Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Christian fiction

She had me at hello

It’s not often that I’m totally committed to a novel in the first few pages. When a friend loaned me Susan May Warren’s My Foolish Heart, I agreed to read it, like a couple of others this summer, for the Tyndale Summer Reading Program. For that reason, alone, I usually give the book more time to grow on me, or I resolve to endure it so that it will count towards the program.

Warren had me at hello. I’d barely finished the first chapter and I’d already laughed and was pulling for Isadora Presley to come out a heroine at the end. I finished the whole book on a recent driving trip from Illinois to Pennsylvania.

Click here for the first chapter to see what I’m talking about.

My Foolish Heart tackles themes I haven’t seen much or at all in Christian fiction, namely agoraphobia and physical disability. Set in the world of high school football in the Midwest, My Foolish Heart, also paints a picture of transformation and redemption while not feeling like the inclusion of Scripture is forced or an afterthought.

Believable — imperfect and identifiable — characters, descriptive language, real struggles, and a beautifully painted setting combine to make My Foolish Heart an enjoyable escape.

This was my first time reading anything Warren has written. I’ll be back for more!

 

I let the kids run wild to finish this book

Reading is a dangerous hobby for me. It always has been. I can lose myself between the front and back cover of a book in no time, oblivious to the real world around me.

It happened again today while reading Francine Rivers’ Her Daughter’s Dream. I’ve waited two months to read this second installment of the Marta’s Legacy series. (Click here to read my review of the first half of the series, Her Mother’s Hope.)

And it was worth the wait.

The series spans four generations of women who’ve been hurt, and who hurt others. Who love deeply and passionately, but sometimes wrongly. Who aspire to great heights, and fall to great depths. Her Daughter’s Dream is a fitting conclusion to this saga, bringing me to tears at times. That’s one thing I love about Rivers’ writing. It is moving but not manipulative. I don’t feel like she’s setting me up for a good cry. She’s writing about real stuff that really hurts and whether I’ve experienced it or not myself, I weep. Rivers holds nothing back, and in her characters I see the potential to err in my own life, with my relationship with my daughter. I was most affected by the themes of unforgiveness, miscommunication and bitterness, all of which lead to broken relationships and stand in the way of healing and wholeness.

When I’m in the middle of a good read, I’m drawn to the book, no matter what else is going on. I read while the kids played in the wading pool and dumped rocks and sand into the sandbox. I read while they destroyed my parents’ house from top to bottom, littering it with toys and food. I think my son ate grass, chapstick and maybe even some dog-slobbered crackers while I was engrossed. Not my best parenting day by any standard, but nobody got hurt, everyone had fun and tomorrow is another day.

All that to say, if you’re like me and you can’t put a good book down once you’ve picked it up, you might want to save this one for a long car ride or a late night or a vacation. It’s compelling, distracting and engaging.

Faith-building, as well.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I haven’t read a Francine Rivers book yet that I haven’t enjoyed.

Take a look at the book trailer for Her Daughter’s Dream.

I’m almost sad to leave these characters behind. They were beginning to feel like family.

Her Daughter’s Dream is part of the Tyndale Summer Reading Program, which I wholeheartedly recommend for next summer. I’ve read some great books that I otherwise might have missed.

What have you been reading this summer?