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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
2.5 Disappointing. I expected mystery and family drama, and while there was some of that, there was a LOT of spirituality and religious introspection which is cool if that is what you are looking for—but I wasn’t.
This is simply a beautiful story. There is loss, sorrow, redemption and above all, there is love. Tough, soul searching, unconditional, heartbreaking love. Don’t read this if you don’t want to be in your feelings, there is no way to read this without getting a little choked up at least once.
This is one of the most important books I’ve ever read. I can’t even put into words how beautiful it is. Going on my favorites of all time list.
Did not finish. Made it halfway through, but could never bring myself to care about the characters or the story. I hated the way the author wrote dialogue, the characters didn’t talk or think like real people.
A heartfelt exploration of grief, loss, healing, and found family when a small community is struck by tragedy. The depth and complexity of these characters is striking, and the portrayal of grief – its ups and downs, sadness and anger and hope and everything in between – is raw and authentic. If you enjoy a solid character-driven read, definitely pick this one up.
OK, I consider myself a pretty fast reader however, this book took me two months to read. While the writing was very good and very descriptive and I thought there was a nice rhythm to it, This plot and story was extremely disappointing. I was expecting some sort of twist the whole time, and maybe it’s just because I read a lot of murder mystery and thriller books, but literally it was just the story and then shifting between different points of view for something that you already knew happened so there was no suspense, and I honestly was just disappointed, I would maybe consider reading another book as this was this authors first book, because I did really like how she wrote I thought her prose was beautiful, but I definitely needed something with a little bit more of a plot and story, I also found the characters didn’t evolve at all, except maybe the main character, the teenage girl Evangeline, because she definitely softened a little bit, but I did not think that Isaac evolved or Lori and I definitely don’t feel like I knew the boys at all. Overall, I would say I’m pretty disappointed, but I’m not completely turned away from the author.
I did not expect to love this like I did. Heavy content presented in such a beautiful way. A redemption story in a way you wouldn’t expect. The different perspectives allow you to relate to them all!
Redemptive and healing. Learning how to love without strings or earthly ties.
I wasn't sure about this book at all when I picked it for Book of the Month. It intrigued me, but as someone who lost a family member to suicide I was worried there would be too much focus on that. There wasn't and instead it really focused on the healing that comes after. How you recognize that someone who is gone wasn't an angel, how you try to live your life. The message that sharing love despite your pain was so profound and I cried as I reached the end of the book. I loved Evangeline's character, I loved Rufus, I loved Isaac. Would have loved a few chapters from Lorrie's perspective but the interspersed journal entries from Jonah showed a lot of what happened to their poor family. It wasn't an easy read. There were times I had to put it down because I understood the grief Isaac was going through, but I kept picking it back up. Kind of like how life is a matter of picking up what is left when a tragedy shatters it, and you move forward and figure out how to keep going.