Scan barcode
colleengal7's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Get ready to cry happy mad and sad tears. Ends happy though! The author did it again!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Abandonment, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Beautifully written story of a small town girl making it big in Hollywood but felt unloved and unseen throughout. She learns God chases her and always loves hermidwifereading's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sad to say that this is the first and only Francine Rivers book that disappointed me. Her writing style is as lovely as ever, and her ability to help me empathize with the characters is still there. It's just...it was too easy. Too convenient. It was beginning to remind me a bit of Redeeming Love, but then it just, fell away.
I am one who doesn't mind predictability in a book, especially if an author can still move me, even if I know what's coming.
I felt less and less moved as the book went on. And by the end, I found myself unable to believe it any more.
And that makes me sad.
I am one who doesn't mind predictability in a book, especially if an author can still move me, even if I know what's coming.
I felt less and less moved as the book went on. And by the end, I found myself unable to believe it any more.
And that makes me sad.
debs4jc's review against another edition
4.0
Abra's life has been a struggle since the day she was born. Abandoned by her birth mother under a bridge, Abra's life was saved by Pastor Zeke. Pastor Zeke and his wife adopted Abra and things went well for a while. But the Pastor Zeke's wife - who had been in failing health already when they adopted Abra - dies and Abra is left full of grief and guilt. Did the strain of caring for her help cause her adoptive mother's death? Then Pastor Zeke decides that he cannot give the time needed to care for Abra on his own, and sends her to live with another family. You can guess she is going to have issues after that, and indeed she runs off to the Hollywood area with a man who entices her when she is a teenager. Try as they might, the people who love her from back home can't track her down for a while. It isn't until she is discovered by a talent agent and turns up on the big screen that the realize what has happened to her. Will Abra ever return to them?
This was a good examination of the factors that might cause someone to become entrapped in an abusive relationship, as Abra does with the men who are only after her for her beauty and talent. There was a nice contrast as the people who truly loved her for who she was were eventually able to break through to her and help her see that she was already loved (by them as well as by God) and did need to go looking for it elsewhere. Definitely work the read, it's an engaging and eye-opening story.
This was a good examination of the factors that might cause someone to become entrapped in an abusive relationship, as Abra does with the men who are only after her for her beauty and talent. There was a nice contrast as the people who truly loved her for who she was were eventually able to break through to her and help her see that she was already loved (by them as well as by God) and did need to go looking for it elsewhere. Definitely work the read, it's an engaging and eye-opening story.
oneenglishteacher's review against another edition
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lanayagraham's review against another edition
3.0
This was a tough read. It's a bit too sad and drawn out for my taste. However, i did feel like the ending redeemed it
breathehopebooks's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
I loved the Hollywood aspect and while I did expect it to be more prevalent in the story i'm glad it wasn't. I love this time period because there was much going on historically (politically, culturally, socially, etc) and i appreciated that Rivers incorporated so much of that into the novel.
I thought Abra was a good character; she was stubborn and thought she knew everything but then whenever she acted naive i would be like, "oh, honey, no."
I think it's super cool how this book was inspired by the book of Ezekiel. Like, duh, Pastor Zeke!
My only gripe is that there's one character i really liked who we don't know what really happens to them at the very end so yeah, i was bit frustrated by that.
Also Joshua Freeman is bae!
I loved the Hollywood aspect and while I did expect it to be more prevalent in the story i'm glad it wasn't. I love this time period because there was much going on historically (politically, culturally, socially, etc) and i appreciated that Rivers incorporated so much of that into the novel.
I thought Abra was a good character; she was stubborn and thought she knew everything but then whenever she acted naive i would be like, "oh, honey, no."
I think it's super cool how this book was inspired by the book of Ezekiel. Like, duh, Pastor Zeke!
My only gripe is that there's one character i really liked who we don't know what really happens to them at the very end so yeah, i was bit frustrated by that.
