Waiting For Morning
Karen Kingsbury
So, I want to say that first off this was the first book that caught my attention on the Blogging for Books list of books available for review. It seemed like all the others were either romance (which I can't stand) or else modern devotional books (which I have very little interest in, as a rule). Drunkeness angers me greatly, as I've heard too many stories of what happens when someone gets drunk. So, I was kind of interested in this book. It might not have been one I'd have spent money on, but it was one that had an interesting premise. And it was interesting!
It follows the basic formula of happy family suddenly torn apart by tragedy; anger against God by the main character; a little bit of silly 'romance'; and a happy conclusion. However, Karen Kingsbury is a good writer, and in the pages of this book she packs a lot of tense excitement and emotions. I did feel a few things were theologically shaky, but those things were few and far between. An example of this was when one character tells another character who has walked away from God that God loves her. My response to this would be, "How do you know that God loves this person, if they are showing absolutely no sign of truly being saved?"
But the basic messages in 'Waiting for Morning' are excellent. Christians do suffer, and they suffer terribly at times. Being a Christian is not being 'carried through the skies on flowery beds of ease'. It's a battle, and often times a very long and painful struggle.
At times, the book got a little too much for me, however. I found it hard that a woman like Hannah would completely turn her back on God and deny that He existed. But the last fourth of the book kind of convinced me a bit that it's possible, but that God will always bring His children back, using whatever it takes.
Actually, the last few chapters were the best, but the whole book was good. I could really feel for Hannah and her daughter Jenny, and even for Brian Wesley. I liked Mrs. Cummins a lot.
This book is very good in showing how the legal system works, and I enjoyed that. My heart sank every time there was a delay in bringing the case to trial. I liked how it showed the defense attorney, Mr. Finch, to be a dishonest sleezeball, knowing that his client is guilty but still trying to get him the very lightest sentence possible.
I also very much appreciated that, although forgiveness was emphasized, so was justice. The district attorney is a Christian, and when someone tells him that it doesn't sound very Christian to want to get someone a first degree murder charge, he responds, "My obligation to forgive doesn't erase my obligation to provide punishment. Without rules and penalties, this country would have fallen apart decades ago. I like to think that my job is actually quite Christian."
So, all in all, this was a very good book, which I give four stars out of five. I would love to read the next two books in the series, if at all possible.
I received this book for free through WaterbrookMultnomah's Blogging for Books program, and was not required to give a favorable review.
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
100 Cupboards
So, I had been going to do a post on the winged horses of Belvia, but decided to do this one first.
100 Cupboards is a three book series (it doesn't seem like a trilogy for some reason, but that's what it really is) by N. D. Wilson. It is also the name of the first book in the series. The second book is Dandelion Fire, and the third is The Chestnut King.
I can't remember when I read them last; it wasn't too long ago. Probably some time last year. I just remembered about them being on my Kindle in the archives, so I pulled them out (along with Wilson's non-fantasy book, Leepike Ridge) and started re-reading them.
N. D. Wilson is not your run-of-the-mill author. He is a bit of C. S. Lewis; he has some really good statements to make that don't sound at all preachy, but are very insightful nonetheless.
I haven't finished Dandelion Fire yet, and don't remember enough about book three to write anything about it here, so this will be a review mostly of the first book.
It's about a boy named Henry York, 12 years of age. He has been babied all his life by his parents (although he hardly ever sees them); and is something of a weakling. When his parents are kidnapped and held for ransom in a different country, Henry is sent to stay with his Uncle Frank, Aunt Dotty, and three cousins: Penelope, Henrietta, and Anastasia, in a small town called Henry, Kansas. While sleeping in the attic, Henry finds ninety-nine small doors hidden behind the plaster above his bed and, with Henrietta, he discovers that there are different worlds through many of the cupboards. When Henrietta insists on opening a small door near the bottom, although Henry feels it is evil, things begin to go terribly wrong. And so the stage is set for the rest of the book and the rest of the series.
Most of the first book, in fact all of it except for a few parts, take place in Henry, Kansas. Henry York does things he's never done before: he drinks his first soda, owns his first pocketknife, and rides in the back of a truck for the first time. He begins to find out that the world is not such a boring place as he's always thought. There's a good chemistry between him and his cousins. I think perhaps my favorite cousin is nine year old Anastasia. Henrietta can get a bit annoying, because she just does some really dumb things (even more so in book 2), but I still like her.
