Customer Reviews

The Joshua Tree

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is an opportunity no one should pass up.I will recomend it unconditionally to all my clients and friends. Steven Rencher has written a passionate lyrical book aboput a human journey. To the typical vexing problems that arrise, he brings hope and faith to create solutions.
Steven Rencher is a blessed writer that will make his mark in the community of authors worldwide.
Dr. Barbara Warren
San Diego, California

The story was beautiful because of the enduring love between Joshua and Sarah. The unusual way they met was romantic. The circumstances that drew them together were no coincidence. We should all meet our soul mate in such an unmistakable way. The story was brutally honest in its portrayal of inner city life. The depictions were realistic and the language, raw without being gratuitous. Not one scene came across as farfetched or fanciful. I can't say enough how much I enjoyed this novel. The way it ends is truly inspiring. I'll never forget it.

Joshua meets Sarah in a way that can only be described as divine intervention, and from there the rollercoaster ride begins. We watch like an invisible stranger as the two struggle to keep there relationship intact through crisis after crisis. The author's writing style is quite beautiful, bordering on near poetry. There's a melody to his writing and a descriptiveness that had me visualizing every scene as if I were actually there. The dialogue felt real, not forced or contrived, and the narrative delved deep into the psyches of the main characters so that you felt as though you knew them personally. But the awesomeness of this novel rests in its subject matter. To say that it's profound is an understatement. It's inspired! Fate, spirituality, physical and emotional abuse, drugs, adultery, the consequences of neglect, it's all captured in the pages of this book. And the driving force that holds it all together is LOVE; Joshua's love for Sarah and Andre; Clara's love for all of them. There were certain scenes that touched my spirit like nothing I've ever read before. I wasn't the same after finishing this book. I was truly blessed by The Joshua Tree, especially once I understood the significance of the title. I'm sure you will be blessed too. I hope this review was helpful to you.

Not since reading Antwon Fisher and What's Done In Dark, have we been touched to the depths of our hearts, until now. Author L.Steven Rencher's poignant, compelling and descriptive novel took us transplanted former Bronxites back home. Once there we embraced Joshua and Sarah as they embarked on an emotional roller coaster ride. The often complex emotions exhibited by both characters left us searching ourselves for answers to questions no one should ever have to ask or answer. Intriguing, gritty and heartwrenching dialogue provide all the elements that will surely take this novel to the top of everyone's booklist.

What a wonderful novel. Mr Rencher's storytelling and writing style kept me turning the pages, sometimes until early morning. The plot seems right out of an inner city survival guide. I grew up in Atlanta, but I can't believe it's that much different from the Bronx, NY. Sarah and Joshua's struggles to stay together and Andre's inner turmoil touched my heart in a way that very few stories have. The book's conclusion is powerful, and may help to shed some light on those life altering things which we don't understand. Truly the Lord works in mysterious ways. This book is a must read for anyone who believes in the overcoming powers of love and faith.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It was a great story with compelling characters in believable situations that most everyone should be able to relate to. I felt for Sarah like she was my very own sister. Joshua was the kind of black man that you meet only once in a lifetime. He was so different from the way some of our writers try to portay them. There are good black men out there, loyal, devoted unconditionally and not afraid of committment. He stood by Sarah, in spite of her madness. That's true love. The fate angle was a component that the writer inserted at various points throughout the story, and somehow, pulled together at the end in such a stirring and spiritual way that it nearly brought me to tears, not to say that I didn't cry at other parts of the story. I cried unabashedly when OOPS...I won't give anything away. Let's just say if you like a good tearjerker, then this is definitely the book to read. Life lessons abound in this story. It's almost like a self-help manual cleverly disguised as a novel. I defy anyone to finish reading it without coming away with some little nugget of useful information. To borrow a cliche, YOU'LL LAUGH, YOU'LL CRY, but for real. I'll be looking forward to this writer's sophomore effort.

This is truly a great book! At first, when I saw the size of it, I was somewhat hesitant to begin reading. However, after I started, it was hard to put down. The realness of the characters and events kept me captivated . I cried and laughed while reading several passages. The author's attention to detail and the messages conveyed in these pages are life changing and encouraging. In the midst of struggle, challenges and pain, there is joy, deliverance and healing. This is a must read! I rank THE JOSHUA TREE one of the best books I've ever read.