Also Joshua Freeman is bae!
curls's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to like this book. I think Francine Rivers is a great author. I have loved earlier works of hers, but Bridge to Haven made me wish this book was more.
I had a big problem with Pastor Zeke taking Abra in his home and treating her as a daughter, but after his wife died, he gave her away. I understand this story needed a reason for Abra to feel neglected and unloved. I felt that in the end, Zeke could have shown a little more sympathy or understanding that he played a big role in the reasons that Abra was so messed up. When Zeke kept Joshua but gave away his daughter, it reinforced the idea that Abra was expendable. If Zeke and Marianne had been childless and the stress of raising Abra had weakened Marianne's heart, it would have made Zeke's sacrifice of giving up his only child so she could have a family more poignant and more relatable. Giving away the foster child to raise your own biological son was done so callously that in another genre I would have expected Zeke to be a villain.
Another reason I did not like this book was the relationship between Abra and Joshua. Abra was raised as Joshua's little sister for five years until she was adopted by another family. He was literally a big brother in her life, and I could not read about their relationship without it feeling incestuous. If Joshua was a friend Abra grew up with down the street, would the story have changed at all?
Francine Rivers also borrowed heavily from previous works. There are themes that go with retelling the story of the prodigal son and I will not list them here. But there are many things borrowed from Redeeming Love such as:
1) The heroine going by different names representing different personalities Abra/Lena and Sarah/Angel/Mara
2) An internal struggle over having an abortion forced on the heroine
3) The heroine being dominated by controlling men such as Duke, Dylan, and Franklin
4) The hero has no flaws other than a desire to hurt the villain who has damaged the heroine
I felt that Francine Rivers did an excellent job in portraying the struggle adoptees have about fitting in with their family. She handled Abra's perfectionist streaks related to the fear of being given away again very well. The descriptions of Hollywood were charming and enjoyable. Franklin was a very sympathetic villain and one of the more interesting characters in the book. The relationship with Abra and her adoptive sister Penny was unfortunately not well developed. This could have been explored more deeply and made their reunion more heartfelt.
2.5 stars
I had a big problem with Pastor Zeke taking Abra in his home and treating her as a daughter, but after his wife died, he gave her away. I understand this story needed a reason for Abra to feel neglected and unloved. I felt that in the end, Zeke could have shown a little more sympathy or understanding that he played a big role in the reasons that Abra was so messed up. When Zeke kept Joshua but gave away his daughter, it reinforced the idea that Abra was expendable. If Zeke and Marianne had been childless and the stress of raising Abra had weakened Marianne's heart, it would have made Zeke's sacrifice of giving up his only child so she could have a family more poignant and more relatable. Giving away the foster child to raise your own biological son was done so callously that in another genre I would have expected Zeke to be a villain.
Another reason I did not like this book was the relationship between Abra and Joshua. Abra was raised as Joshua's little sister for five years until she was adopted by another family. He was literally a big brother in her life, and I could not read about their relationship without it feeling incestuous. If Joshua was a friend Abra grew up with down the street, would the story have changed at all?
Francine Rivers also borrowed heavily from previous works. There are themes that go with retelling the story of the prodigal son and I will not list them here. But there are many things borrowed from Redeeming Love such as:
1) The heroine going by different names representing different personalities Abra/Lena and Sarah/Angel/Mara
2) An internal struggle over having an abortion forced on the heroine
3) The heroine being dominated by controlling men such as Duke, Dylan, and Franklin
4) The hero has no flaws other than a desire to hurt the villain who has damaged the heroine
I felt that Francine Rivers did an excellent job in portraying the struggle adoptees have about fitting in with their family. She handled Abra's perfectionist streaks related to the fear of being given away again very well. The descriptions of Hollywood were charming and enjoyable. Franklin was a very sympathetic villain and one of the more interesting characters in the book. The relationship with Abra and her adoptive sister Penny was unfortunately not well developed. This could have been explored more deeply and made their reunion more heartfelt.
2.5 stars