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audiobooks_sweettea's review against another edition
5.0
I reviewed this book several years ago, so this is a reread review. I can tell you that my thoughts then were high on this book and not much has changed through the years. Mrs. Kingsbury's books were introduced to me by my mother many years ago, and I was hooked. Redemption was one of the first Kingsbury books that I read, and it is one of my favorites. I was instantly hooked on it the first time I read it, and the reread was no different. Whenever I find myself in a book funk, or I suffer a tragedy in my life, I pick up Redemption and am reminded that with God's redeeming grace, I can pull through anything.
As someone who went through a bad first marriage, this book truly hits home for me. There are many elements of the book that I went through but I didn't lean on God through it all like Kari did. I loved watching her character again. It truly felt like reuniting with a long lost friend. The pain and suffering she felt, once again became my own. The sadness and the struggling, were mine. I found myself wanting to wrap her in a big old hug and fall to my knees to pray for her.
This is definitely still a 5 star book in my opinion. Mrs. Kingsbury can create a novel that will suck you in, wrap you up in God's warmth and grace, and set you down in a brand new place. Her words will stay with you long after you've shut the pages, long after you've placed the book back on the shelf. She will leave you breathless and ready for the next book. I highly recommend this book to all!
*I purchased this book for my personal collection. Cafinated Reads was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
As someone who went through a bad first marriage, this book truly hits home for me. There are many elements of the book that I went through but I didn't lean on God through it all like Kari did. I loved watching her character again. It truly felt like reuniting with a long lost friend. The pain and suffering she felt, once again became my own. The sadness and the struggling, were mine. I found myself wanting to wrap her in a big old hug and fall to my knees to pray for her.
This is definitely still a 5 star book in my opinion. Mrs. Kingsbury can create a novel that will suck you in, wrap you up in God's warmth and grace, and set you down in a brand new place. Her words will stay with you long after you've shut the pages, long after you've placed the book back on the shelf. She will leave you breathless and ready for the next book. I highly recommend this book to all!
*I purchased this book for my personal collection. Cafinated Reads was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
raben_76325's review against another edition
5.0
I will confess that I don't actually like Christian fiction. It's often too formulaic, and the characters and situations are too contrived. Often, I feel like the faith statements are too shallow, and the whole thing just turns me off. However, my sister and mother have both been in love with a series from Karen Kingsbury for a while, and they kept recommending to me that I read the Baxter books. I would listen to them and find something else to read, but my mother bought me several series of them to try out for Christmas, so I just had to put them on my reading list. (This book will actually be a part of my #vtReadingChallenge as "a book recommended by a family member.")
Redemption is the first book in the Baxter family saga and it's the beginning book where we meet the whole family. The protagonist of this book is Kari Baxter Jacobs. The book begins with her husband walking out the door because Kari has discovered his affair. Despite the fact that Kari is still committed to their relationship, Tim wants nothing to do with their marriage. In his mind, he has found a new love and the old love is gone, despite the guilt and the small voice in his head reminding him of his sin. He decided to just drown that voice out with alcohol.
In her pain, Kari moves out of her home and and moves in for a few weeks with her parents. We are introduced to her whole family and to the dynamics between them. (We're especially introduced to her sister Ashley, who will be the protagonist of the second book in the series.) An old flame also comes back into her life, and she has to make a decision to remaining committed to her marriage or allowing it to slip away. She also has to face an incredible tragedy in her life to overcome (as if her husband's infidelity isn't enough!!).
When I started reading the book, I was bothered by the formulaic feel of the writing. I was annoyed at the chapters from the point of view of Tim, who I considered to be very shallow and of low character. I had just finished reading the books of A Song of Ice and Fire, and after reading those, it was difficult to go to a writing style that was, quite frankly, much less beautiful. Yet, by the time I was fifty pages in, I was completely drawn into the story and the character.
I found myself tearing up several times during the book, especially as Kari faces her decision whether to stay in her marriage or to allow herself to reinitiate a relationship with her high school boyfriend. The love that puts duty over personal desire and is not self-seeking is still one that I have difficulty with, so to see her make the choice to commit herself to her marriage, even when it is hard, was something that I found beautiful and heartbreaking for her personal happiness. It reminds me of the lovely Gary Thomas books on marriage (Sacred Marriage & A Lifelong Love) where I was really brought home to the fact that my marriage wasn't about me and weather I was happy or not (and I am!!). Instead, I was struck again by how much my marriage has to do with my sanctification and my relationship with God. This section is beautifully handled in illustrating both the right decision and the personal pain that it caused.
