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Miriam and the Stranger by Jerry S. Eicher
3.0
This novel is the third in the Land of Promise series following Miriam Yoder’s story, and this review (and novel) will contain spoilers for the previous two novels if they have not been read.
I’m hard put to describe how I felt about this novel. I think ambivalent is the best I can do, because I keep see-sawing depending on which aspect of the novel I’m considering.
In a nutshell, Miriam Yoder has not exactly been lucky in love. She lost one man to another woman (twice!), another to a tornado, and at twenty-four is beginning to resign herself to becoming an old maid. Enter two men: Mose Stoll, a deacon who has arrive in Oklahoma for the purpose of inspecting Miriam as a prospective wife; and Tyler Johnson, an Englisha journalist sent to write a story about how the Amish community has recovered in the two years since the devastating tornado.
Miriam is honoured to be considered by Mose Stoll as a prospective wife, particularly when she learns that he may be shortly appointed Bishop in his own district of Wayne County. But despite being hailed a paragon of virtue – and a suitably humble and obedient wife for a Bishop – she suffers greatly under the guilt of her attraction to the Englisha journalist Tyler Johnson. She is very aware that any relationship between Tyler and herself would be forbidden and is determined that through prayer and self-discipline this attraction will fade and she will develop at least a wifely affection, if not love, for Mose Stoll. Tyler Johnson does not make this easy, however, making no secret of either his disapproval of Mose Stoll as a husband for Miriam or his own attraction to Miriam.
I think one of the reasons I am ambivalent about this story is because I did not particularly like either Mose or Tyler. It was obvious that we were not supposed to like Mose. He was not terribly romantic to begin with, but as the novel progressed he became ever more harsh and austere. We are supposed to believe that no-one else noticed his treatment of Miriam, but I find it difficult to believe that someone who is so rigid and unfeeling towards his prospective wife would not show similar characteristics in his dealings with others.
Miriam is affected by Tyler Johnson from the moment she first meets him at her aunt and uncle’s home. Apparently he ‘exudes a charm that makes her weak all the way down to her toes.’ Although this was by no means a sensual novel, nor were we burdened by frequent descriptions of the characters’ physical attributes, it still seemed to me that Miriam’s attraction to Tyler was largely based on the way he affected her physically (and often in spite of his attitude and actions). I can understand there being an initial physical attraction, but I did not really see anything in his character to support Miriam’s ongoing attraction. Tyler does change towards the end of the novel, but the majority of this takes place off the page, which means we are simply expected to believe that the transformation has taken place. I’m not saying it couldn’t have happened, I’m just saying it didn’t become real for me because I didn’t see it happen.
**SPOILER**
I was also disappointed that Tyler’s maturation and decision to join the Amish community was wholly about marrying Miriam. He admits that if it wasn’t for Miriam he wouldn’t be joining the community. He even promises that if he can’t ‘do this right’ (be Amish) then he will leave the community and not ‘lure her into his world’. Nowhere is there any mention of Tyler recognising his need for a Saviour. The closest we get to this is him admitting that he was tired of the way he was living, and apologising to Miriam for his ‘flippant attitude’ and the things he said about Mose. I think we are supposed to believe there is a genuine change in heart involved, but we aren’t even told about it, let alone shown.
**END SPOILER**
I did think Miriam was admirable in her desire to honour both her father and her prospective husband, which redeemed the novel somewhat, but I thought her submission was carried through to a point where it actually began to appear in a negative light, and that is saying something coming from me! I believe that when the Bible says a wife should submit to her husband that is exactly what it means, but when the husband does not also love his wife as Christ loved the church the beauty of the wife’s submission is obscured. Notwithstanding that Miriam and Mose were only engaged, I felt that the circumstances in this novel obscured the beauty of Miriam’s submissiveness. I also believe that Miriam was wise in taking steps to honour her father’s wishes by considering Mose’s suit, but I felt that there was surely some room for her to approach her father respectfully as her concerns grew. Of course, that could have altered the whole course of the novel – although I then found myself wondering what a Biblical response would have looked like for Miriam should her father have still promoted the marriage in spite of her reluctance.
In the end there was also a flavour of ‘deus ex machina’ about the neatness of the resolution, which came about without any initiative being taken on Miriam’s part. I was left with the feeling that Miriam would continue to simply be carried along in the wake of the actions and decisions of those around her. She had not really grown as a person, despite being the main character and finally getting her happy-ever-after.
I will freely admit I’ve read many worse novels, but this one really just left me feeling flat. If Amazon allowed half-star ratings I would probably give this a two and a half, but I’m generous, so I’ll round up.