This book was an absolute joy to read. I was hooked from the very first page. The author's description of Joshua as a young man and his experiences growing up in the south Bronx made him come to life. He became real to me, as did Sarah and every other character in the story. The authour has a unique way of making every scene jump off the page so that it surrounds you. Karen was hilarious and so much like a few girlfriends that I've known in my life. She was pathetic, yet so sweet. In the beginning I loved Sarah, then grew to hate her only to end up loving her all over again. It was a remarkable rollercoaster ride of emotions. The love story was truly touching, and the underlying subject matter caused me to ponder things that I honestly never gave much thought to. There's a serious message woven all thoughout this story and to give it away now would only ruin it. That's part of the mystery; what happened to Sarah and why did it have to happen? I love a good mystery and memorable stories, and this is storytelling at its best; poignant, profound and entertaining. What more could you ask for? This is, without question, one of the best books I've ever read.

Since this is my first review, it's hard to know where to begin. I've not read many books that I consider "life changing," but this one ranks among my top three. I LOVED THIS BOOK! It was so profound and daring on matters regarding certain tragic events we encounter and the subject of fate. It forced me to look internally and as a result, helped free me from a years long struggle with my own personal demons. That, for me, was life changing. It was also beautifully written, and so discriptive that I had to go back and read certain passages twice; number one, just to marvel at the texture of each sentence and number two, to dissect the subtle nuances of meaning behind them. The characters are complex, honestly depicted and all work together to create a marvelous tapestry of life, full of travail, hardship and triumph. Andre's plight was especially heartrending. I cried for him as though he were my own child.

The author succeeded in transporting me back to the 70's and on through to present day, capturing every trend, song, slang and fashion of each era with descriptive detail. I finished the book days ago and the story of Joshua and Sarah still haunts my memory. From time to time I will recall certain scenes, only to have them trip the gamut of my emotions from laughter to sadness. My congratulations to the author for writing a book that's more than 250 pages long, a book that I can't finish in two days, that doesn't rely on sex to draw me in and one that I can read on the train in public without embarrassment over the book cover. The Joshua Tree is a love story and a mystery all in one and in my opinion, should be required reading. I highly recommend it.

Joshua Peeler and Sarah Edwards are two sixteen-year old students navigating and planning their futures in the Bronx. Beginning in 1972, THE JOSHUA TREE by L. Steven Rencher spans over twenty-five years to tell their story, a story that encompasses the likes of their friends, foes, children and grandchildren.

In a dream, Joshua meets a girl named Sarah. During a daily romp, his dream is realized and according to him, it is fate. But to Sarah it is a way out of her daily life, an existence with the likes of a mentally abusive father. She is smart and has goals, which include leaving the projects for college, never to return. Joshua is the son of a divorced mother of four and a devout Christian. He also has dreams of attending college and becoming an architect. As they traverse the streets of New York to be together, a horrible event occurs, unbeknownst to Joshua, which drastically changes Sarah's mental stability.

Sarah and Joshua grow from teenagers into adulthood as each chapter takes you closer and closer into the mind of Sarah and her inability to love her eldest son and her ability to blame everyone for the hand life has dealt her. Sarah constantly muses with the fact that her life should have been different, yet she does nothing to change the outcome. Each chapter also highlights the strength of Joshua as the attentive and committed husband and his steadfastness to hold his family together regardless of the consequences. A set of tragic events occur over the course of twenty-five years and more, which eventually takes Sarah back to the day she met Joshua. Like a transformation or rebirth, Sarah is forced to realize the role he played in her life.

The author's attention to detail intertwines the use of many literary elements. Occasionally, his use of metaphors is long and tedious and veers off into a tangent, allowing for an awkward and laborious read. With a skilled hand, his use of imagery assists in visualizing the sight, sound and feel of New York and all of the characters depicted. He incorporates detail into each and every character, and each character has a function that is captured within the story of Joshua and Sarah. THE JOSHUA TREE is a classic tale of living and overcoming social ills, fate, faith and the restoration of love.

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers