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Awakening To Messiah: Messianic Rabbi Schneider, host of "Discovering The Jewish Jesus", shares his faith.
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
1
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
1
Review Date: 6/8/2022
I have mixed feelings about this book---it was kind of all over the place. The impression I got when I purchased it was that it was a testimony of this Jewish man's coming to faith in Yeshua. It started out that way but then it became a manual on how to witness to Jewish people---then it turned into a list of Messianic prophecies to convince Jews, as if the book were written TO Jews. So, not necessarily a bad thing---but just not very well organized. Basically, the guy wanted to write three books.
I got pretty frustrated with him early in because, though he seems to value Torah, he's swallowed a lot of the mainstream churchianity nonsense that we walked away from when we realized how UNBiblical a lot of it was. So that's sad... At one point he says, "the truth is God wants to make known to us that we don't need to be better doers; we need to be better receivers. Our lives should be that of continuously receiving from the Lord..." And that, my friends, is what's wrong with the church in a nutshell. James 1:22 tells us to be doers of the word and not hearers only; not to mention the entitled garbage attitude that comes with thinking your relationship with the Father is about what He can give you.
He talks about celebrating Valentine's Day (a satanic-inspired, nonBiblical observance); he's quite obsessed with Kansas City's IHOP (which has had some crazy stuff come out of there); and when discussing Sabbath, he mentions resting "one day a week", without emphasizing there is a specific day (7th day) on which we are commanded to rest. His misinterpretation of Matthew 15:24 misrepresents who Israel is today (those who obey the commands and have the testimony of Yeshua) and there's a lot of emphasis on the salvation of the Jews ushering in the Messiah. I don't see that specifically in the scriptures he shared (not to say I don't want to see them saved)
He also makes it sound like temple sacrifices are done away with forever, yet we read in passages like Isaiah 56:6-8; Zechariah 14:16; Jeremiah 33:15-18, and especially Ezekiel 43:18-46:24 that they will continue in the Millennial reign of Yeshua. So... I don't know, it was hard to really take the guy seriously when he either doesn't know the Word or doesn't believe it.
I got pretty frustrated with him early in because, though he seems to value Torah, he's swallowed a lot of the mainstream churchianity nonsense that we walked away from when we realized how UNBiblical a lot of it was. So that's sad... At one point he says, "the truth is God wants to make known to us that we don't need to be better doers; we need to be better receivers. Our lives should be that of continuously receiving from the Lord..." And that, my friends, is what's wrong with the church in a nutshell. James 1:22 tells us to be doers of the word and not hearers only; not to mention the entitled garbage attitude that comes with thinking your relationship with the Father is about what He can give you.
He talks about celebrating Valentine's Day (a satanic-inspired, nonBiblical observance); he's quite obsessed with Kansas City's IHOP (which has had some crazy stuff come out of there); and when discussing Sabbath, he mentions resting "one day a week", without emphasizing there is a specific day (7th day) on which we are commanded to rest. His misinterpretation of Matthew 15:24 misrepresents who Israel is today (those who obey the commands and have the testimony of Yeshua) and there's a lot of emphasis on the salvation of the Jews ushering in the Messiah. I don't see that specifically in the scriptures he shared (not to say I don't want to see them saved)
He also makes it sound like temple sacrifices are done away with forever, yet we read in passages like Isaiah 56:6-8; Zechariah 14:16; Jeremiah 33:15-18, and especially Ezekiel 43:18-46:24 that they will continue in the Millennial reign of Yeshua. So... I don't know, it was hard to really take the guy seriously when he either doesn't know the Word or doesn't believe it.
Review Date: 2/2/2024
Wow, this was exceptionally bad.
At times I thought maybe it just translated bad... Like maybe this award-winning story really was fantastic in the Japanese but this translator was merely 10 years old so I should give him some credit. But no, I think the story is just bad. Unless the author is 10 years old --- in which case I'd say, keep going, buddy!
I'm usually a sucker for a book about a bookshop and that's why I picked this one up at Barnes and Noble a few days ago. I think it's important to read works by people from cultures very different from me and for that, I give this book 1-star. I appreciate the opportunity to read books translated from other languages. I appreciate that people will do the work of translation. But this book sucks and there's just no getting around that.
There is no story, no plot. There is no character development. At. All. Takako is the flattest character I've encountered lately and her interactions with her aunt and uncle grossed me right out. He is way too creepily attached, she (aunt) is just slightly less creepy because she is not so attached. Takako lets life happen to her and slumps like a pile of regurgitated phlegm at every opportunity.
