Becki reviewed on
I rarely give a book 5 stars, but this one held my interest so much and I love it so much it gets all 5. This Christian fiction novel is meant to parallel (in many ways) the book of Hosea in the Bible. It's a story about a man who marries a prostitute and remains faithful (in spite of incredible odds) to helping her heal from the damaging things that have been done to her - from childhood on. The twists and turns it takes never cease to astound. It's heartbreaking, insightful, and inspiring. This story is a beautiful analogy of all that we're told in scripture about God's capacity for forgiveness and His desire to redeem the broken and lost. I highly recommend this book. My only caveat is that it may feel a little too obvious to some readers in its Christian message - and that is likely to come across as preachy to some. While that kind of book normally turns me off and costs a star in my rating, this one gets a star for tackling a tremendously tough subject - not because others haven't tackled it, but because it is honest, brutal, and yet treats its characters with dignity. Christians are seen as the falable people they are, and yet they are also the instruments that bring healing to a broken woman who is incapable of saving herself from her past (incapable because of what has been done to her from a very young age). I suspect if you can read the "Christian-speak" in the context of real people living out their faith (as opposed to thinking it is preaching at you), the story will very possibly mesmerize you as I did me.
I didn't realize that Rivers published a cleaned up version of this story. In reading other reviews I'm pretty sure this one is not the "redeemed" or cleaned-up version. While I wouldn't recommend this version to a teen (necessarily) I whole-heartedly recommend this version to a mature reader. It is the tough subject matter and exposure of dark and damaging things that makes this story what it is - a book about redemption.
I didn't realize that Rivers published a cleaned up version of this story. In reading other reviews I'm pretty sure this one is not the "redeemed" or cleaned-up version. While I wouldn't recommend this version to a teen (necessarily) I whole-heartedly recommend this version to a mature reader. It is the tough subject matter and exposure of dark and damaging things that makes this story what it is - a book about redemption.
