4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Sitcom Simple, June 13, 2007
This review is from: As I Have Loved You: A Novel (Paperback)
This is not your traditional Christian fiction.
As I Have Loved You feels a whole lot more like the lives of the complicated believers I rub shoulders with, and dare I say, live with.
Leigh is prickly, edgy, judgmental and her motivation seems so right. After all, she only wants what's best for her son, Jeff.
Jeff, an untried lover of the down-trodden, trained to be compassionate and loving by a mom who sacrificed much for him.
Characters who screw up, love the Lord with pitiful and pathetic offerings and rotten motivations, Leigh and Jeff are a really good example of American Christianity. The good, the bad and the ugly.
Needless to say, but I will anyway, this book may not sit well with you. It's not escapism, it's realism. Written well and with a twist or two, it is heartbreakingly frustrating. Not the sitcom crash and recovery in 20 minute model of storytelling. If you can't read about a Christian who sins and lives to seek forgiveness and is left with scars but is drenched in grace, don't pick it up.
But if you are seeking a story that will challenge you, one infused with reconcilation, forgiveness, grace and heartbreak, pick up a copy.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Silvery Mist and a Beautiful Buck...., June 30, 2007
This review is from: As I Have Loved You: A Novel (Paperback)
Deeply spiritual, totally loving without the syrup, and a myriad of characters one can form a relationship with. Leigh is the single mom of Jeff, a 21 yr. old ADD sufferer, and she loves him to the point of smothering, truly believing she knows what is best for him. I distrusted Leigh from the beginning.
Jeff, whom I dearly loved from the first mention of his name, has a full and heavy load, fighting ADD, attending college, working and being the perfect son. Then he met Jessica.
Jessica, whom I cried for, will never be good enough for Jeff according to Leigh. Her troubled past and present make her second class and Leigh sets to break them up. However, his first love is strong enough to cause Jeff to defy his mom, his church and his Biblical teachings. Leigh is devastated and heartbroken, angry and vindictive. She has absolutely no clue she is just the same as a person she is hating and judging.
John, Leigh's first and only real love "disappeared" just out of high school, and she has carried a torch for 25 years, desperate to know why he never answered any of her letters. A chance viewing of him on the TV sends her in search of him and some answers. What she finds out changes the direction of all their lives and love-hate grow stronger and stronger.
John is so spiritual, he was my hero, and seemed to step right out of the pages of the Bible as well as history. He is the type of man every person would love to meet at least once in their lifetime. His spirituality, patience, love and honesty truly grip the reader from the first.
There is family conflict between Leigh and her parents because of the favoritism toward her brother, RJ. Her dad is now suffering from cancer, and there is infinished business between siblings and parents....lots of it.
There are surprises and shocks, in some cases I actually found myself getting angry because things did not go the way I wanted for my heroes. This is because the author grabs your attention, walks the characters right in front of you, and refuses to let go of your interest, a truly amazing feat.
Jessica and her pain show the rocky road of sorrow that many of today's unwanted babies have as their lot in life. Desertion, mistreatment and rape have been her past and drugs her present, but Jeff loves her so deeply that he is willing to overlook it all and help her through...but they really need AND WANT the love and support of his mom. At one time they thought they might get her support, but when the chips were down, it wasn't there. A truly heartbreaking love story of a young couple.
This book is so deeply spiritual it has one heading to the pages of the Bible to see what is written there....even with it being a fiction book, it is so touching and grabs both heart and soul.
I am forever grateful for getting this book, and sincerely hope there is a sequel, but if not, it stands on its' own. Thank you Nikki and may God continue to bless your writing. I have a new top author on my list..YOU
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This novel illustrates unconditional love., June 15, 2007
This review is from: As I Have Loved You: A Novel (Paperback)
As I Have Loved You is the perfect title for this book. Not only was it a page-turner, but there were some powerful illustrations within it's pages. This "love" story touched a deep place in my heart that few novels reach. Plus, it made me cry. Not a miserable-type cry, but a what-a-touching-message cry. I connected so well with the characters that I literally hurt when they hurt. I sensed the same deep regret, the kind where you wish you could go back and do something over again, but you can't.
I found the subplot with Jeff, Leigh's son, particularly compelling, especially the conflict regarding intimacy with his girlfriend and the values he was raised on. Also, the lessons Leigh learned about unconditional love through her son's experience were priceless. Very well done. It was like God held a mirror in front of Leigh's face and insisted she take a good, hard look. So true!
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