So I wondered... maybe all the beautiful, award-winning, magical nuances are just lost in translation. But then I get to chapter 3 and realize. Nope. It still just sucks. Chapter 3 is the climactic turning point at which angsty 16-year-old teenage boy writing turns to obnoxious, middle-school kid picking his nose and not showering for a week writing.
Well, that's about all I got for tonight. If you thought this review was stupid, wait 'til you read this book.
At times I thought maybe it just translated bad... Like maybe this award-winning story really was fantastic in the Japanese but this translator was merely 10 years old so I should give him some credit. But no, I think the story is just bad. Unless the author is 10 years old --- in which case I'd say, keep going, buddy!
I'm usually a sucker for a book about a bookshop and that's why I picked this one up at Barnes and Noble a few days ago. I think it's important to read works by people from cultures very different from me and for that, I give this book 1-star. I appreciate the opportunity to read books translated from other languages. I appreciate that people will do the work of translation. But this book sucks and there's just no getting around that.
There is no story, no plot. There is no character development. At. All. Takako is the flattest character I've encountered lately and her interactions with her aunt and uncle grossed me right out. He is way too creepily attached, she (aunt) is just slightly less creepy because she is not so attached. Takako lets life happen to her and slumps like a pile of regurgitated phlegm at every opportunity.
So I wondered... maybe all the beautiful, award-winning, magical nuances are just lost in translation. But then I get to chapter 3 and realize. Nope. It still just sucks. Chapter 3 is the climactic turning point at which angsty 16-year-old teenage boy writing turns to obnoxious, middle-school kid picking his nose and not showering for a week writing.
Well, that's about all I got for tonight. If you thought this review was stupid, wait 'til you read this book.
Desire of the Everlasting Hills : The World Before and After Jesus (Hinges of History)
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
29
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
29
Review Date: 12/26/2021
I found very little redeeming about this book and finally abandoned it about 2/3 through.
The author has a very secular understanding of the Bible and Jewish history. He misses half the point, the whole point, and all of the beauty most of the time. His chapters on the life of Jesus were full of mocking untruths and misunderstandings. I get the overall impression that this author calls himself a "Christian" but I'd love to read something like this from an actual whole Bible believer.
Even taking into consideration his odd sense of humor (at one point I wrote in my notes: "it takes a bit to get his humor. I think I'm probably more sensitive than I should be with some of his points.") his very skewed interpretation of the impact of Jesus and the Bible makes this book extremely disappointing. In fact, looking over his biography, this is the perfect of someone who hears the word, studies the word, (paid good, good money to learn the Hebrew Bible even), but completely misses the message.
I often wondered, "is he actually a respected historian?" (He describes martyrdom as a genre of mythology.) I couldn't get past the screwy interpretations that Paul and the first century church were not encouraging their followers to follow Torah. The author misunderstands, misinterprets, and misrepresents Torah throughout. It takes more than big words and reputation to make a scholar. This one can't get his own theology straight, saying on one page that 2 Timothy couldn't possibly have been written by Paul but on the next page encouraging us to imagine Paul âthinking, as he wrote in Second Timothyâ¦â. Ok then.
He relegates Revelation to a silly fun mystery story written by a bored John in exile. He cracks the 666 code for us (oh thank you, wise scholar!) and explains (with a "big duh!!! mentality) that it merely refers to Nero. News flash: 666 using gematria also works for several phrases including the name Barak Obama, Prince Arthur, Thomas Cruise, and "This is a Hoax". When whoever this person is is actually revealed, this passage will be made clear, just as the ones about the delivery of the mark of the beast or the fact that the whole world will look on the dead witnesses were made more understandable once technology caught up and revealed possible scenarios.
The nonsense probably didn't stop there, but that's where I stopped. I can't stomach this "scholarly" misrepresented garbage. I'd encourage potential readers to save time and do their own research. Much of what he talks about is common knowledge of history---this book was more about furthering the enemy's secular agenda disguised as modern day Christianity.
The author has a very secular understanding of the Bible and Jewish history. He misses half the point, the whole point, and all of the beauty most of the time. His chapters on the life of Jesus were full of mocking untruths and misunderstandings. I get the overall impression that this author calls himself a "Christian" but I'd love to read something like this from an actual whole Bible believer.
