Reviews

Revival Season by Monica West

like_walter's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

comradecozy's review

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4.0

Monica West debuts with a triumphant and heartbreaking look at a Southern Baptist family taking on small towns for a spiritual Revival Season. West explores the complicated dynamic of religion, family, and secrets within both.

Miriam Horton is a fifteen-year-old going through every summer's Revival Season with her family. Her father, Samuel Horton, is one of the South's most famous preachers, famed for his healing abilities. During a revival service, Miriam's faith is tested in multiple ways, after seeing her father in an ungodly light.

The facade that her parents had presented to everyone, including their children begins to slip and crack, showing Miriam things that were hidden from view. This shatters her perception of her father as a holy man.

Her faith is then shaken by the revelation that she might possess the power to heal, a power the church has made clear was only bestowed to men.

Revival Season follows Miriam during this year, through her doubt, triumphs, and the decision that will ultimately decide her fate in the Horton household.

kiki_reads07's review

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3.0

3.5 stars

lunaseline's review

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3.0

Vilken udda bok att välja av just mig. Senast häromdagen gnällde jag om hur alla deckarförfattare faller tillbaka på sekt-grejen för att förklara hemskheter, och därtill har jag noll förståelse för eller känslor av igenkänning när det gäller organiserad religion.
Men nån sa i en tidning att det var hens favorit - och så var ju omslaget fint...?
Boken är också fin. Jag står fast vid noll förståelse/igenkänning, men fattar ändå snabbt tycke för både Miriam och hennes mamma. West målar i små och enkla penseldrag upp en levande värld, som egentligen inte är särskilt intressant, men som ändå... drar in mig.
Hade pappan inte varit så endimensionell, och hade inte historien saknat det där riktigt starka känslorna som jag ändå jagar så hade det varit en given fyra. Nu hamnar det - förvånansvärt nog - på en riktigt stark trea.

dailydwelling's review against another edition

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

4.0

khopeisz's review

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2.0

Oh boy….i am conflicted as I do not want to speak unkindly. But here goes: 

I was held captive by the experience of reading this book. Perhaps because it read like narrative summary, a real Tell-not-Show run down of events. As a writer reading this book, I felt like I was reading the long summary of a novel and not the novel itself. We are trapped in Miriam’s head, which would have been fine had the narrative voice reflected a fifteen year olds. I did not believe the internal struggle Miriam was experiencing. I kept being told of the struggle but the narrative never slowed down to show it to me.

Another point to the writing: there were some very beautiful descriptions, and then there were others that just felt like placeholders. I’m trying to be kinder when I read, but I maybe should have put the book down at the mere mention of “orbs” in the first or second chapter.

Now to the plot: I was engaged. We had a villain, Papa. And I wanted nothing but pain and suffering to come to him. This is all that needed to happen to make this book worthwhile to me. Did we get that? No. We get the most unsatisfactory cop out of a nonending. I do not care if the ending is supposed to depict some sort of realism; where was this realism when the universe of the book accepted that Miriam could actually heal people?! Where was this realism when the universe of the book allowed for Papa to roam free despite having publicly assaulted a pregnant woman?!?! How did he not go to jail for that? Who was that woman? My head cannon says that that’s his mistress but why am I filling in these gaps with my own imagination, since this was never even implied!! 

Another note to the plot: writing about domestic abuse is tricky. This is going to sound insensitive and I apologize, but domestic abuse is narratively unsatisfactory when the abuser does not get his comeuppance, or his victims do not get their freedom. Furthermore, I understand the mentality of staying with an abuser, as I have been in that position. But unless your victims have been thoroughly humanized, the reader is going to be judgmental toward Ma for sacrificing Miriam to Papa and also absconding in the middle of the night WITHOUT HER KIDS. I am told she feels sorry and apologizes for that. But what about her as the caring mother she has proven to be would lead her to sacrifice and think about deserting her kids like that??? I’m not arguing that she shouldn’t have done it. I want to be shown more as to why. I felt no human connection to her. These characters were two dimensional. And I did not understand the point of Caleb at all.

Finally, the most abhorrent scene of the book involves dear sweet Hannah. I will not describe what happens. And I’m not arguing against that the scene at the end of the book should not have happened. What I am angry with is the following: in no way was this ableist moment resolved with any dignity or true reflection. Once again, we get a verbal apology from a character and a one off narrative summary about Miriam confessing that she understood that Hannah did not need to be healed. Hannah was absolutely stripped of her dignity and was not restored it in my eyes. To the extent that I thought to myself, “how dare this be happening?” not necessarily to the character, as I’ve mentioned the characters are all two dimension, but how dare this be happening as a plot point? Once again, ableism can exist in a book, but the author is responsible for its portrayal. And in my opinion, the author really stripped Hannah of her dignity without much restoration.

I grew up Pentecostal. I’m very familiar with signs and wonders. My critiques do not stem from a misunderstanding of this world. I’m just flabbergasted. I have not used that word ever. That’s how flabbergasted I am.

sarahlutzemann's review

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

3.0

akchanda's review

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

allisonw0617's review

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dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

3.0

kallen123's review

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Trash