The Proposal and The Rescue

by Lori Wick

These are Christian romance novels. Now I have to admit that I was bit sceptical at first. I mean, to me, a romance novel is full of juicy love scenes. And Christian fiction is not. So how could the two really successfully merge without seeming fake and contrived. Ah but they can. These books are set in England in the 1800's. Status was important, and men and women behaved in a very proper manner. This was the era of courting, and it couldn't be a better setting for Christian romance. I will say, these books are laced with Christian values and conversations about God, so once again, if that is not your cup of tea, these will not be for you. But overall, these were very nice to read.

Lori Wick writes beautifully. I was caught up into both books right away, and I was unable to put them down until completion. Literally. These were one-a-day novels for me. They were a quick read, and completely enjoyable. It didn't take me long to fall in love with the people of Collinsborough, England. The first book, The Proposal started off in such a fun, albeit a predictable manner. We meet Jennings, a proper Englishman who has a sister he's estranged because she "found God" and he is alone. For the first time he finds himself lamenting the fact that he hasn't had children, and sadly feels that he is past the years of having them. Surprise, surprise, a distant relative dies, leaving him the sole guardian for three children. While amazed with the turn of luck that could afford him children without the inconvenience of a wife, he quickly realizes that he is in over his head.

Jennings turns to his sister Lydia, a married mother or 4 of her own. She is very welcoming to her brother who she thought she'd never see again, and a friendship quickly blossoms between Jennings' wards and Lydia's children. What ensues is a wonderful friendship among family members, and it doesn't take long for Jennings to realize that he needs to be near to his sister, and so he befriends a community. Along the way, he finds love in a most unexpected place and bungles a proposal twice before getting it right the third time. Along with the love story is the story of Jennings finding God and determining to give these children the love they deserve.

The Rescue continues the story of this community, only this time we meet a single woman Anne, who is caring for her elderly father, The Colonel. The Colonel has a mental disability that makes him forget things from day to day, and he doesn't always process what he sees or hears. So when he stumbles upon his daughter Anne in a precarious position with a new-to-town Mr. Weston, he insists upon an instantaneous marriage, and orders Mr. Weston to a wedding by sword point. The story that ensues is wonderfully written. Anne comes under scrutiny for behaving as a woman of her position shouldn't- and is a victim of careless and untrue gossip. While an entertaining love story, it is also full of lessons that you can take away with you.

These are the first in a series called The English Garden series, and I'm looking forward to reading the remainders. Although they are a bit predictable, they are still fun stories full of heart and real-life lessons. A definite thumbs up from me, and a great light read for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

East of Eden

by John Steinbeck

Wow. This was a fantastic book. Thank you Belle for suggesting it. It was captivating and thought provoking, and altogether a wonderful novel. If I were to begin to describe what this book is about... I think I would fail miserably. Ultimately, it's a view of life in the Salinas Valley in California mostly through two families- the Hamiltons and the Trasks. But there is so much more to it than that.

This is a novel about good vs. evil. Really. This entire novel is full of Biblical references and parallel, and it doesn't take much to see that we see the story of Adam and Eve and Cain and Able played out more than once. And it seems, as we start out, that evil always triumphs. we have Cyrus Trask who succumbs to evil but stealing from the US government and dying a rich man. Then we have half-brothers Charles (Cain) and Adam (Abel). On one of their father's birthdays, the two boys give him gifts- Charles a pen-knife, and Adam a puppy. Cyrus favors the puppy over the knife- very much like God choosing Abel's offering over Cain's. Eventually this leads to Charles almost killing his brother Adam.

We also get to meet Cathy who seems to be nothing but evil. All she sees is evil, and she spends her life trying to exploit the evil in others. It isn't until the end of her life, when she sees that her sons have something she doesn't that she begins to realize that maybe the whole world isn't evil. Adam trask marries Cathy, and out of their union came twin sons named Caleb and Aron. And once again, the Cain and Abel story is played out, only with a different ending this time around. In fact, at one point, Adam and his housekeeper Lee are asking on the whereabouts of Aron, and Cal snaps back with "Am I supposed to look after him?" I doubt anyone even half familiar with Cain and Abel would miss the reference to "Am I my brother's keeper?"

A huge point with this novel- I think, is the one of timshel, or Thou Mayest. In the Bible, in the story of Cain and Abel, God tells Cain that he CAN overcome evil- that he mayest, and the Hebrew translation of that is timshel. Ultimately, I believe that Cal was the sole winner in this book. He ultimately attained timshel by realizing the power of free choice and resists the evil within himself. Free choice to overcome evil.