I’m hard put to describe how I felt about this novel. I think ambivalent is the best I can do, because I keep see-sawing depending on which aspect of the novel I’m considering.
In a nutshell, Miriam Yoder has not exactly been lucky in love. She lost one man to another woman (twice!), another to a tornado, and at twenty-four is beginning to resign herself to becoming an old maid. Enter two men: Mose Stoll, a deacon who has arrive in Oklahoma for the purpose of inspecting Miriam as a prospective wife; and Tyler Johnson, an Englisha journalist sent to write a story about how the Amish community has recovered in the two years since the devastating tornado.
Miriam is honoured to be considered by Mose Stoll as a prospective wife, particularly when she learns that he may be shortly appointed Bishop in his own district of Wayne County. But despite being hailed a paragon of virtue – and a suitably humble and obedient wife for a Bishop – she suffers greatly under the guilt of her attraction to the Englisha journalist Tyler Johnson. She is very aware that any relationship between Tyler and herself would be forbidden and is determined that through prayer and self-discipline this attraction will fade and she will develop at least a wifely affection, if not love, for Mose Stoll. Tyler Johnson does not make this easy, however, making no secret of either his disapproval of Mose Stoll as a husband for Miriam or his own attraction to Miriam.
I think one of the reasons I am ambivalent about this story is because I did not particularly like either Mose or Tyler. It was obvious that we were not supposed to like Mose. He was not terribly romantic to begin with, but as the novel progressed he became ever more harsh and austere. We are supposed to believe that no-one else noticed his treatment of Miriam, but I find it difficult to believe that someone who is so rigid and unfeeling towards his prospective wife would not show similar characteristics in his dealings with others.
Miriam is affected by Tyler Johnson from the moment she first meets him at her aunt and uncle’s home. Apparently he ‘exudes a charm that makes her weak all the way down to her toes.’ Although this was by no means a sensual novel, nor were we burdened by frequent descriptions of the characters’ physical attributes, it still seemed to me that Miriam’s attraction to Tyler was largely based on the way he affected her physically (and often in spite of his attitude and actions). I can understand there being an initial physical attraction, but I did not really see anything in his character to support Miriam’s ongoing attraction. Tyler does change towards the end of the novel, but the majority of this takes place off the page, which means we are simply expected to believe that the transformation has taken place. I’m not saying it couldn’t have happened, I’m just saying it didn’t become real for me because I didn’t see it happen.
**SPOILER**
I was also disappointed that Tyler’s maturation and decision to join the Amish community was wholly about marrying Miriam. He admits that if it wasn’t for Miriam he wouldn’t be joining the community. He even promises that if he can’t ‘do this right’ (be Amish) then he will leave the community and not ‘lure her into his world’. Nowhere is there any mention of Tyler recognising his need for a Saviour. The closest we get to this is him admitting that he was tired of the way he was living, and apologising to Miriam for his ‘flippant attitude’ and the things he said about Mose. I think we are supposed to believe there is a genuine change in heart involved, but we aren’t even told about it, let alone shown.
**END SPOILER**
I did think Miriam was admirable in her desire to honour both her father and her prospective husband, which redeemed the novel somewhat, but I thought her submission was carried through to a point where it actually began to appear in a negative light, and that is saying something coming from me! I believe that when the Bible says a wife should submit to her husband that is exactly what it means, but when the husband does not also love his wife as Christ loved the church the beauty of the wife’s submission is obscured. Notwithstanding that Miriam and Mose were only engaged, I felt that the circumstances in this novel obscured the beauty of Miriam’s submissiveness. I also believe that Miriam was wise in taking steps to honour her father’s wishes by considering Mose’s suit, but I felt that there was surely some room for her to approach her father respectfully as her concerns grew. Of course, that could have altered the whole course of the novel – although I then found myself wondering what a Biblical response would have looked like for Miriam should her father have still promoted the marriage in spite of her reluctance.
In the end there was also a flavour of ‘deus ex machina’ about the neatness of the resolution, which came about without any initiative being taken on Miriam’s part. I was left with the feeling that Miriam would continue to simply be carried along in the wake of the actions and decisions of those around her. She had not really grown as a person, despite being the main character and finally getting her happy-ever-after.
I will freely admit I’ve read many worse novels, but this one really just left me feeling flat. If Amazon allowed half-star ratings I would probably give this a two and a half, but I’m generous, so I’ll round up.
