9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
I tried, but..., January 13, 2009
This review is from: Healing Waters: Sullivan Crisp Series #2 (Women of Faith Fiction) (2009 Novel of the Year) (Paperback)
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I will be honest, I think it's hard to find good quality Christian fiction. By that I mean something thought-provoking that lingers (in a good way) after the book is done. Too often I think Christian fiction can be trite and a little naive.
"Healing Waters" sounded like it would be excellent. The second in a series that follows Christian psychologist Sullivan "Sully" Crisp, this book brings him in contact with Lucia Coffey, an average-all-the-way forty-something woman who has lived her whole life in the shadow of her beautiful, dynamic sister Sonia. When Sonia, a popular Christian singer/speaker, is disfigured in an explosion, Lucia learns the meaning of God's love and true faith while trying to hold her life together as she aids her sister in the healing process and reconnects with her troubled young niece.
I tried, I really did. I got about two-thirds of the way through the book and then I just had to give up. I found it just a little too unbelievable. First of all, I wasn't able to relate at all to the characters. The percentage of the average reader dealing with a famous sibling is extremely slim. While most people probably know what it's like to live under someone's shadow, I don't think the majority can relate to someone who is supposedly gorgeous beyond description, wildly famous, and really, really rich. It was just a little too much to ask me to swallow.
The other thing that I had trouble with was just how bad the main characters' lives were. Even in most Christian (or regular) fiction that I've read, there's always some tangible thread of hope running through the characters' lives even when everything else is going wrong. But not only does poor Lucia have to deal with her demanding and delusional sister, her awkward niece, her estranged (and more) husband, her sister's horrible staff, being away from home... but she also hates herself. There's just absolutely nothing for her to hold on to. The only thing she has going for her is Sully... a stranger. I found it unnecessarily depressing.
My last criteria when I read Christian fiction is, I always ask myself, would someone who isn't a Christian enjoy this book? If my answer is yes, than I know it's a keeper. Sadly, I can't say that about "Healing Waters." I think if you're not already tapped into the Christian subculture (and the Southern Christian subculture at that) then a lot of things in the book are just going to make you cringe. While I applaud the authors for trying to make it true-to-life and pointing out legalism vs. grace in Sonia's and Sully's ministries, I think the average non-Christian reader is going to pick up this book and think, "Who cares?" They might even say the book reinforces all the negative stereotypes out there about Christianity (and not finish it). There are better books that address that issue and stay with you.
Read only if you're really into this series. If you're looking for a better fiction book on grace (and one that's more relatable), I recommend "And the Shofar Blew" by Francine Rivers. For a good (teen) book on weight and self-esteem issues, I recommend "Artichoke's Heart" by Suzanne Supplee.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You will have trouble putting this one down., March 7, 2009
This review is from: Healing Waters: Sullivan Crisp Series #2 (Women of Faith Fiction) (2009 Novel of the Year) (Paperback)
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I picked this book at random, not knowing anything about it, but I thought it sounded interesting enough. I had never read any other books in the Women of Faith or Sullivan Crisp series. I can honestly say that it is one of the best books that I have read in a long time, and I had a hard time putting it down. A night when there wasn't much on television, I picked it up to see if it was any good. About 6 hours later, I made myself put it down although I could have read it all night.
The story is not what you think from the first few pages. You think it is going to be about the main character, Lucia Coffey, and her struggle with self-image in the shadow of her beautiful, charismatic sister who runs Abundant Life Ministries, but it is much more than that. When a tragic accident forces Lucia to move in with her sister, Sonia Cabot, to care for her and her young daughter, Lucia begins to discover her true self and the need for a relationship with the family that always made her feel inferior. Sullivan Crisp, her therapist, will help her discover herself while she helps him heal from his own tragic past. Although this story is intertwined with Lucia's struggle with relationships and her self-image, they are only a few of the things that make her real. This is a story for anybody who has ever felt a little less than perfect. You won't regret reading Healing Waters.
I can honestly say that I agree with the choice to make it the "Women of Faith Fiction 2009 Novel of the Year."
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just can't get into it., April 17, 2009
This review is from: Healing Waters: Sullivan Crisp Series #2 (Women of Faith Fiction) (2009 Novel of the Year) (Paperback)
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I kept trying to read this book. I would pick it up and read a couple pages, but I just couldn't get into it. I didn't want to read the constant negative thoughts the main character was thinking or the depressing situation she faces at the beginning of the book. I only made it to page 28.
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