood at something that deep inside me I KNOW is wrong. They are saying it is the whole point of grace. They are saying Christ wants us to forgive. That I’m a bad Christian for the voice that is screaming inside me.
I feel alone. Like I’m at the bottom of a pit yelling out, but no one would believe in what I’m saying because it doesn’t fit with what they think right and wrong is. And it is all wrapped up in Gospel truths, so how could it be wrong? Doesn’t everyone deserve second chances?
No. They don’t.
To say otherwise is to twist Christ into something just as dark and dangerous as to say all sinners deserve hell.
But what about Angel?
That’s different.
Oh really? How?
It is.
But she-
It just is!
I wish I had never read this book.
Absolutely phenomenal story depicting God's love for His people, in this retelling of the Biblical story of Hosea and his wife Gomer. A beautiful description of what love should be, and how marriages are a covenant between husband and wife, and required honesty, sacrifice, and a focus on God. 1000% recommended.