Blood of a Stone by Jeanne Lyet Gassman
3.0
I will admit, I initially judged this book by its cover (which looks a little amateurish to me) and did not have high expectations. The opening chapter was a little awkward, but after another chapter or two I was surprised to find myself becoming invested in Demetrios’ story. The reason I have only given this book three stars (and I would probably give it three-and-a-half stars if I could) is because I felt short-changed by the ending. I had barely even registered the resolution before I came face to face with the discussion questions, and felt that this lessened the impact of the book’s message of forgiveness and freedom in Christ because the reader wasn’t given a chance to experience the follow through. I also felt the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the resolution was a little nebulous in contrast to the strong portrayal of guilt’s burden throughout the rest of the book.
A few notes about the book: Firstly, Demetrios is a Gentile who pays homage to the god Mercury for most of the novel. He does not have a great understanding of the Jewish religion and his response to Jesus was very much in keeping with his circumstances and character, driven by fear, guilt, and a lack of understanding about forgiveness. Secondly, there are some scenes which readers may wish to be aware of prior to deciding whether to read the book, such as a visit to a prostitute (her seductive manner is portrayed, but nothing more), and a visit to a sorceress which involves animal sacrifice and incantations, etc. There is also some violence, particularly between Demetrios and his master early on in the novel, and the crucifixions at the end of the novel. I thought these scenes were appropriate for the storyline and were written in a way that evoked appropriate emotional responses without being overly graphic, but they may not suit some readers.
The basic story is this: Demetrios, a gentile boy who is about 19 years old at the beginning of the novel, is a slave in the household of a retired Roman general named Marcus. He flees the household after killing Marcus in self-defence and together with Elazar, Marcus’ Jewish slave, establishes himself as a trader and caravan leader, eventually settling in a new city called Tiberias located on the southern coast of the Sea of Galilee. But no matter where he goes Demetrios’ past haunts him. When Elazar comes to tell Demetrios that he wants to leave their business to follow Jesus of Nazareth, Demetrios feels betrayed. But that is nothing compared to how he feels when Elazar admits that he has also confessed the crime that forced them to flee their master’s home. Initially fearing that Jesus will hand him over to the Roman authorities, Demetrios quickly becomes concerned that Jesus has a much worse punishment in mind for him: Raising his Roman master from the dead in order that he may exact his own revenge. After a visit to a sorceress he is convinced there is only one way to stop Jesus of Nazareth: He must assassinate him.
While the ending of this novel was the bigger let down for me, I also found the beginning of the novel a little difficult to settle into. Although otherwise told from Demetrios’ point-of-view (in third person), the opening paragraphs are narrated by an omniscient narrator who is watching a scorpion approaching Demetrios unawares (I could almost hear David Attenborough reading the text as a voice-over with suitable dramatic flair). To me, it felt like a contrived ‘dangerous situation’ to hook the reader, particularly as it resolved fairly quickly and shifted our focus to the real point of the scene: A conversation overheard by Demetrios between his master and Elazar. But then this brief exchange leads into Demetrios recalling the day more than a year ago when his father had sold him to Marcus, a memory which actually forms the most substantial part of the chapter, and I couldn’t help but feel that the story would have had a smoother start had it simply begun with this event. As it was, I found myself a little lost as to what was actually happening to Demetrios in his present, and it took me a little effort to form a linear understanding of the events leading up to the final confrontation between Demetrios and his master.
As I said, though, the bulk of the novel was well written with some good evocative writing. I also enjoyed the touch of romance woven through the story. Although Jesus himself is not a major character in the novel, the events do intersect with his ministry and crucifixion, and from this point of view, readers who enjoy historical fiction set in this time will quite possibly enjoy the novel. I just felt that the ending left me a little unfulfilled, preventing me from recommending it more highly.
A few notes about the book: Firstly, Demetrios is a Gentile who pays homage to the god Mercury for most of the novel. He does not have a great understanding of the Jewish religion and his response to Jesus was very much in keeping with his circumstances and character, driven by fear, guilt, and a lack of understanding about forgiveness. Secondly, there are some scenes which readers may wish to be aware of prior to deciding whether to read the book, such as a visit to a prostitute (her seductive manner is portrayed, but nothing more), and a visit to a sorceress which involves animal sacrifice and incantations, etc. There is also some violence, particularly between Demetrios and his master early on in the novel, and the crucifixions at the end of the novel. I thought these scenes were appropriate for the storyline and were written in a way that evoked appropriate emotional responses without being overly graphic, but they may not suit some readers.
