A Witty Selection of Quotes

Chesterton was a literary giant in the early 1900's. Yet his ideas are relevant today. The excellent selection of quotes in Belemonte's The Quotable Chesterton is both an introduction to his writing, allowing a newcomer to sample a variety of his prose, and a compendium to refer to over and over for a serving of Chesterton wit.

The quotes range from serious discussions of Christianity and philosophy to literary criticisms and fiction. I particularly enjoyed enjoyed his quote about Jane Austen. “Jane Austen may have been protected from the truth: but it was precious little of truth that was protected from her.” Chesterton got it exactly right and said it in a pithy sentence. It makes you think and then smile because it is so apt.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a challenging paragraph or sentence to mull over. Belmonte has done an excellent job. It's a tribute to both men.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Program. 

A Tale of Love and Forgiveness

The second book in the Ladies of Summerhill series is much like the first. A young woman, Charlotte Hale, wants to be a newspaper reporter. When offered the chance of an undercover assignment, she jumps at it, although he has qualms about the ethical nature of her assignment, particularly after she meets her handsome employer, Daniel Wilmont.

The plot is predictable and the book much too long. As a novella, it might work better. The author has a tendency to wander about in the middle and then rush the ending. The prose is stilted and the character's speech is very formal. I assume the author thinks this is the way people talked at this period.

The Newport setting is intriguing. I enjoyed reading about the manners of the denizens of the cottages and their relationship to the working class. The themes of forgiveness and a young woman finding her relationship to God are a plus and the author handles them with delicacy. If you like romance with a Christian undertone, you may enjoy this book.

I review this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Program.  

An Exploration of Good and Evil

Three Seconds is a fast paced crime story, but much more. The plot revolves around the Eastern Europeon Mafia drug traffic. Infiltrators are used by the Swedish police to get information on criminal activities and in this book to attempt to stop the trade.

The central character, Piet Hoffman, works for the Swedish police as an infiltrator. A man with a criminal past, he is used by the police but also distrusted. In the course of his duties, he takes on a dangerous mission with the blessings of the highest levels of government authority. It is in this juxtaposition of the criminal world with the government bureaucracy that the exploration of good and evil occurs.

I found the book fascinating and highly recommend it to lovers of crime fiction and to those interested in character study. For the crime lovers, the clever ruses employed by the criminal element are delightful. (I just hope law enforcement officers are reading this as well as the criminals.) For those interested in psychology, the characters, from Piet, the infiltrator, to Grens, the harden cop, and of course, the beaurocrats, are well drawn and thought provoking.  

What a Marvelous Way to Spend a Year

A Year With God is a unique devotional experience. The book uses God's words from the Old Testament to illustrate the themes of: love and hate, hope and fear, joy and sadness, perseverance and quitting, and many more.

I found the length of the devotionals exactly right for a few minutes of meditation in the morning, or any other time of day that is appropriate for the reader. While not being heavily theological, the devotionals were easy to read and gave you something to think about. I find it helpful to have something that starts my thinking on a topic. I don't like long treatises that try force you to adopt the writer's point of view.

For anyone who wants an uplifting start to the day and an assurance of God's love and care for us, I can highly recommend this book.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Program.  

A Romance set in Colonial Philadelphia

Where Hearts Are Free is the third book in the Darkness to Light Series following the adventures of the Clavel family in their new home in Pennsylvania. The main characters in this book are Philippe and Charles, the sons of the family who are working as indentured servants in Philadelphia. The book contrasts the situations of the two brothers. Charles works for a man who abuses his servants. Philippe works for a wealthy family and is well treated.

Bridget, the daughter of the family, falls in love with Philippe although a wealthy girl marrying a servant is unthinkable. The story revolves around Bridget's desire to make her own marriage choices and her parents desire to have her make a suitable match. Through the striving of the young lovers, the book shows the power of Christian love and God's ability to make good things happen.

While the story was interesting, I found the writing very stilted, and it wass difficult to get involved in the fate of the characters because they didn't seem real. However, the story is interesting, and the setting is good. For readers of Christian Romantic Fiction, it should be an enjoyable experience.  

A Biblical Interpretation of the Middle East Conflict

This book presents a very readable perspective on the Middle East conflict from a biblical point of view. I have always been fascinated by the origins of the conflict. Bryant leads the reader through the Bible story of Abraham's family and relates how the original conflict began. I found the explanation of Sarah's use of her handmaiden, Hagar, to help God fulfill his prophecy particularly interesting. Bryant makes an excellent point that God will fulfill his prophecies in his own time. Helping him the way Sarah tried to leads to more problems than it solves. It's a very cogent argument for having faith that God will do what he says if we believe.

The book doesn't rely completely on the past. Bryant also discusses the history of the formation of Israel from lands the Arabs believed had been given to them by God. I learned a great deal from this discussion. I found the second part of the book particularly interesting. Bryant presents a series of chapters giving us the perspective of the players in the Middle East conflict. It was helpful to see how each group firmly believes it is in the right. Unfortunately, this is not a good omen for resolution of the conflict.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the roots of the Middle East Conflict.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Sneeze Program

A Very Uneven Novel

The most positive thing you can say about The Wake of Forgiveness is that the author has a very descriptive writing style that transports you into the time and place. Unfortunately, the author hasn't mastered the creation of suspense. The story skips back and forth between time periods. This ruins the most suspenseful scenes and keeps the reader wondering where he is in the story. This is a good bad example of the problems with extensive flashbacks.

The book is primarily a character study. I believe it was competently done, but the characters were so cruel and their motivations so selfish that I had a hard time getting interested in their problems. Perhaps the author was trying to say that the harsh land forms harsh characters.

One reason I cannot recommend this story is the amount of animal cruelty. I found the scenes where animals were being hurt repugnant. This might not bother some people, but animal lovers need to be warned about the graphic nature of the scenes where horses are abused.

I read the book as part of the Barnes and Noble First Look Program. I was very glad to have an opportunity to read the book and particularly to discuss it with other readers. It's not a book I would have chosen to read, but I learned something.