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A review by curls
Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers
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