Even taking into consideration his odd sense of humor (at one point I wrote in my notes: "it takes a bit to get his humor. I think I'm probably more sensitive than I should be with some of his points.") his very skewed interpretation of the impact of Jesus and the Bible makes this book extremely disappointing. In fact, looking over his biography, this is the perfect of someone who hears the word, studies the word, (paid good, good money to learn the Hebrew Bible even), but completely misses the message.
I often wondered, "is he actually a respected historian?" (He describes martyrdom as a genre of mythology.) I couldn't get past the screwy interpretations that Paul and the first century church were not encouraging their followers to follow Torah. The author misunderstands, misinterprets, and misrepresents Torah throughout. It takes more than big words and reputation to make a scholar. This one can't get his own theology straight, saying on one page that 2 Timothy couldn't possibly have been written by Paul but on the next page encouraging us to imagine Paul âthinking, as he wrote in Second Timothyâ¦â. Ok then.
He relegates Revelation to a silly fun mystery story written by a bored John in exile. He cracks the 666 code for us (oh thank you, wise scholar!) and explains (with a "big duh!!! mentality) that it merely refers to Nero. News flash: 666 using gematria also works for several phrases including the name Barak Obama, Prince Arthur, Thomas Cruise, and "This is a Hoax". When whoever this person is is actually revealed, this passage will be made clear, just as the ones about the delivery of the mark of the beast or the fact that the whole world will look on the dead witnesses were made more understandable once technology caught up and revealed possible scenarios.
The nonsense probably didn't stop there, but that's where I stopped. I can't stomach this "scholarly" misrepresented garbage. I'd encourage potential readers to save time and do their own research. Much of what he talks about is common knowledge of history---this book was more about furthering the enemy's secular agenda disguised as modern day Christianity.
Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus (Hinges of History, Bk 3)
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
12
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
12
Review Date: 12/26/2021
Helpful Score: 1
I found very little redeeming about this book and finally abandoned it about 2/3 through.
The author has a very secular understanding of the Bible and Jewish history. He misses half the point, the whole point, and all of the beauty most of the time. His chapters on the life of Jesus were full of mocking untruths and misunderstandings. I get the overall impression that this author calls himself a "Christian" but I'd love to read something like this from an actual whole Bible believer.
Even taking into consideration his odd sense of humor (at one point I wrote in my notes: "it takes a bit to get his humor. I think I'm probably more sensitive than I should be with some of his points.") his very skewed interpretation of the impact of Jesus and the Bible makes this book extremely disappointing. In fact, looking over his biography, this is the perfect of someone who hears the word, studies the word, (paid good, good money to learn the Hebrew Bible even), but completely misses the message.
I often wondered, "is he actually a respected historian?" (He describes martyrdom as a genre of mythology.) I couldn't get past the screwy interpretations that Paul and the first century church were not encouraging their followers to follow Torah. The author misunderstands, misinterprets, and misrepresents Torah throughout. It takes more than big words and reputation to make a scholar. This one can't get his own theology straight, saying on one page that 2 Timothy couldn't possibly have been written by Paul but on the next page encouraging us to imagine Paul âthinking, as he wrote in Second Timothyâ¦â. Ok then.
He relegates Revelation to a silly fun mystery story written by a bored John in exile. He cracks the 666 code for us (oh thank you, wise scholar!) and explains (with a "big duh!!! mentality) that it merely refers to Nero. News flash: 666 using gematria also works for several phrases including the name Barak Obama, Prince Arthur, Thomas Cruise, and "This is a Hoax". When whoever this person is is actually revealed, this passage will be made clear, just as the ones about the delivery of the mark of the beast or the fact that the whole world will look on the dead witnesses were made more understandable once technology caught up and revealed possible scenarios.
The nonsense probably didn't stop there, but that's where I stopped. I can't stomach this "scholarly" misrepresented garbage. I'd encourage potential readers to save time and do their own research. Much of what he talks about is common knowledge of history---this book was more about furthering the enemy's secular agenda disguised as modern day Christianity.
The author has a very secular understanding of the Bible and Jewish history. He misses half the point, the whole point, and all of the beauty most of the time. His chapters on the life of Jesus were full of mocking untruths and misunderstandings. I get the overall impression that this author calls himself a "Christian" but I'd love to read something like this from an actual whole Bible believer.
Even taking into consideration his odd sense of humor (at one point I wrote in my notes: "it takes a bit to get his humor. I think I'm probably more sensitive than I should be with some of his points.") his very skewed interpretation of the impact of Jesus and the Bible makes this book extremely disappointing. In fact, looking over his biography, this is the perfect of someone who hears the word, studies the word, (paid good, good money to learn the Hebrew Bible even), but completely misses the message.
I often wondered, "is he actually a respected historian?" (He describes martyrdom as a genre of mythology.) I couldn't get past the screwy interpretations that Paul and the first century church were not encouraging their followers to follow Torah. The author misunderstands, misinterprets, and misrepresents Torah throughout. It takes more than big words and reputation to make a scholar. This one can't get his own theology straight, saying on one page that 2 Timothy couldn't possibly have been written by Paul but on the next page encouraging us to imagine Paul âthinking, as he wrote in Second Timothyâ¦â. Ok then.
He relegates Revelation to a silly fun mystery story written by a bored John in exile. He cracks the 666 code for us (oh thank you, wise scholar!) and explains (with a "big duh!!! mentality) that it merely refers to Nero. News flash: 666 using gematria also works for several phrases including the name Barak Obama, Prince Arthur, Thomas Cruise, and "This is a Hoax". When whoever this person is is actually revealed, this passage will be made clear, just as the ones about the delivery of the mark of the beast or the fact that the whole world will look on the dead witnesses were made more understandable once technology caught up and revealed possible scenarios.
The nonsense probably didn't stop there, but that's where I stopped. I can't stomach this "scholarly" misrepresented garbage. I'd encourage potential readers to save time and do their own research. Much of what he talks about is common knowledge of history---this book was more about furthering the enemy's secular agenda disguised as modern day Christianity.
The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child: Your Complete Guide to Getting Off to the Right Start
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
25
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
25
Review Date: 7/29/2006
great guide for homeschooling
Review Date: 7/22/2006
I have not read this book
Review Date: 7/22/2006
I have not read this book
Review Date: 7/29/2006
love lucado
Review Date: 7/29/2006
haven't read...looks good
Review Date: 2/13/2022
Helpful Score: 1
I absolutely hated this book with every ounce in me.
This is literally the most depressing book I've ever read---there is absolutely nothing redeeming about it whatsoever. No positive spins, no lighthearted anything, just depression on top of oppression. It's a disgusting story about child abuse and evil-possessed people and I won't even dignify it with details...except for this one that has turned me off this author forever:
At the back of the book, there's an "interview with the author". The second question says, "what looks like a story about child abuse ends up being about animal cruelty too." The author goes on to address the issue of animal abuse. No where in this interview does she ever address child abuse. The discussion questions that come after are flippant about the issue. This book is disgusting and no one wants to talk deeply about it. It's sick that someone could read this and get their kicks.
NEVER will I read or recommend this author. I'm crawling back into my hole---this world disgusts me.
This is literally the most depressing book I've ever read---there is absolutely nothing redeeming about it whatsoever. No positive spins, no lighthearted anything, just depression on top of oppression. It's a disgusting story about child abuse and evil-possessed people and I won't even dignify it with details...except for this one that has turned me off this author forever:
At the back of the book, there's an "interview with the author". The second question says, "what looks like a story about child abuse ends up being about animal cruelty too." The author goes on to address the issue of animal abuse. No where in this interview does she ever address child abuse. The discussion questions that come after are flippant about the issue. This book is disgusting and no one wants to talk deeply about it. It's sick that someone could read this and get their kicks.
NEVER will I read or recommend this author. I'm crawling back into my hole---this world disgusts me.
Review Date: 11/28/2006
Some filthy language...
Review Date: 7/29/2006
we liked it
Review Date: 7/22/2006
haven't read
Review Date: 8/31/2024
This book tops the list of the worst books I've read in the last 10 years. Granted, I'm not at all the target audience --- but there's So. Much. More. Read on...
I used to devour Christian fiction books --- two or three to a weekend, two or three during the week. The past six or seven years, though, I've really struggled as they've seemed more and more shallow and juvenile. This book is the second of five that I've chosen to read through over the next couple weeks in an attempt to see if Christian fiction has improved since I decided to give up on it. It 100% goes above and beyond all the reasons I stopped reading the genre. When I'm through with this mind-numbing experiment, I'll report the results on my YouTube channel, Belle's Library.
One of the questions I'm asking myself during this project is, what makes a book considered to be Christian or inspirational fiction in this generation? Is it put on that shelf in the bookshop because of its lack of content or its inclusion of content? Is it just clean or is it specifically Christian? In the case of this story, I think it's just put there because it's somewhat "clean" and the author has been writing for this genre for a long time. There's nothing at all specifically Biblical about this story except a few little one or two sentence hints that finding God made Theo's brother nice now. Do we ever see this transformation? We only have the brother's biased word to go on⦠but still it's definitely not an evangelical story. The only time faith is discussed at any depth is with the wife who repeatedly blames herself for bringing her husband to Christ. If he wouldn't have become a Christian, he wouldn't be putting his life at risk in order to right previous wrongs and live with integrity. WHAT??!!! This seems to be a case of Jesus-lite, making sure we don't offend a reader and come across as too churchy for the lukewarm.