Kari had already been through so much that I just couldn't stand it when she had to suffer more hardship before the end of the book. Yet, she still was able to sing "Great is thy Faithfulness" before the end of the book, and that is enough to remember.
Because of the way that this book emotionally moved me and reminded me of the purpose of marriage, I have to give the book five stars. I am going to momentarily pause my list of books to read for the challenge that I am working through and work through some more of the Baxter books because I have so enjoyed the time that I have spent in their world at this point. After all, it's no good to get back to a reading challenge until I've read enough of these books to be ready to move on without worrying about "what's going on in their world." :-)
Redemption is the first book in the Baxter family saga and it's the beginning book where we meet the whole family. The protagonist of this book is Kari Baxter Jacobs. The book begins with her husband walking out the door because Kari has discovered his affair. Despite the fact that Kari is still committed to their relationship, Tim wants nothing to do with their marriage. In his mind, he has found a new love and the old love is gone, despite the guilt and the small voice in his head reminding him of his sin. He decided to just drown that voice out with alcohol.
In her pain, Kari moves out of her home and and moves in for a few weeks with her parents. We are introduced to her whole family and to the dynamics between them. (We're especially introduced to her sister Ashley, who will be the protagonist of the second book in the series.) An old flame also comes back into her life, and she has to make a decision to remaining committed to her marriage or allowing it to slip away. She also has to face an incredible tragedy in her life to overcome (as if her husband's infidelity isn't enough!!).
When I started reading the book, I was bothered by the formulaic feel of the writing. I was annoyed at the chapters from the point of view of Tim, who I considered to be very shallow and of low character. I had just finished reading the books of A Song of Ice and Fire, and after reading those, it was difficult to go to a writing style that was, quite frankly, much less beautiful. Yet, by the time I was fifty pages in, I was completely drawn into the story and the character.
I found myself tearing up several times during the book, especially as Kari faces her decision whether to stay in her marriage or to allow herself to reinitiate a relationship with her high school boyfriend. The love that puts duty over personal desire and is not self-seeking is still one that I have difficulty with, so to see her make the choice to commit herself to her marriage, even when it is hard, was something that I found beautiful and heartbreaking for her personal happiness. It reminds me of the lovely Gary Thomas books on marriage (Sacred Marriage & A Lifelong Love) where I was really brought home to the fact that my marriage wasn't about me and weather I was happy or not (and I am!!). Instead, I was struck again by how much my marriage has to do with my sanctification and my relationship with God. This section is beautifully handled in illustrating both the right decision and the personal pain that it caused.
Kari had already been through so much that I just couldn't stand it when she had to suffer more hardship before the end of the book. Yet, she still was able to sing "Great is thy Faithfulness" before the end of the book, and that is enough to remember.
Because of the way that this book emotionally moved me and reminded me of the purpose of marriage, I have to give the book five stars. I am going to momentarily pause my list of books to read for the challenge that I am working through and work through some more of the Baxter books because I have so enjoyed the time that I have spent in their world at this point. After all, it's no good to get back to a reading challenge until I've read enough of these books to be ready to move on without worrying about "what's going on in their world." :-)
katemixon1117's review against another edition
3.0
This was just disappointing overall. I loved these books when I was in 8th-9th grade, but they were just not good this time around.
Things I liked: Kari and her determination to love her husband and save her marriage, despite how much he's done to hurt her. Ryan Taylor, because duh.
Things I didn't: most everything else. How fake and one dimensional the characters felt, how inauthentic the faith aspect felt, how you could predict almost everything that would happen after the first ten pages of the book, etc. I would love to write Christian fiction, and I also love to read Christian fiction. This, however, was NOT it.
Things I liked: Kari and her determination to love her husband and save her marriage, despite how much he's done to hurt her. Ryan Taylor, because duh.
Things I didn't: most everything else. How fake and one dimensional the characters felt, how inauthentic the faith aspect felt, how you could predict almost everything that would happen after the first ten pages of the book, etc. I would love to write Christian fiction, and I also love to read Christian fiction. This, however, was NOT it.
paulinezra's review against another edition
5.0
I cried on several pages. And, why did Tim had to die :"( Can't wait to buy myself Remember and read it.
chantalob1's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked this book and didn't see the ending coming. Part of me really wanted her to end up with Ryan but I liked how it worked out. I did find some of the things happened a bit conveniently but such are romances! I have the next book ready to go!
inkstainedlife's review against another edition
2.0
My mom recommended it, okay? And sent it (and several other books) home with me. So I read it. And it was alright. But that’s about that.