Okay, today (the 26th of February) is my birthday. Yay me! As a result, I decided that I wanted post a review on my favorite book and I decided to write one over Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, even though there the reviews over it are already wonderful (and one was posted as recently as 2 days ago). But, hey, it’s my birthday and I’ll write what I want to!

I got this book as a present. My now-boyfriend, then-wanna-be-boyfriend was real sweet to me over the summer, when I didn’t get to see him for 3 months – showered me with gifts and attention because he was still trying to win my affection. *wink * Anyway, he bought me this book after asking a female friend what he should buy me. Since he’s bought it for me, I’ve noticed that many of my friends have this book. It’s one of those “If you don’t own a copy, you’re missing out” type of books.

THE BOOK:

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers has sold over 200,000 copies and was in the top ten on the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) fiction bestseller list for four years.

My copy is a soft cover paperback and is 472 pages long. Copyright 1997.
ISBN #: 1-57673-186-3

THE AUTHOR:

Francine Rivers has written numerous books, including the Lineage of Grace series, the Mark of the Lion series, The Scarlet Thread and The Atonement Child (the second series I’ve read, the last 2 books I own). She belongs to the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame since 1997 and has won numerous awards.

For more information, visit her website at http://www.francinerivers.com

THE CHARACTERS:

Angel:
“I’m going to tell you God’s truth, little girl. You listen good… All men want to do is use you. When you give them your heart, they tear it to shreds… None of ‘em care.” (page 30)

Sarah (her name by birth) has nothing but hate for men. Her mother fell in love with a married man she was having an affair with – the birth of Sarah was the result. However, her father wanted nothing to do with his daughter; she even heard him tell her mother, “She should never have been born”. Poor and hungry, Sarah’s mother eventually became a prostitute to survive; when she finally died, Sarah was sold into prostitution at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend.

She was eventually given the name Angel and, after having man after man propose to her and profess their undying love to her, only to acquire her services as a prostitute, she has finally learned the truth about men – that they don’t care about HER, just want to use her.

Michael Hosea:
Michael Hosea was a quiet man, but there wasn’t anything soft about him. There was something in his look that made men treat him with respect… He knew what he was about even if the rest of the world didn’t.” (pages 55-56)

A man after God’s own heart, Michael comes to Pair-A-Dice and hears God telling him to marry a girl he sees walking down the street. He learns that her name is Angel and that she is a prostitute; when he finally meets her he discovers that she has no interest in marrying him. However, he feels strongly about this and starts using all his gold to get to her – not to sleep with her but just to talk, something that Angel has never had happen to her before.

Michael remains true to Angel throughout the story. Even when Angel turns away from him and leaves him he still loves her. When his friend (Michael’s deceased sister’s husband) Paul does nothing but remind Michael that Angel is nothing more than a prostitute, Michael sees past what she has become and sees her for what she really is deep down.

THE STORY:

Redeeming Love is based on the book of Hosea, in the Bible. Basically, God tells Hosea, a godly man, to marry Gomer, a prostitute. He obeys and loves her, even though she leaves him many times – he finds her and brings her back.

Michael Hosea plays the role of Hosea (obviously) in this book. He feels that God told him to marry Angel and he takes that very seriously. However, Angel can’t truly be free to love Michael back until she confronts her past, her life as a prostitute. She needs to come to terms with her life and God before she can create a future and be truly happy.

It is a story about unconditional love, the kind of love that most everyone is looking for, and of how love can fix everything and remain faithful to the end.

It is also a story about God’s love for all of us – how He continues to love and search for us even when we turn away. It’s a message filled with such hope, I couldn’t help but love it.

MY EXPERIENCE:

I loved this book. Seriously, I loved it. To have a man love me unconditionally and follow me like Michael loves Angel is one of my fairy tales that I’ve had for a long time. At the same time, this book reminds me in a gentle way that God does love me and is watching over me in times when I can’t feel it.

This book is also uplifting. I mean, the beginning is depressing and through the book, reading about Angel’s experiences starts making you want to swear off men for the rest of your life. But then as you read on, the story becomes more hopeful and ends on a happy note – it’s a great ending.

CONCLUSION:

I would, and do, recommend Redeeming Love to most everyone. I think it’s more of a book directed at the female population, though some guys might like it. I think that, because the books talks about child prostitution and such, that the readers would have to be at least in high school.

Like so many other books that I’ve reviewed, this book definitely has a Christian theme to it – it quotes passages from the Bible and God plays an important role. Therefore, if you are one of those people that are offended by Christian elements, this is not the book or author for you to be reading. Might I recommend A Thousand Acres?

Anyway, let me end this review, even though it’s a bit shorter than normal – I’m kind of tired and, anyway, it’s my birthday – yes, I’m going to milk this excuse for all it’s worth.

Thanks for reading,

Ari the birthday girl!

This one is dedicated to my sweet, sweet boyfriend – thanks for the book and thanks for loving me, even when I ditch you to be on Epinions… you’re the best!

Recommended: Yes