Yet, "clean" is relative and it was disappointing to see yet another "Christian" male author show his grossness and lack of integrity by both separating out the pretty girls from the "square-faced and large ones", as well as by being overly-0bsessed with the color of everyone's skin. âHer skin was the shade of sourwood honeyâ. What the heck is that? Not only is that a stupid description, this gives me no mental picture, buddy. When I look up sourwood honey, I see translucent orange --- that's kind of creepy for a skin tone. The sexy sleuthy sidekick gets to have âslightly parted lipsâ and a âsmoky gazeâ. (She doesn't just look at stuff, she gazes. She's gazed three times in two pages.) This is surely due to the fact that she's got not an âounce of spare flesh on her lovely frameâ. I wonder why the girl-that's-a-friend back in chapter two or Gloria of chapter 22 don't get all these fascinating descriptive words. Oh yeah, because they're at least 10 years older than the guyâ¦
Nothing in this book feels fleshed out.. it's almost like someone said, âQuick! We need a pandemic story that promotes vaccines and âtruth from leadershipâ before March 2020!â Check out this fun bit of dialogue:
âThe one part of the process over which Kenneth has no control is human trials,â Avery went on. âThe process is incredibly complex. And expensive. Bringing a new drug to market costs on average over a quarter of a billion dollars. More than half of this cost comes in the human-trial phase.â
âIt's stupid,â Claudia said, âthe bureaucratic nightmare they have to endure when introducing a new drug to the FDA.â
Avery said, âBut there's a group of us working in immunology who think a significant outbreak will change all that. One that's soon to come.â
âMakes sense,â Della agreed. âIf millions of people are threatened, the population won't allow the bureaucrats to slow things down.â
âBishop Industries was secretly preparing for this event,â Avery said.
If I would have read this as a new release in 2019, I would have no idea what any of that meant. Now it explains so much. Wonder how this author feels now that the rushed Covid vaccine has caused so much devastation? Conclusion: either this is a story that just definitely has not aged well⦠or it was a story on purpose.
In addition to a just plain stupid story, the writing and editing are horrendous. Within the first 30 seconds I was rolling my eyes at the sentence(s) being started with the word, "which". Just to make sure I wasn't being old fashioned, I looked it up. The modern online grammar manual says it's not proper but is sometimes used stylistically for effect. The word was used to begin a sentence four times in the first chapter. I counted 16 times throughout the book. Who knows how many times it actually happened? That's not stylistic, that's sloppy. The book is comprised of about 9,000 choppy boring sentences and ridiculous phrases such as, âif nowhere had a naval, this would be itâ; and â_____ shivered at the warm-cold taste of her lips.â Warm and cold are opposites and neither have a taste. Plus, ew.
But most of all, this author needs to know that âspider senseâ is not a thing unless you are Spiderman. No one in this book is exhibiting Spiderman-like qualities. It's definitely not a thing to be mentioned SIX times in a novel. Are we sure this isn't actually Dan Brown masquerading as a hormonal teenager?
This story gets half a star because I think the chapter page illustrations are cool. They start out with tiny germs on the page and as each chapter goes on, more and more germs are spreading across the page. Too bad the creative page designer guy didn't get to write this story.
I used to devour Christian fiction books --- two or three to a weekend, two or three during the week. The past six or seven years, though, I've really struggled as they've seemed more and more shallow and juvenile. This book is the second of five that I've chosen to read through over the next couple weeks in an attempt to see if Christian fiction has improved since I decided to give up on it. It 100% goes above and beyond all the reasons I stopped reading the genre. When I'm through with this mind-numbing experiment, I'll report the results on my YouTube channel, Belle's Library.
