Reviews

Redemption by Karen Kingsbury

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A heart -wrenching and beautiful tale of reconciliation after betrayal, hope after darkness, and redemption. When a tragic betrayal hits Kari, she is shaken in her relationships, in herself, and in her faith. After her life of faith and fidelity, she has no idea how to respond. But she is not the only one with problems, her family is all struggling.
This was a super emotional book! It was really good, but, oh! I felt for Kari. She was really seeking to honor God, to be obedient to Him in her response. Yet, she felt so broken and betrayed. Her parents, both who were believers and had trials before, stood by her, tried to bear her burdens, and pointed her to God. However, in the end, she had to trust and obey. It was very encouraging how she did continue and God’s blessing and care for her.
Redemption is a book that deals with real life problems. It draws the effects of bad decisions, the hardship of following Christ, but also His hand over His people, His peace and love. It is not an easy book and it is definitely an adult book, with discussions of adultery, drug abuse, all addressed from a Biblical perspective. There is definitely an emphasis of Biblical counseling. It is very encouraging and sobering, and a reminder of some of the dangers of sin. If you connect easily to books, then this will likely cause tears. Also, warning, like real life, this book does not have a HEA, but there is peace and hope. God’s hand is clear in this book. However, this is the first in a series. The next few books follow her siblings and God’s work through them.

cookies_n_cream's review

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

libbystew10's review

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5.0

Karen Kingsbury is phenomenal! Great book in a great series! I feel like I know the characters!

mirjamanderson85's review

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5.0

Such a good book! Needed lots of tissues along the way, excited to read the next one!

emzo_henzo's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

fireflyhollow's review

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5.0

I've read several reviews of this book that expressed the disappointment and disapproval of Karen Kingsbury promoting women staying with cheating husbands. I do not believe the author was saying that you have a Biblical responsibility to stay with a spouse who has cheated - because you don't. Adultery is a biblically justified reason for divorce. The main character in this story, Kari, deeply believed that God wanted her to stay with her husband and resolve the problems they had, and there is absolutely no shame in trying to fix a broken marriage.

I had a difficult time reading this when

Spoiler

Kari found out that Ryan, her first love, hadn't betrayed her and if she had been a little more patient all of her dreams would have come true. It makes me wonder how many times my impatience has cost me something I have been so desperately wanting. I did want her to be with Ryan, but I knew that it was wrong while she was still married to Tim. I think too many people today think it is okay to be with someone while you are separated but still married to someone else. Just because the other person ended it emotionally first doesn't mean that your actions are any better than theirs.

I also believe that Kari's persistence to follow what she believed God wanted to her to do concerning Tim was extremely encouraging. I can only imagine the hurt Kari felt when her husband betrayed her. Even the thought of my husband being like Tim makes my heart hurt. What would I do if Matthew looked at me with no emotion and told me he wanted a divorce and there was nothing I could say or do to change his mind? What if I knew he was spending every night in the arms of another woman? Could I bear it? I don't know. But, I do know that the only way I could possibly make it through would be to lean on God which is what Kari did. She didn't believe she had the strength to fight for a marriage that she believed God wanted to be healed but her husband didn't. It's so easy to give up when things are really, really hard, but we have to remember that we first live for God and need to follow His guidance even when we don't understand why.

jazzyjan94's review

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4.0

This review appears on my blog: https://confessionsofabookwormweb.wordpress.com/2018/10/08/book-review-redemption/

This is probably my 4th or 5th reread of this book. I also forgot how weighty these books can be, but I still love this series. This book deals with the widely discussed topic adultery and divorce in Christian circles.

I liked how the authors showed Kari as someone who is willing to fight for her marriage, even though her husband, Tim, refused to – they could have really easily just had her concede to the divorce and run to the arms of her old flame.

Even though it deals with some serious topics, it was still an enjoyable read. I also liked all the different perspectives from Kari, Tim, Angela (the other woman), Pastor Mark Atterbury, Ryan, John and Elizabeth Baxter, ass well as a couple of others – it gave the story more depth and dimension.

It was great to revisit these beloved characters especially with the T.V. show coming out later this year based on the series. 4/5 Stars.