The basic story is this: Demetrios, a gentile boy who is about 19 years old at the beginning of the novel, is a slave in the household of a retired Roman general named Marcus. He flees the household after killing Marcus in self-defence and together with Elazar, Marcus’ Jewish slave, establishes himself as a trader and caravan leader, eventually settling in a new city called Tiberias located on the southern coast of the Sea of Galilee. But no matter where he goes Demetrios’ past haunts him. When Elazar comes to tell Demetrios that he wants to leave their business to follow Jesus of Nazareth, Demetrios feels betrayed. But that is nothing compared to how he feels when Elazar admits that he has also confessed the crime that forced them to flee their master’s home. Initially fearing that Jesus will hand him over to the Roman authorities, Demetrios quickly becomes concerned that Jesus has a much worse punishment in mind for him: Raising his Roman master from the dead in order that he may exact his own revenge. After a visit to a sorceress he is convinced there is only one way to stop Jesus of Nazareth: He must assassinate him.
While the ending of this novel was the bigger let down for me, I also found the beginning of the novel a little difficult to settle into. Although otherwise told from Demetrios’ point-of-view (in third person), the opening paragraphs are narrated by an omniscient narrator who is watching a scorpion approaching Demetrios unawares (I could almost hear David Attenborough reading the text as a voice-over with suitable dramatic flair). To me, it felt like a contrived ‘dangerous situation’ to hook the reader, particularly as it resolved fairly quickly and shifted our focus to the real point of the scene: A conversation overheard by Demetrios between his master and Elazar. But then this brief exchange leads into Demetrios recalling the day more than a year ago when his father had sold him to Marcus, a memory which actually forms the most substantial part of the chapter, and I couldn’t help but feel that the story would have had a smoother start had it simply begun with this event. As it was, I found myself a little lost as to what was actually happening to Demetrios in his present, and it took me a little effort to form a linear understanding of the events leading up to the final confrontation between Demetrios and his master.
As I said, though, the bulk of the novel was well written with some good evocative writing. I also enjoyed the touch of romance woven through the story. Although Jesus himself is not a major character in the novel, the events do intersect with his ministry and crucifixion, and from this point of view, readers who enjoy historical fiction set in this time will quite possibly enjoy the novel. I just felt that the ending left me a little unfulfilled, preventing me from recommending it more highly.
The Arrival by J.W. Brazier
1.0
As I write this review I am very conscious of the time and effort that an author puts into any novel, but I have to be honest. I really struggled to get through this book. By the time I had dragged myself 50% of the way through I was seriously tempted to just abandon it, but a romantic thread began developing in the story and I thought maybe that would revitalise my interest a little. Sadly, the romance developed off-page, and so the only thing that kept me going was my irrational compulsion to finish reading a book once I’ve started it.
Like other reviewers I was drawn in by the cover art and description. The concept of ancient DNA being discovered and used in an end-times scenario could have been intriguing, but the writing in this novel drained all of the life out of the premise. Much of the characterisation was simplistic and clichéd and there were so many point-of-view characters I was (again) about 50% of the way through the novel before I felt I was beginning to make sense of who everyone was and their role in the story (like whether they were just passing through or here to stay).
The writing was amateurish on many levels and point-of-view issues permeated the whole novel. We constantly switched between different points-of-view during scenes (just to make sure that the reader was thoroughly informed of each character’s motivations and thoughts) and we were even informed of things that the point-of-view character DIDN’T know or see:
“In his haste to leave and check his cell phone messages, Joshua didn’t see the white van parked behind Gus’s oak and hickory woodpile beside the restaurant.”
“What Jack Cook and his co-conspirators didn’t know was that...”
“With a renewed sense of commitment, he smiled and then walked toward Charles’s gravestone, thinking he was alone, but he wasn’t. Ian had company. The unseen visitor watched and listened.”
This book also takes telling to a whole new level. We are never in any doubt as to what we are supposed to be thinking or noticing, and we don’t have to make any inferences for ourselves because everything is spelt out to us:
“Mary screamed as another excruciating labor pain seized her young body. The baby was coming!”
“Tom’s tight facial expression showed that he was in a tight spot.”
“Joshua understood the formal way Tom used “Mr Mayor.” Tom’s attention to protocol was his way of saying, ‘Be careful’.”
Often the telling came via the character’s thoughts:
“Roger’s an arrogant piece of work, a product of political correctness on steroids. I wonder if his boss – or the owner – feels the same, he mused.”
“Dean sighed and thought, The general knows his politics. He’s copying the president’s typical partisan strategies: prearrange a question and select a target individual to present them.”
“Bingo. Just as I thought. Mr Hirsch has added me to his list of targets, Dean thought”
In many spots the writing is just plain clumsy:
“Mary’s innocent, but curious smile seemed to beg a question. ‘Doc, I’ve a question.’”
