Reviews

Jesus Saves by Darcey Steinke

spoerk's review against another edition

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I don't remember reading this book at all. But apparently I did. Some quotes:

"On Sundays, the wafers on the sterling plate and the wine in the medieval-style goblet took on aura and import, became what they called holy, but backstage their glamour was diminished, nor more important now that saltine crackers and Boone's Farm wine. Holiness was like that, you could never trap it or examine its uncanny elements."

greasymilkshake's review against another edition

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2.0

Jesus. What was that?

I appreciate darker stories centering around social backgrounds that I don't have experience with. I like to be thrown into lives that are so different than mine, and into places that I will probably never visit. It helps me broaden my horizon and appreciate the live I'm able to live.

Jesus Saves gave me exactly this. Taking place in the outskirts of U.S cities, where poverty, drugs and hopelessness rules the day, it really showed me a way of living I've never really thought about before. The descriptions of trash filled parking lots and run down mall strips is really graphic and helps you to be drawn into the world.

The characters though, didn't made me feel for them. Yes their lives are hard, but nothing that happened really made me hope for or suffer with them.

I must admit, the first few chapters from the viewpoint of the young kidnapped girl were brilliant. Her way of trying to deal with the circumstances by fleeing into fantasy worlds and imagining the smallest details outside of the room she's kept in, were very very well written. But instead of limiting those scenes to a few chapters, the author did it over and over again. It really got old for me, and hindered my sympathy.

I also really appreciate short, abrupt and non happy endings. But this was just...what? There was no real connection between everything, and it all felt out of place.

All in all, a partly well written book with graphic descriptions of it's world ,but sadly for the most part a tedious and confusing mess of stories with no beginning and no end.
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