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readtiltheworldisblurry's review against another edition
5.0
Even though I SAY that I started it on the eleventh, I didn't start reading it until day after Thanksgiving. It only took two days to read.
I must say, I almost gave up on it, it was darker than her other books (that I've read) and not much Christianity, because even though Amanda prayed, Kara didn't believe in God. After the first hundred pages, as they started growing up, things got easier to read. Because abuse wasn't happening to innocent defenceless three years olds, which made it easier.
It was pretty good for a book I was ready to give up on. I had patience with this and it paid off.
I must say, I almost gave up on it, it was darker than her other books (that I've read) and not much Christianity, because even though Amanda prayed, Kara didn't believe in God. After the first hundred pages, as they started growing up, things got easier to read. Because abuse wasn't happening to innocent defenceless three years olds, which made it easier.
It was pretty good for a book I was ready to give up on. I had patience with this and it paid off.
reneesuz's review against another edition
5.0
Kara and Lizzie should have had it all but life won't give them a break. As newborns, their mother died leaving their father to raise them alone. Just when he had found love with Amanda and was newly married, he died in a plane crash. These preschool girls should have been raised by their step-mother (as she had promised their dad) in a life of luxury but instead are whisked away by unloving grandparents who squander away their money and leave the girls to fend for themselves. Amanda won't give up on the girls despite not being permitted contact with them. You'll have to read for yourselves to learn more about the twins' lives and what happens to them because Amanda never gives up on her promise to their dad.
WOW! This is one of those stories that keeps you from wanting to put the book (or Nook) down and walk away. It's a captivating story of the promise of one woman to her husband, it's a story of hurts and healing, it's the story of a prodigal. It's a story that most anyone will want to read because of its message that God is always there waiting for us; He won't force himself upon us but is waiting for us to come home to our inheritance.
I read a newly released version that has an additional chapter although I dont know which one
aflat1218's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Incest
chrissymcbooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
I first read COVENANT CHILD by Terri Blackstock back in 2001, I think, when it was first released. I was starting my second year of college, majoring in Philosophy, and I thought I was quite the little Socrates -- philosophizing everywhere, knowledge over emotion, asserting my young rebellion with my newly discovered vocabulary of important terms and educated concepts. In my early, rough stages of rating books, I slapped this one with a one star (or whatever the chosen method was at that time), notating only that it was overly sappy and disgustingly sentimental. With my mind focused on "bigger" problems of metaphysics and epistemology, I thought this to be enough of a review to remind myself and others to steer clear of similar books in the future.
Fast-forward 10 years or so after new grown up experiences of utter betrayal, a broken engagement, a manipulating ex, a series of tragic losses, and a complete and utter jumbled confusion about the role of an educated mind in my current life-style. Coming home from another heart-wrenching funeral, I found COVENANT CHILD on my NetGalley list and decided to give it a try. Remembering my one-star review of years past, I really wasn't expecting much -- but I was open enough for the slight possibility that I would enjoy it more this time around.
I suppose there's an amazing degree to which one's enjoyment of the book is related more to the personality and situation of the current moment, despite the fact that one may like to see herself as a firmly unbiased, reasonable reviewer, right?
For whatever reason, my mind was definitely changed on this one.
Beginning with plot -- Lizzie and Kara have everything that two beautiful young twins could possibly want out of life. They have an adoring father, who happens to be the heir to a billion dollar family fortune, although he currently renounces the money and vows to do whatever it takes to make it through life with his precious children -- without daddy's dollar. They have Amanda, the doting step-mother who recently married their father and promised him she would make it her mission to be the mother the girls needed after the death of their birth mother. Life is full of fun, games, hugs, and kisses, and nothing could be more perfect...
...Until, that is, the twins' father and grandparents die in a plane accident, leaving young Amanda alone to care for the girls. Always thinking of his childrens' future, Jack made sure that Amanda and the girls would have access to his fortune, ensuring they would nurtured and supported their entire lives.
Except, Lizzie and Kara's maternal grandparents have gotten word of the billion-dollar babies, quickly suing for custody -- along with a settlement of $300,000 a year to house and provide for the twins. Greedy and heartless to the core, the grandparents squander the money in the casinos, leaving the twins to fend for themselves in a filthy trailer where they share a ratty mattress and have only one another for comfort. As they age, the twins' heads are filled with lies about Amanda, as their grandparents assure the girls that Amanda was a heartless murderer who killed their father and stole their fortune. Hoping that Lizzie and Kara will sue for their billions on their 18th birthday, the grandparents abuse the children into submission, confident they will believe the lies and be gracious enough to share the money once the settlement is finalized.
But, Amanda comes back on the twins' 18th birthday, assuring them that she can bring them to her mansion where they will be educated, nurtured, and comfortable in the life she intended for them. She promised Jack, years ago, that she would care for the girls and reinstate whatever they had lost -- but is this really too good to be true? Does Amanda have ulterior motives?
