Fiction Books - Page 5

Atonement

Ian McEwan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 762 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Reconciliation...Really? 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Websters Dictionary defines atonement as reconciliation, reparation for an offense or injury:satisfaction.
Briony Tallis is a brilliant, fanciful and immature girl of just 13 or so as this book begins. Briony Tallis is a brilliant, celebrated, accomplished writer of 77 as this story ends.

As a reader, I did not understand the title before the last chapter titled "London, 1999".

From the beginning I found this book bumping along with a sluggish story line. Filled with Briony's personality, this story was rather mishapen. I wasn't sure I liked the book. I set it down many times from lack of interest and boredom. Not familiar with the story, I vaguely remembered it had been a movie-never saw it, and thought, never WILL see it.

I hate to not finish a book, so I kept on with reading a few pages each night before bed. (hint, hint)
Somewhere, about three quarters of the way through, the book offered redemption. No pun intended.
The interesting thing is, I couldn't care about the characters. Not until Briony is eighteen and training as a nurse in WWII England does the story start to reveal the treasure.
I can't reveal the ending of this book. It is for each reader to find on his or her own. It may be different for each person, but I found this novel to have been a surprise. I didn't like this story half way through, I have ended the book with a new opinion.
Briony Tallis must atone for her life altering mistake.I like that this author did not make it so simple. Satisfaction complete.

Editorial Review:

On a summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a moment’s flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. But Briony’s incomplete grasp of adult motives and her precocious imagination bring about a crime that will change all their lives, a crime whose repercussions Atonement follows through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century.

When the Soul Mends (Sisters of the Quilt, Book 3)

Cindy Woodsmall

Amazon Price: $11.19 List Price: $13.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: WaterBrook Press Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $7.67

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Returning to the home she fled in disgrace, will Hannah find healing for the wounds of the past?

After receiving a desperate and confusing call from her sister, Hannah Lapp reluctantly returns to the Old Order Amish community of her Pennsylvania childhood.

Having fled in disgrace more than two years earlier, she finally has settled into a satisfying role in the Englischer world. She also has found love and a new family with the wealthy Martin Palmer and the children she is helping him raise. But almost immediately after her arrival in Owl’s Perch, the disapproval of those who ostracized her, including her headstrong father, reopens old wounds.

As Hannah is thrown together with former fiancé Paul Waddell to work for her sister Sarah’s mental health, hidden truths surface about events during Hannah’s absence, and she faces an agonizing decision. Will she choose the Englischer world and the man who restored her hope, or will she heed the call to return to the Plain Life–and perhaps to her first love?

House

Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker

Amazon Price: $7.49 List Price: $25.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Thomas Nelson Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $3.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 282 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Extremely Dissapointed 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I like to find Christian authors for enlightenment combined with entertainment. I have not read any of Ted Dekker other books; however, I have read almost all of Peretti and was disappointed from this book to the point where I would actually write a review. Finished the book like a bad movie just to get it over with.

Editorial Review:

Two couples vacationing in Alabama are pursued by a maniac killer. They flee deep into the woods and take refuge in an old house that has been vacated for years, or so they think. They soon discover that they are not alone and that the killer has purposely lured them to this house. It seems that the killer and the house are somehow working in concert. They try to leave, but the house won’t let them.

After receiving a message in which the killer claims to have killed God and now demands more dead bodies, the couples come to understand that the seeming malevolence of the house mirrors the evil within their own hearts and souls, and that they can only defeat the evil in the house by defeating the evil within themselves.

Sinner: A Paradise Novel (The Books of History Chronicles)

Ted Dekker

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Great Book 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I bought this for my brother-in-law. He really likes Ted Dekker books and he enjoyed this one as well!

Editorial Review:

Some say roll with the punches.  Drift with the tide.  Nothing can stop the inevitability of change.  There was a time when 300 Spartans disagreed with such mindless thinking and stood in the gap.

Now it's time for 3,000 to stand in the gap.

Sinner is the story of Marsuvees Black, a force of raw evil who speaks with wicked persuasion that is far more destrictive than swords or guns.  Beware all who stand in his way.

It's also the story of Billy Rediger and Darcy Lange, two unsuspecting survivors of a research project gone bad, who discover that they are perhaps the two most powerful souls in the land.  Listen to them or pay a terrible price.

And it's the story of Johnny Drake, the one who comes out of the desert and leads the 3,000.  Follow him and die.

Sinner tells the story of a free land where people who worship as they please and say what they believe are suddenly silenced in the name of tolerance.

The Killer Angels

Michael Shaara

List Price: $39.95 By: Audio Partners Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $5.49

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 517 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Beautifully written and a joy to read 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of two books read in my entire lifetime that I consider a masterpiece.

