“There are many who struggle to survive in life, many who
have been used and abused in the name of love, many who have been sacrificed on
altars of pleasure and “freedom.” But
the freedom the world offers is, in reality, false. Too many have awakened one day to discover
they are in bondage, and they have no idea how to escape. It is for people such as these that I wrote Redeeming Love-people who fight, as I
did, to be their own gods, only to find in the end that they are lost,
desperate, and terribly alone. I want to
bring the truth to those trapped in lies and darkness, to tell that that God is
there, He is real, and He loves them-no matter what.”
-A Note From Francine
Rivers, Redeeming Love
This may very well be one of the shortest reviews I have
ever written (or maybe not) for one of the longest books I have read in some time. I had been aware of this book for
a while, but had never picked it up to read it.
When it became a book review choice, I was intrigued, but then was very
excited to read it once I read the description.
Redeeming Love is a work of fiction by Francine Rivers based
on the Biblical account of Hosea and his marriage to a prostitute. In this
story, Rivers tells the story of Angel, a prostitute, sold into it as a
child. Throughout the course of her
story, just like the story of Hosea and Gomer, which is an Old Testament
picture of Christ and the Church, we get to see God drawing her back to
Himself.
I liked this book. It
was very emotional, and a wonderful picture of how much God loves us and how He
draws us to Him through the love found in His son, JESUS. I did not want to put it down because I
wanted to see how it ended, although I already had an idea.
That being said, this book is somewhat graphic due to the
nature of its content. The subject
material of prostitution is dealt with discreetly, but you are not left to
wonder about what happened. I had a
difficult time with those passages. This
book is also a love story between Angel and Michael, a man whom God uses to
draw her to Himself. *Spoiler *There are several
love scenes between them as well, which are discreet, but heated.
While I was reading, I asked several of my friends if they
had read the book, and everyone that responded that they had said they liked
it. One friend said she would not let
her unmarried daughter read it and I agree.
If I were to give a book a rating, this one would be “R” because of the
content even though it is Christian fiction. Sorry Francine! I think the subject matter could be understood
by 18+, but it will awaken feelings that are better left undisturbed unless you
are married. I would recommend this book
to anybody who wants a better understanding of how much God loves us.
One final thought that I might share is that this book has
stirred my heart even more toward women who have experienced sexual abuse in
whatever its form. God longs to redeem
and restore all the enemy has stolen, even the pain in our hearts.
With much love, I hope you know the One who wants to redeem
you.
Disclaimer-I received this book free from Waterbrook
Multnomah as part of free books for bloggers program. I was not required to give a favorable
review. The thoughts and opinions
expressed here are entirely my own.