I like how the characters (especially the main ones) each have their own personalities, and don't feel like carbon copies of each other, which isn't easy to do when dealing with three sisters who are close in age.
Wilson is a very good writer. I hope to be more like him in my own writing, because he is really good with description, and with those sort of philosophical statements which he scatters throughout these books. A lot of his sentences are almost like poetry.
There are a few things I didn't like; I thought they weren't very appropriate, and I hate it when books that I like a whole lot have these silly things in them. 100 Hundred Cupboards has a preoccupation with the toilet in Henry's uncle's house. It seems like a lot of flushing it and unclogging it goes on. There are a few other things, as well. If you can ignore these, then the book is all good.
There's also some good humor in here. And a raggant. What's a raggant? Well, I ought to let you read and find out for yourself, but I'll tell you just a bit: it's a small, gray animal, sort of like a tiny rhino, but with feathered wings.
So, I highly recommend these books. Just try to ignore the silly parts.
I also learned that they're being made into movies by Beloved Pictures. But the only updates I can find are from last year, so maybe it's been delayed or something. But I'll definitely want to watch them if they do make them.
100 Cupboards is a three book series (it doesn't seem like a trilogy for some reason, but that's what it really is) by N. D. Wilson. It is also the name of the first book in the series. The second book is Dandelion Fire, and the third is The Chestnut King.
I can't remember when I read them last; it wasn't too long ago. Probably some time last year. I just remembered about them being on my Kindle in the archives, so I pulled them out (along with Wilson's non-fantasy book, Leepike Ridge) and started re-reading them.
N. D. Wilson is not your run-of-the-mill author. He is a bit of C. S. Lewis; he has some really good statements to make that don't sound at all preachy, but are very insightful nonetheless.
I haven't finished Dandelion Fire yet, and don't remember enough about book three to write anything about it here, so this will be a review mostly of the first book.
It's about a boy named Henry York, 12 years of age. He has been babied all his life by his parents (although he hardly ever sees them); and is something of a weakling. When his parents are kidnapped and held for ransom in a different country, Henry is sent to stay with his Uncle Frank, Aunt Dotty, and three cousins: Penelope, Henrietta, and Anastasia, in a small town called Henry, Kansas. While sleeping in the attic, Henry finds ninety-nine small doors hidden behind the plaster above his bed and, with Henrietta, he discovers that there are different worlds through many of the cupboards. When Henrietta insists on opening a small door near the bottom, although Henry feels it is evil, things begin to go terribly wrong. And so the stage is set for the rest of the book and the rest of the series.
Most of the first book, in fact all of it except for a few parts, take place in Henry, Kansas. Henry York does things he's never done before: he drinks his first soda, owns his first pocketknife, and rides in the back of a truck for the first time. He begins to find out that the world is not such a boring place as he's always thought. There's a good chemistry between him and his cousins. I think perhaps my favorite cousin is nine year old Anastasia. Henrietta can get a bit annoying, because she just does some really dumb things (even more so in book 2), but I still like her.
I like how the characters (especially the main ones) each have their own personalities, and don't feel like carbon copies of each other, which isn't easy to do when dealing with three sisters who are close in age.
Wilson is a very good writer. I hope to be more like him in my own writing, because he is really good with description, and with those sort of philosophical statements which he scatters throughout these books. A lot of his sentences are almost like poetry.
There are a few things I didn't like; I thought they weren't very appropriate, and I hate it when books that I like a whole lot have these silly things in them. 100 Hundred Cupboards has a preoccupation with the toilet in Henry's uncle's house. It seems like a lot of flushing it and unclogging it goes on. There are a few other things, as well. If you can ignore these, then the book is all good.
There's also some good humor in here. And a raggant. What's a raggant? Well, I ought to let you read and find out for yourself, but I'll tell you just a bit: it's a small, gray animal, sort of like a tiny rhino, but with feathered wings.
So, I highly recommend these books. Just try to ignore the silly parts.
I also learned that they're being made into movies by Beloved Pictures. But the only updates I can find are from last year, so maybe it's been delayed or something. But I'll definitely want to watch them if they do make them.
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