“He wasn’t sure, but Ben thought he heard the governor say that he was happy Ben had lost. ‘Could you say that again, Governor, because I’m confused? Did you say you’re happy that I lost?’”
“Excessive drinking after work had become a habitual habit...”
Then there are the grammatical errors:
“My friends, we’ve always known to create our One World Alliance, seeds of change would need planting, watered, and nurtured worldwide.”
“It was as if Charles had walked out the door and drove away...”
We’re given many speeches on the state of politics and morality in America with frequent references to the left-wing progressive and the right-wing conservative and other handy labels. We are left in absolutely no doubt as to the author’s ideology, nor are we given any room to draw conclusions on these matters for ourselves. Even though I was in agreement on many issues, I still found myself gagging somewhat as it was shoved down my throat.
On top of all of this, there was a remarkable amount of blaspheming (using the name of the Lord in vain) in this novel, from both Christian and non-Christian characters, and I thought the violence towards the end was unnecessarily descriptive at times. The supernatural and spiritual elements were trite, and the crucifix amulet was a little too much like medieval reliquary superstitions for me.
In short, there was nothing in this novel that inspires me to recommend it to anyone. It was unashamedly didactic and poorly written. If this is the quality of editing that can be expected from this publisher I’m not particularly inclined to read other books published by them.
Like other reviewers I was drawn in by the cover art and description. The concept of ancient DNA being discovered and used in an end-times scenario could have been intriguing, but the writing in this novel drained all of the life out of the premise. Much of the characterisation was simplistic and clichéd and there were so many point-of-view characters I was (again) about 50% of the way through the novel before I felt I was beginning to make sense of who everyone was and their role in the story (like whether they were just passing through or here to stay).
The writing was amateurish on many levels and point-of-view issues permeated the whole novel. We constantly switched between different points-of-view during scenes (just to make sure that the reader was thoroughly informed of each character’s motivations and thoughts) and we were even informed of things that the point-of-view character DIDN’T know or see:
“In his haste to leave and check his cell phone messages, Joshua didn’t see the white van parked behind Gus’s oak and hickory woodpile beside the restaurant.”
“What Jack Cook and his co-conspirators didn’t know was that...”
“With a renewed sense of commitment, he smiled and then walked toward Charles’s gravestone, thinking he was alone, but he wasn’t. Ian had company. The unseen visitor watched and listened.”
This book also takes telling to a whole new level. We are never in any doubt as to what we are supposed to be thinking or noticing, and we don’t have to make any inferences for ourselves because everything is spelt out to us:
“Mary screamed as another excruciating labor pain seized her young body. The baby was coming!”
“Tom’s tight facial expression showed that he was in a tight spot.”
“Joshua understood the formal way Tom used “Mr Mayor.” Tom’s attention to protocol was his way of saying, ‘Be careful’.”
Often the telling came via the character’s thoughts:
“Roger’s an arrogant piece of work, a product of political correctness on steroids. I wonder if his boss – or the owner – feels the same, he mused.”
“Dean sighed and thought, The general knows his politics. He’s copying the president’s typical partisan strategies: prearrange a question and select a target individual to present them.”
“Bingo. Just as I thought. Mr Hirsch has added me to his list of targets, Dean thought”
In many spots the writing is just plain clumsy:
“Mary’s innocent, but curious smile seemed to beg a question. ‘Doc, I’ve a question.’”
“He wasn’t sure, but Ben thought he heard the governor say that he was happy Ben had lost. ‘Could you say that again, Governor, because I’m confused? Did you say you’re happy that I lost?’”
“Excessive drinking after work had become a habitual habit...”
Then there are the grammatical errors:
“My friends, we’ve always known to create our One World Alliance, seeds of change would need planting, watered, and nurtured worldwide.”
“It was as if Charles had walked out the door and drove away...”
We’re given many speeches on the state of politics and morality in America with frequent references to the left-wing progressive and the right-wing conservative and other handy labels. We are left in absolutely no doubt as to the author’s ideology, nor are we given any room to draw conclusions on these matters for ourselves. Even though I was in agreement on many issues, I still found myself gagging somewhat as it was shoved down my throat.
On top of all of this, there was a remarkable amount of blaspheming (using the name of the Lord in vain) in this novel, from both Christian and non-Christian characters, and I thought the violence towards the end was unnecessarily descriptive at times. The supernatural and spiritual elements were trite, and the crucifix amulet was a little too much like medieval reliquary superstitions for me.
In short, there was nothing in this novel that inspires me to recommend it to anyone. It was unashamedly didactic and poorly written. If this is the quality of editing that can be expected from this publisher I’m not particularly inclined to read other books published by them.