One of the questions I'm asking myself during this project is, what makes a book considered to be Christian or inspirational fiction in this generation? Is it put on that shelf in the bookshop because of its lack of content or its inclusion of content? Is it just clean or is it specifically Christian? In the case of this story, I think it's just put there because it's somewhat "clean" and the author has been writing for this genre for a long time. There's nothing at all specifically Biblical about this story except a few little one or two sentence hints that finding God made Theo's brother nice now. Do we ever see this transformation? We only have the brother's biased word to go on⦠but still it's definitely not an evangelical story. The only time faith is discussed at any depth is with the wife who repeatedly blames herself for bringing her husband to Christ. If he wouldn't have become a Christian, he wouldn't be putting his life at risk in order to right previous wrongs and live with integrity. WHAT??!!! This seems to be a case of Jesus-lite, making sure we don't offend a reader and come across as too churchy for the lukewarm.
Yet, "clean" is relative and it was disappointing to see yet another "Christian" male author show his grossness and lack of integrity by both separating out the pretty girls from the "square-faced and large ones", as well as by being overly-0bsessed with the color of everyone's skin. âHer skin was the shade of sourwood honeyâ. What the heck is that? Not only is that a stupid description, this gives me no mental picture, buddy. When I look up sourwood honey, I see translucent orange --- that's kind of creepy for a skin tone. The sexy sleuthy sidekick gets to have âslightly parted lipsâ and a âsmoky gazeâ. (She doesn't just look at stuff, she gazes. She's gazed three times in two pages.) This is surely due to the fact that she's got not an âounce of spare flesh on her lovely frameâ. I wonder why the girl-that's-a-friend back in chapter two or Gloria of chapter 22 don't get all these fascinating descriptive words. Oh yeah, because they're at least 10 years older than the guyâ¦
Nothing in this book feels fleshed out.. it's almost like someone said, âQuick! We need a pandemic story that promotes vaccines and âtruth from leadershipâ before March 2020!â Check out this fun bit of dialogue:
âThe one part of the process over which Kenneth has no control is human trials,â Avery went on. âThe process is incredibly complex. And expensive. Bringing a new drug to market costs on average over a quarter of a billion dollars. More than half of this cost comes in the human-trial phase.â
âIt's stupid,â Claudia said, âthe bureaucratic nightmare they have to endure when introducing a new drug to the FDA.â
Avery said, âBut there's a group of us working in immunology who think a significant outbreak will change all that. One that's soon to come.â
âMakes sense,â Della agreed. âIf millions of people are threatened, the population won't allow the bureaucrats to slow things down.â
âBishop Industries was secretly preparing for this event,â Avery said.
If I would have read this as a new release in 2019, I would have no idea what any of that meant. Now it explains so much. Wonder how this author feels now that the rushed Covid vaccine has caused so much devastation? Conclusion: either this is a story that just definitely has not aged well⦠or it was a story on purpose.
In addition to a just plain stupid story, the writing and editing are horrendous. Within the first 30 seconds I was rolling my eyes at the sentence(s) being started with the word, "which". Just to make sure I wasn't being old fashioned, I looked it up. The modern online grammar manual says it's not proper but is sometimes used stylistically for effect. The word was used to begin a sentence four times in the first chapter. I counted 16 times throughout the book. Who knows how many times it actually happened? That's not stylistic, that's sloppy. The book is comprised of about 9,000 choppy boring sentences and ridiculous phrases such as, âif nowhere had a naval, this would be itâ; and â_____ shivered at the warm-cold taste of her lips.â Warm and cold are opposites and neither have a taste. Plus, ew.
But most of all, this author needs to know that âspider senseâ is not a thing unless you are Spiderman. No one in this book is exhibiting Spiderman-like qualities. It's definitely not a thing to be mentioned SIX times in a novel. Are we sure this isn't actually Dan Brown masquerading as a hormonal teenager?
This story gets half a star because I think the chapter page illustrations are cool. They start out with tiny germs on the page and as each chapter goes on, more and more germs are spreading across the page. Too bad the creative page designer guy didn't get to write this story.
Review Date: 7/29/2006
haven't read...looks good
Review Date: 2/12/2024
This was a five-star read for me clear up to near the end where the secrets start to be revealed and then... "Wait, WHAT?!! What is happening?? Whoa. No. NO NO NO!!! You're ruining it! NO! Oh no, there you go again! Stop! STOPPPP!"
I found out about this book through Katie's BookTube channel and couldn't wait to get my hands on it as I really respect her book choices and I just all around like her. A Victorian gothic with an irresistible cover --- Yes!
I loved it from page one and was so engrossed with her excellent storytelling and flawless writing style that it felt like a door slammed me in the face when she started to reveal the novel's secrets. One after another they snowballed toward me, faster than I could keep up, and I ended the story feeling shocked, betrayed, frustrated... I feel like Margaret's character completely changed in the span of minutes --- the entire tone of the story was turned on its head. The whole thing just broke my heart and I'm seriously bummed.
