Friday, July 29, 2011

Safely Home by Randy Alcorn

I received a complimentary copy of the is book from Tyndale House Publishers. This book is the story of two men that were college roommates who meet again 20 years later. One has embraced his christian faith, even though it has cost him much, while the other has turned completely away from his. I thought that this book sounded intriguing, but when I started reading it, I had a really hard time with it. I don't feel like there is much of a story in the book. It mostly felt like I was getting preached at. I found the character of Ben Fielding very annoying. He seemed like a know it all. He kept lecturing his friend about how things worked in China. When his friend was the one that lived there, while he just visited every now and then. I did not like this book at all, and would give it one out of five stars.

Monday, July 25, 2011

The Daughter's Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick

I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook through the Blogging for Books program. I really enjoyed this story. It is historical fiction. It is the story of Clara Estby. Clara and her mother embark on a journey to walk across the country in order to earn enough money to save the farm from foreclosure. The arrive after the deadline and do not earn the money that they had expected to. They have to struggle to find a way home. When they finally arrive home they are met with anger. Two of the children have died while they were gone, and the remaining family blame their trip. Clara has a falling out with the family and goes out on her own. She finds employment and a new family with two women. She is estranged from her family for over 20 years before she finally is able to reconnect with them. I really enjoyed this story. It was fascinating to hear about what these strong women were able to endure, and how they were able to lean on each other for the help that they needed. I would give this book 3.5/5 stars.