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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
First You Must Forgive Yourself, September 19, 2005
This review is from: The Amen Sisters: A Novel (Hardcover)
Angela Benson's third Christian Fiction novel, The Amen Sisters, ventures into the unsettling subject of ministers who commit adultery with women in their congregations. However, that is just one aspect of the storyline.
Francine Amen finds herself in a mental treatment facility following a nervous breakdown precipitated by her best friend's suicide. She is despondent and feels guilty because she was responsible for Toni leaving her family and joining a traveling ministry led by a minister who was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Francine rejected Toni's claim that Brother Payne had impregnated her. Now Francine's sister, Dawn, has come to Ohio to bring her back home to Georgia, back to their family home-and back to the church home she left where she had rebuked the congregation and possibly burned her bridges.
Francine was engaged to Sylvester Ray when she up and left town to join Bishop Payne's traveling ministry. Her fraternal twin Dawn and Sly then began seeing each other and soon married. Together they operate the Amen-Ray Funeral Home business that was started by both of their grandparents. There has always been a sense of competition and sibling rivalry between the sisters but Dawn is determined to be there for her sister in her darkest hour. However, Dawn must contend with the discord in her home and marriage. She is trying to deal with Sly's betrayal as he professes to love her and make things right. It does not take long for Francine to discover there is serious tension between her sister and Sly.
Francine begins working at Mother Harris' bookstore, slowly trying to put her life back together as well as make peace with the way she left Faith Central; she had condemned them in a self-righteous manner. Additionally, she has to face Toni's family, the Roberts, who are angry with her, blaming Francine for Toni's suicide. George, Toni's brother is especially bitter and attempts to discredit her in every way he can.
There are others in Francine's corner though; Mother Harris, Rev. Thomas of Faith Central and Stuart, Sly's best friend, who all try to encourage her faith and strength in the Lord. Francine also befriends Monika, a teenager who works at the bookstore and her mother, Delores. She is drawn into the mother and daughter's dilemma when Monika's desire to know her father's identity threatens the fabric of the lives of some prominent people.
This reviewer found myself frustrated at times with the various storylines as well as the characters, particularly Francine. I needed to know what motivated her over-zealous, self-righteous attitude but to her credit her character did show quite a bit of growth. Additionally, I found the reaction to the infidelity and adultery of a trusted member of the congregation a little too laid back, not to mention the adulterer's reasoning of "it just happened" as an affront to everyone's intelligence. Then there is the matter of seemingly not an eyebrow was raised to the fact that the minute Francine left town, Dawn scooped up her man.
That said, without the aforementioned scenarios, there would not have been the story that it was and true to Benson's style, she is a good storyteller. Known in the mid-90s for her intriguing romance stories with Arabesque, this author seems to have found her niche in Christian fiction. This reviewer also appreciates the fact that her characters are intelligent, upwardly mobile African Americans grounded in a sense of family, community, business and social awareness. The insular world of church folk, including Mother Harris, the voice of reason, like so many Mothers of the church with whom so many of us can identify is presented in a realistic manner. Minister adultery/sexual abuse is tackled as an ongoing issue that needs to be and is being recognized and addressed in churches. The strength of this book is in the writing and the hard lessons learned-God's grace notwithstanding. Fans of this author should be pleased.
Dera R. Williams
APOOO BookClub
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Power of Forgiveness, January 3, 2006
This review is from: The Amen Sisters: A Novel (Hardcover)
After being inspired by Bishop Payne, a traveling minister, Francine Amen decides to leave her old life behind and dedicate herself more fully to the Lord. Before she leaves to join Bishop Payne's ministry, she takes it upon herself to tell off everyone in her church and urge them to get right with God. When her childhood friend, who also joined Bishop Payne's congregation, confides that she is pregnant by the bishop, Francine shuns her. Feeling hopeless and isolated, her friend commits suicide. Plagued with guilt and haunted by memories of the event, Francine spends time in a mental hospital. When she is released, she has no place to go, so she is forced to return to her hometown with her tail between her legs and rebuild her life. It is here that THE AMEN SISTERS, Angela Benson's latest novel begins.
As Francine gets settled in at the home shared by her sister Dawn and her husband Sly, it soon becomes apparent that things between the couple are not quite right. As Dawn and Sly try to cover up their problems, the stress between them continues to build and eventually, something will have to give. In addition, Dawn and Francine have always had a tenuous relationship; the sisters have to work through the issues from the past so they can become the sisters God would want them to be. Francine begins building new relationships and mending old ones and along the way, she and everyone around her must learn not only to forgive one another, but also themselves.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Angela Benson has written a rich, multifaceted work of Christian Fiction that is both timely and realistic. The characters create the pulse of the story, and they are well balanced...not the "perfect people" often seen in this genre. As a result, I was able to relate to and understand the characters, and I found the plot engrossing. THE AMEN SISTERS touches on things that are often pushed under the rug in the church, such as unscrupulous ministers and church members, and "holier than thou" Christians who are fiercely judgmental and look down on others. In addition, the book addresses social issues such as teen pregnancy and parenthood, marriage and fidelity, and even the current challenges many small business owners face. Most importantly, the book highlights God's power to transform lives and the importance of forgiveness.
Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the brightest voices in Christian fiction!, November 3, 2005
This review is from: The Amen Sisters: A Novel (Hardcover)
Angela Benson, one of the brightest voices in Christian fiction brings us her third and most daring novel to date.
The Amen Sisters opens with Francine Amen who finds herself confined to a mental institution after suffering a nervous breakdown brought on by the suicide of her best friend, Toni. Francine Amen was a ministry leader with an up-and-coming church who believed she had found her true calling. She publicly renounced her family, friends and church because she felt they didn't believe "enough" and left her hometown leaving behind a lot of hurt and spiritually wounded friends and family members. Guilt ridden and ashamed, Francine turns to the one person who should always be there - her sister.
Dawn Amen-Ray sticks by her sister, Francine, because she feels it is the right thing to do. Still, Dawn has problems of her own. She recently found out that her husband (Francine's ex-boyfriend) Sly cheated on her. Although Dawn still loves her husband, she is not sure if she can forgive and continue in her marriage.
With Biblical insight and compassion, Angela Benson brings us more than just another novel about a minister going astray. This is a novel with real people who confront real issues. It's about forgiving others and ourselves.
Happy reading!
[...]
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