Bummed.
I found out about this book through Katie's BookTube channel and couldn't wait to get my hands on it as I really respect her book choices and I just all around like her. A Victorian gothic with an irresistible cover --- Yes!
I loved it from page one and was so engrossed with her excellent storytelling and flawless writing style that it felt like a door slammed me in the face when she started to reveal the novel's secrets. One after another they snowballed toward me, faster than I could keep up, and I ended the story feeling shocked, betrayed, frustrated... I feel like Margaret's character completely changed in the span of minutes --- the entire tone of the story was turned on its head. The whole thing just broke my heart and I'm seriously bummed.
Bummed.
Review Date: 8/31/2024
I used to devour Christian fiction books --- two or three to a weekend, two or three during the week. The past six or seven years, though, I've really struggled as they've seemed more and more shallow and juvenile. This book is one of five that I've chosen to read through over the next couple weeks in an attempt to see if Christian fiction has improved since I decided to give up on it. After reading this first book, I'm wondering if the problem isn't so much the genre as it is the depth. Perhaps I've moved on to a season where I thrive on more literary material. In any case, I'll report the results on my YouTube channel, Belle's Library.
Style wise, I found the writing frustratingly filled with fills, fillers, and fillings. The âactionâ, a term that is relative and questionable in this case, doesn't show up for 150 pages. I was bogged down by the many characters introduced too quickly and quite frustrated by the extremely slow start. At over 250 pages, I noted that I definitely would have DNF'd the book by that point if I hadn't already committed to reading it for my project.
For an author that often claims to be inspired by Jane Austen, I found it ironic that the story contained several elements that Austen actually would have parodied. The "nervous table napkin" of page 48, the maid being so ready to let someone pose as her and risk losing her needed position of employment, the coincidence of the nuns which began in chapter 20. Even a character hangs a lantern on the idea that it'd be unlikely there'd be two nuns running around. Most of all, though, is the use of made up sanitized Regency Christian curse words. âThunder and turf!â Who says that??!! No 18th or 19th century story I've read uses such ridiculous terms. I can't honestly believe these are authentic curse words. They used the same words we do. I'm going to guess these come purely (a little too purely) from Georgette Heyer's imagination. This is probably a pet peeve --- but it's a huge pet that flings its nasty slobber around the room every time it shakes its overgrown head.
My final complaint comes about 300 pages in when I start to think maybe the story is growing on me. Then Rebecca responds to her brother and his sin in a way that is so lenient and not normal, promoting dangerous toxic relationships even. I don't know if this is a common trope now in this genre, but it's not the first time I've been disgusted by this over-extension of grace. (Talking to you Jaime Jo Wright!!)
One huge plus for this author is the way she handles differences in mental illness well, making a distinction between those who are certifiably insane and need life-long supervisory care vs. those who are dealing with heavy depression or trauma and need temporary care. I believe her solutions for depression are Biblical and I was happy to see those promoted.
The majority of this story annoyed and bored me; though the last 40 pages or so wrapped up to a satisfying, if not easily discerned, ending. Many of Rebecca's thoughts and decisions irritated me; though when I tried to look at her situation with more grace and less logic, I found that she did eventually summon the strength to make the decisions that were best for everyone and I admired that strong finale.
One of the questions I'm asking myself during this project is, what makes a book considered to be Christian or inspirational fiction in this generation? Is it put on that shelf in the bookshop because of its lack of content or its inclusion of content? Is it just clean or is it specifically Christian? In the case of this story, I would argue it is specifically Christian. We see flaws resolved based on Biblical principles. We see honor given to YHWH as the only God. The two terms I throw around for this genre, "contrived" and "preachy" did not so much apply to this story, when considered as a whole. While some scenes came together just a little too easily, overall I see this as a simple, solid story.
Style wise, I found the writing frustratingly filled with fills, fillers, and fillings. The âactionâ, a term that is relative and questionable in this case, doesn't show up for 150 pages. I was bogged down by the many characters introduced too quickly and quite frustrated by the extremely slow start. At over 250 pages, I noted that I definitely would have DNF'd the book by that point if I hadn't already committed to reading it for my project.