There are so many other parallels in this book that could be touched on, I would love to hear from others who have read this book. There's the issue of money... Cyrus stole a fortune and passed it on to his sons who couldn't triumph over evil wholly themselves. Charles left his portion of that fortune to Cathy who used it to the benefit of her whorehouse, and subsequently left that fortune to Aron. Aron, the pure son possibly couldn't handle the taint of evil within the money itself- hence part of what drove him to his eventual demise. Only Cal remained untouched by the tainted money... does that have any bearing on his triumph over evil? Is this another story about money being the root of all evil? Samuel Hamilton was the happiest man on earth- but the poorest. And when his children moved on to try and make something of themselves, they all fell into ruin of some form or another.

A fascinating book. I would love to hear from anyone else! This is definitely a novel worthy of discussion. I'm actually sorry I didn't read this for a class- it would have been a fun one.

Princess: A True Story Of Life Behind The Veil

This one is along the lines of the book I reviewed yesterday. Except that this book IS a memoir. This was a choice for my virtual discussion group, and I probably never would have read this if it hadn't been for that.

Sultana is a young Saudi princess. This book is the story of her life growing up in Saudi Arabia and becoming a young woman. It's such a haunting story because it's true. The events in this book actually happened, and it is truly a mind-opening experience to the plight of Saudi Arabian women. My heart went out to Sultana so many times over. And not just to her, but also to her friends and family, and all the other Saudi women. Sultana had to change her name for these stories. She took her story and personal diaries to her friend, author Jean Sasson, who has turned this into a gripping tale of Islamic persecution. It was extremely eye-opening to see what happens to the women of Saudi Arabia, all in the name of Allah. At the end of the book, there is an appendix with passages from the Q'uran that show where the reasoning comes from for the treatment of women.

One thing to keep in mind while reading this book is the timing. All of this has taken place years ago, since then, I am sure that some things have changed, and maybe some of the extremism has been tempered. But for the most part...it's sad to think that women are still regarded in the same manner- as possessions that are disposable. Boys are treasured in Saudi Arabia. A woman prays and prays to become pregnant with a boy. The boys will confirm the status of a man, and carry on his line. Girls will eventually become the same as their mothers- mere possessions. Little girls are raised with a more relaxed hand. Some go to school, but most don't. They are watched over very carefully by the male members of their family, but the real test of a woman comes after her first menses. Then she is officially a woman, and it is an honor for her to be able to go shopping to choose her very first burka- the veil worn by all Saudi woman. It becomes a sin for the woman to appear in public without her veil- and until she is married, she must be accompanied by a male relative to do the simple tasks, like going shopping.

There are so many other details I could share, but I will leave it there. This book was a quick read because it was so fascinating and intriguing. The Sultana novel has become a series, and although I haven't read the others, I suspect they are equally as eye opening. Definitely a recommended book here.

The Kite Runner

By Khaled Hosseini

In the interest of keeping this blog fresh, while I am catching up, I intend to review several of the books that I have read recently, but haven't reviewed. This is the first in that series.

This book is probably one of the two best books I've read this year. It was beautifully written. I was caught up in the story right from the get-go, and I literally stayed awake into the wee hours to finish this book. I could not put it down.

The Kite Runner begins as a story of friendship. We are introduced to Amir, the son of a wealthy Afghani businessman, Baba. We also meet Amir's playmate Hassan, the son of Baba's caretaker. Hassan is born with a hare lip, and although very poor, he and Amir develop a cautious friendship. Hassan adores Amir with his whole heart, and Amir is torn about his feelings for Hassan. One part of him believes Hassan to be his best friend, and the other part of him is aware of the social status, and realizes that Hassan is more a servant than a friend. Hassan's loyalty to Amir eventually leads to Amir's disloyalty to Hassan. This novel fully investigates the relationship between two people in such an intense manner. As Amir and Baba move to America, Amir continues to be haunted by his past, and only years later when some unexpected information arrives, does Amir return to his homeland of Afghanistan, now under Taliban leadership.

This book is amazing on so many levels. The story of Amir and Hassan itself is a wonderful story. As we are reading this book though, we also get a great dose of Afghanistan's history and culture. It bring such an awareness of what life was like for so many Afghani people, that at times, I wondered if I was actually reading a biography. It is so realistic and thought provoking. One reviewer on Amazon likened this book to reading a memoir. Such an extraordinary work of fiction, The Kite Runner was a fantastic book. A bit gritty at times, and very real in a sense, but superbly written in simple to read and colorful prose. I challenge anyone to read this novel and not enjoy it. This is one that will be re-read many times over, I enjoyed it that much. Do check it out if you get a chance, I promise a spectacular read ahead.