I think, in my first reading of COVENANT CHILD, I had been brutally stuck on the fact that everywhere here felt so unrealistic. I wrote it off as a fairy tale and never looked back, preferring to spend my time with more "serious" literature.
So now, years later, I feel like maybe I missed the point. Maybe it IS completely unrealistic -- and maybe that is entirely irrelevant to the author's intentions. If she had set out to create a story that documents real-life events as they naturally occur, surely the subject matter and the outcome would have been different, no? So, then, what was her point?
I can only imagine that the real point of COVENANT CHILD is to use an idealized tale to really illustrate (to the disillusioned reader) the concepts of love, grace, and forgiveness. What would grace really look like, simplified in a way that would teach troubled minds? How can someone really depict heartfelt forgiveness in a society full of ulterior motives?
I'm glad I gave this story a chance this time around, and I definitely did thoroughly enjoy the book. I think it was particularly fitting to certain events in my life now, and I wouldn't hesitate to read more by Blackstock in the future.
Fast-forward 10 years or so after new grown up experiences of utter betrayal, a broken engagement, a manipulating ex, a series of tragic losses, and a complete and utter jumbled confusion about the role of an educated mind in my current life-style. Coming home from another heart-wrenching funeral, I found COVENANT CHILD on my NetGalley list and decided to give it a try. Remembering my one-star review of years past, I really wasn't expecting much -- but I was open enough for the slight possibility that I would enjoy it more this time around.
I suppose there's an amazing degree to which one's enjoyment of the book is related more to the personality and situation of the current moment, despite the fact that one may like to see herself as a firmly unbiased, reasonable reviewer, right?
For whatever reason, my mind was definitely changed on this one.
Beginning with plot -- Lizzie and Kara have everything that two beautiful young twins could possibly want out of life. They have an adoring father, who happens to be the heir to a billion dollar family fortune, although he currently renounces the money and vows to do whatever it takes to make it through life with his precious children -- without daddy's dollar. They have Amanda, the doting step-mother who recently married their father and promised him she would make it her mission to be the mother the girls needed after the death of their birth mother. Life is full of fun, games, hugs, and kisses, and nothing could be more perfect...
...Until, that is, the twins' father and grandparents die in a plane accident, leaving young Amanda alone to care for the girls. Always thinking of his childrens' future, Jack made sure that Amanda and the girls would have access to his fortune, ensuring they would nurtured and supported their entire lives.
Except, Lizzie and Kara's maternal grandparents have gotten word of the billion-dollar babies, quickly suing for custody -- along with a settlement of $300,000 a year to house and provide for the twins. Greedy and heartless to the core, the grandparents squander the money in the casinos, leaving the twins to fend for themselves in a filthy trailer where they share a ratty mattress and have only one another for comfort. As they age, the twins' heads are filled with lies about Amanda, as their grandparents assure the girls that Amanda was a heartless murderer who killed their father and stole their fortune. Hoping that Lizzie and Kara will sue for their billions on their 18th birthday, the grandparents abuse the children into submission, confident they will believe the lies and be gracious enough to share the money once the settlement is finalized.
But, Amanda comes back on the twins' 18th birthday, assuring them that she can bring them to her mansion where they will be educated, nurtured, and comfortable in the life she intended for them. She promised Jack, years ago, that she would care for the girls and reinstate whatever they had lost -- but is this really too good to be true? Does Amanda have ulterior motives?
I think, in my first reading of COVENANT CHILD, I had been brutally stuck on the fact that everywhere here felt so unrealistic. I wrote it off as a fairy tale and never looked back, preferring to spend my time with more "serious" literature.
So now, years later, I feel like maybe I missed the point. Maybe it IS completely unrealistic -- and maybe that is entirely irrelevant to the author's intentions. If she had set out to create a story that documents real-life events as they naturally occur, surely the subject matter and the outcome would have been different, no? So, then, what was her point?
I can only imagine that the real point of COVENANT CHILD is to use an idealized tale to really illustrate (to the disillusioned reader) the concepts of love, grace, and forgiveness. What would grace really look like, simplified in a way that would teach troubled minds? How can someone really depict heartfelt forgiveness in a society full of ulterior motives?
I'm glad I gave this story a chance this time around, and I definitely did thoroughly enjoy the book. I think it was particularly fitting to certain events in my life now, and I wouldn't hesitate to read more by Blackstock in the future.
trinabooks's review against another edition
5.0
This book is probably one of my favorite books that I have ever read. From the start it intrigues the reader to keep on reading and sweeps you up into a million emotions while reading. Highly recommend to read!
vanessa_h84's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
thereadingknitter's review against another edition
5.0
This book sucked me in and had me horrified, aggravated, happy and sad all at the same time. And gosh that ending was just amazing! It had me crying tears of pain and joy as I went through the exact feelings after losing my momma last year. Knowing she wasn't in pain and that she was whole in Heaven is so precious!