This book's language is sweet, smooth-flowing, stunning in its simplicity and focus. The Battle of Gettysburg is well documented and has been written about since July 4, 1863..... but to someone unversed in warfare and battlefields, it brought home the bravery, certainty and uncertainty, fear, foolishness, conflicts, nobility, and humanity of the men struggling to survive the 3 days in Pennsylvania that turned the tide of the war.

I loved the structure of the novel - alternating chapters among the key figures of the war - Lee, Chamberlain, Longstreet, Buford, Armistead, The Spy, Freemantle. I appreciated the maps, the brief biographical notes at the beginning of the novel and the afterward describing the principal characters lives after the war.

I want to learn more about Longstreet and Chamberlain particularly and want to see Gettysburg.

I'm not sure I could have appreciated this book at any earlier time in my life so am grateful that I've read it now.

Editorial Review:

Here is the sweeping, unforgettable re-creation of The Battle of Gettysburg, the struggle that determined America's future. This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is told from the viewpoints of Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, Joshua Chamberlain, and other historical figures who were present during the four bloodiest and most courageous days of the Civil War. It was the basis for the film, Gettysburg. One of the most acclaimed audiobooks of the past 20 years, The Killer Angels includes music from the film, a full-color battlefield map, and a foreword and afterword by Ronald F. Maxwell, director of the film. George Hearn, who is an Emmy and Tony Award-winning Broadway legend, delivers a stellar performance. The only unabridged recording of this important historical novel. 9 cassettes.

When Crickets Cry (Center Point Premier Fiction (Large Print))

Charles Martin

Amazon Price: $31.95 List Price: $31.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Center Point Large Print Amazon Marketplace: 2 new & used starting at $31.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 66 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

When Crickets Cry 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Where do I begin, our bookclub at Church read this book and it was the first time I read anything by Charles Martin. The book had me from the first page. I was mesmerized by the detail and research Charles put into the book. Saturday our bookclub went to Clayton, GA where the story took place, we ACTUALLY met and got our book signed as well as purchased his latest book. What a class act! He was so personable, honest and has a great memory for names.

We met at Persimmons discussed the book, took pictures and walked where the story began (Savannah and Main). Even took pictures of the cricket box outside of Reeves. We later had lunch on the Lake. It was a wonderful day for us all.

The book hit home in many areas, friendship, forgiveness, love and restoration. I'm personally using this author for Christmas gifts this year and looking forward to reading all his other books. You won't be sorry with this purchase, it's been a long time since I found fiction to be so inspirational! Thank you Charles, the pleasure of meeting you was ours.

MJ

Editorial Review:

A man with a painful past. A child with a doubtful future. And a shared journey toward healing for both their hearts.

It begins on the shaded town square in a sleepy Southern town. A spirited seven-year-old has a brisk business at her lemonade stand. Her latest customer, a bearded stranger, drains his cup and heads to his car, his mind on a boat he's restoring at a nearby lake. But the little girl's pretty yellow dress can't quite hide the ugly scar on her chest. The stranger understands more about it than he wants to admit. And the beat-up bread truck careening around the corner with its radio blaring is about to change the trajectory of both their lives.

Before it's over, they'll both know there are painful reasons why crickets cry...and that miracles lurk around unexpected corners.

In Cold Blood

Truman Capote

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 429 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Commentary on our 21st Century Culture 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I was a child when In Cold Blood was first published but remember the adults in my life talking about this controversial novel. After watching the two recent Truman Capote biopics (Capote and Infamous), I thought I should read it. I was surprised how much this 40+ year old book had to say about the anger, polarization and general lack of civility in today's society. A family is senselessly murdered in a small town in Kansas. Everyone in the town of 6,000 knew this family. After the murderers are apprehended, each minister in this community of 21 churches stood at his pulpit and spokeout AGAINST the capital punishment. Relatives of the slain family wrote a letter published in the local newspaper asking that prosecutors not pursue the death penalty. And when the murderers are returned to Kansas and are walked into the jail for booking, the audience who has gathered for this spectacle stands nearly silent. The town's citizens are relieved that it was strangers who commited this attrocity and they no longer have to eye their neighbors suspiciously. There is little talk of revenge or a sense of closure via the death penalty. What a fascinating view of our society on the cusp of the revolution of the 1960's and 1970's. READ THIS BOOK!

Editorial Review:

This is one of the greatest non-fiction novels from one of America's most talented writers. Agent Al Dewey, of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, has a crime to solve. A horrific crime - the cool slaughter of an entire family of God-fearing farming folk. Blood and hair all over the walls, and only a few dollars missing. All Agent Dewey has are two footprints, four dead bodies and a whole lots of questions, none with easy answers. Truman Capote's brilliant reconstruction of the events and consequences of the murderous November night in 1959 is a superb and gripping mix of journalistic skill and sheer imaginative power.