For an author that often claims to be inspired by Jane Austen, I found it ironic that the story contained several elements that Austen actually would have parodied. The "nervous table napkin" of page 48, the maid being so ready to let someone pose as her and risk losing her needed position of employment, the coincidence of the nuns which began in chapter 20. Even a character hangs a lantern on the idea that it'd be unlikely there'd be two nuns running around. Most of all, though, is the use of made up sanitized Regency Christian curse words. âThunder and turf!â Who says that??!! No 18th or 19th century story I've read uses such ridiculous terms. I can't honestly believe these are authentic curse words. They used the same words we do. I'm going to guess these come purely (a little too purely) from Georgette Heyer's imagination. This is probably a pet peeve --- but it's a huge pet that flings its nasty slobber around the room every time it shakes its overgrown head.
My final complaint comes about 300 pages in when I start to think maybe the story is growing on me. Then Rebecca responds to her brother and his sin in a way that is so lenient and not normal, promoting dangerous toxic relationships even. I don't know if this is a common trope now in this genre, but it's not the first time I've been disgusted by this over-extension of grace. (Talking to you Jaime Jo Wright!!)
One huge plus for this author is the way she handles differences in mental illness well, making a distinction between those who are certifiably insane and need life-long supervisory care vs. those who are dealing with heavy depression or trauma and need temporary care. I believe her solutions for depression are Biblical and I was happy to see those promoted.
The majority of this story annoyed and bored me; though the last 40 pages or so wrapped up to a satisfying, if not easily discerned, ending. Many of Rebecca's thoughts and decisions irritated me; though when I tried to look at her situation with more grace and less logic, I found that she did eventually summon the strength to make the decisions that were best for everyone and I admired that strong finale.
One of the questions I'm asking myself during this project is, what makes a book considered to be Christian or inspirational fiction in this generation? Is it put on that shelf in the bookshop because of its lack of content or its inclusion of content? Is it just clean or is it specifically Christian? In the case of this story, I would argue it is specifically Christian. We see flaws resolved based on Biblical principles. We see honor given to YHWH as the only God. The two terms I throw around for this genre, "contrived" and "preachy" did not so much apply to this story, when considered as a whole. While some scenes came together just a little too easily, overall I see this as a simple, solid story.
Review Date: 9/6/2024
While I did find this book valuable in a few ways, it definitely had its frustrations.
My main issue is how the author tells the stories of these four women. Rather than telling them one by one, on a timeline that helps the reader follow and keep their stories separate, she tells them on a chronological timeline. This means she's switching from woman to woman, telling what they're doing in each era of this timeline, but mercilessly confusing the reader who is likely new to at least most of their stories. The author knows these stories are new to most readers --- that's her reason for writing the book. Why would she make this so difficult? While we were still in the era of Queen Elizabeth I, I was tracking pretty good. After that, she lost me. Next time I read this, I'll be sure to hop around and read each woman's story fully before moving on to the next.
Secondly, I think these women were praised a little too highly for their "bravery" in developing their writing "careers". Regardless of the times, most of these women neglected their families to write. Not ok. As a writing mom of nine, I've been waiting a lonnnng time for that "room of one's own" to be able to write uninterrupted. There is a time for everything and this is not yet fully my time. I have a hard time respecting a parent who sets aside parenting to pursue their own interests.
Still, I think this is a great resource for Renaissance history and I know I will read back through it at least one more time. In the meantime, I'll be looking for works by these women which are finally in print again after all these centuries.
For more, visit my BookTube Channel, Belle's Library.
My main issue is how the author tells the stories of these four women. Rather than telling them one by one, on a timeline that helps the reader follow and keep their stories separate, she tells them on a chronological timeline. This means she's switching from woman to woman, telling what they're doing in each era of this timeline, but mercilessly confusing the reader who is likely new to at least most of their stories. The author knows these stories are new to most readers --- that's her reason for writing the book. Why would she make this so difficult? While we were still in the era of Queen Elizabeth I, I was tracking pretty good. After that, she lost me. Next time I read this, I'll be sure to hop around and read each woman's story fully before moving on to the next.
Secondly, I think these women were praised a little too highly for their "bravery" in developing their writing "careers". Regardless of the times, most of these women neglected their families to write. Not ok. As a writing mom of nine, I've been waiting a lonnnng time for that "room of one's own" to be able to write uninterrupted. There is a time for everything and this is not yet fully my time. I have a hard time respecting a parent who sets aside parenting to pursue their own interests.
Still, I think this is a great resource for Renaissance history and I know I will read back through it at least one more time. In the meantime, I'll be looking for works by these women which are finally in print again after all these centuries.
For more, visit my BookTube Channel, Belle's Library.
Review Date: 7/29/2006
haven't read...looks good
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