A Redbird Christmas: A Novel

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 105 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

With the same incomparable style and warm, inviting voice that have made her beloved by millions of readers far and wide, New York Times bestselling author Fannie Flagg has written an enchanting Christmas story of faith and hope for all ages that is sure to become a classic.
Deep in the southernmost part of Alabama, along the banks of a lazy winding river, lies the sleepy little community known as Lost River, a place that time itself seems to have forgotten. After a startling diagnosis from his doctor, Oswald T. Campbell leaves behind the cold and damp of the oncoming Chicago winter to spend what he believes will be his last Christmas in the warm and welcoming town of Lost River. There he meets the postman who delivers mail by boat, the store owner who nurses a broken heart, the ladies of the Mystic Order of the Royal Polka Dots Secret Society, who do clandestine good works. And he meets a little redbird named Jack, who is at the center of this tale of a magical Christmas when something so amazing happened that those who witnessed it have never forgotten it. Once you experience the wonder, you too will never forget A Redbird Christmas.


From the Hardcover edition.

Wizard's First Rule (Bookcassette(r) Edition)

Terry Goodkind

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1364 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

WOW! ABSOLUTLEY wonderful read! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is not meant for readers under 25 in my opinion. Other than that I don't know what's up with all the bad reviews! I thought it was fantastic! I know it had some uncomfortable scenes and may be out on the edge for some mainstream readers, but life is not always comfortable. It doesn't hurt to be taken out of ones comfort zone. It's better in fantacy than in real life. The book also had love, faith, and truth. I will hold alot of things to my heart that this book teaches. Such as, Don't take people at face value, and No matter how bad the situation, there is always a lesson to be learned. Although, I don't think Goodkind means for this to be a book of lessons, some of the lines in the book are worth remembering. I am sooo looking forward to the next adventure and hope Goodwin doesn't let me down. Life is not always easy, even in a fantacy world of wizzards and confessors.

Editorial Review:

Millions of readers the world over have been held spellbound by this valiant tale vividly told.

Now, enter Terry Goodkind’s world, the world of The Sword of Truth.

In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher’s forest sanctuary seeking help...and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence.

In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword-to invoke within himself something more noble. Neither knows that the rules of battle have just changed...or that their time has run out.

This is the beginning. One book. One Rule. Witness the birth of a legend.

"Wonderfully creative, seamless, and stirring."
-Kirkus Reviews

The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times

Pema Chodron, Tami Simon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

impossible 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 8 people found this review helpful.

There is something repellant, even repulsive, about the religious mind. We cannot escape the world, however much we dislike it: it is a violent, often ugly place, dominated by the stupid; and however far we flee from it, these unpleasantries inevitably find us out, we cannot run far enough or fast enough. Show me your attachment to the beautiful and the good, indeed, show me your love of peace, and I will show you beauty adulterated and good compromised; and I will expose your peace as a forgery that hides your hatred of life. The religious mind, when it perceives this contradictory and chaotic quality of existence, sees in it an opportunity to perform a trick of ethical magic. If one is good, if one is clarified, if one is just in every action, if one will only turn the other cheek, behold, nothing will ever die, pain will cease, and the horrible will be rectified. Alas, good friends, the truth is quite otherwise: he who turns his cheek is beaten and crucified. And he who cries for justice, will weep in earnest by way of reckoning.

It is the weak who fear the strong; it is the good who inspire in others evil. In this world one either eats or is eaten, and no amount of sympathy, pity, or compassion will adulterate the predatory core of being itself. And books like this are authored by charlatains, who try to take away your fear by denying the necessity for it.

I give you two instances of this religious magic: Ms. Chodron informs us of an elderly couple living in a gated community in Florida. They fear the violence resulting from poverty of circumstances surrounding them. Ms. Chodron implies that it is the elders who are at fault for the fear they experience, that they must open their arms to the terror around them, that they must become as nothing and embrace the thing they fear. What do they fear? Besides murder? The loss of their culture. The compromise of the quality of their life. Ms. Chodron does not seem to comprehend that pistol shots are exchanged on the freeways in southern Florida; that interracial violence and cross-cultural warfare has come to visit us in our homeland, and that southern Florida is one of its battlegrounds--and even if she does, she has no answer for it, except to say, we should submit to it. Peace is submission. I say that piety like this is suicide: piety does not, can not, will not, nor ever shall bring us peace, except the peace of the grave.

She likewise quotes with great approval Einstein, who faults us all for our consciousness--which, he describes as cut off, selfish, lacking understanding, and unwilling to embrace "the whole of nature". Einstein, good folk, was paid handsomely for his consultations on the development of Atomic Weapons. So much for embracing the "whole of nature" and its fundamental goodness. Saint Einstein, and his good work, the annihilation of millions, and the development of weapons with which his employers can further dominate our lives. So much for Ms. Chodron. She is either stupid or malicious, neither of which is very good for you.

tlt

Editorial Review:

From the bestselling author of "When Things Fall Apart" comes a book that reveals that the secret to cultivating a compassionate heart and an enlightened mind lies in facing what we are most afraid of.