My Soul to Keep [Hardcover]

Davis Bunn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007

An entrepreneur with nothing more than a dream teams up with an actor just out of prison and a has-been scriptwriter. Is their effort truly inspired or doomed from the start? A true star, Brent had arrived, but a downward spiral ended in a terrible accident and six long years behind bars. Then God finds Brent in prison, and on release he sets himself up with a small business and volunteers with a local theatre group. Celia had thought the inner and outer scars left by the accident were far beyond forgiveness. How could she ever find it in her to absolve Brent simply because he asks? A Christian businessman is challenged with a new venture, but how can he make a film when he doesn't even know where to begin? Thus begins an odyssey bringing some very unlikely people together to do something bigger than any of them could have imagined on their own.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this page-turner reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada, Bunn alternates between the story of Brent Stark, an Oscar-winning actor and recovering addict who has converted to Christianity in prison, and Shari Khan, a Hollywood underling looking for her big break. When a Nashville-based businessman decides to start a film company, he asks Brent to direct the first movie—a Daniel Boone biopic that eschews political correctness and returns Boone to the pedestal. Conversely, Shari uses knowledge of this independent venture to catapult herself to the upper echelons of the major studio where she is a lowly personal assistant. Soon enough, she is spearheading efforts to get the studio's own Boone biopic, one that vilifies Boone and sympathizes with Native Americans, released first. Bunn's treatment of the ensuing David and Goliath drama is well-paced and entertaining. This novel, like the Christian film at its center, provides an alternative for conservative Christian audiences looking for entertainment that reaffirms both their political and theological values. The Hollywood insiders here are self-serving criminals who cynically promote liberal values in their films, while the Christian filmmakers are stratospherically successful, wealthy, and the beneficiaries of many miracles, all of which affirm that God is in their corner. While not to all tastes, this novel is sure to please fans and increase Bunn's readership. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"...one of the most genuinely Christian yet unpreachy books I've read.... I heartily recommend this taut thriller cum Hollywood exposé." -- Violet Nesdoly, blogcritics.org

"This story is powerful, gripping, thought provoking and life changing. I highly recommend this book to everyone." -- Nora St. Laurent, novelreviews.blogspot.com

"a story of struggle, intrigue, and faith-in-action that will delight...[an] inspirational, suspenseful thriller - the result is mesmerizing." -- Christian Retailing --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076420436X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764204364
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,499,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Davis Bunn is the author of over nineteen national bestsellers, and his books have sold over six million copies in sixteen languages. The recipient of three Christy Awards, Bunn currently serves as writer-in-residence at Oxford University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern Day "David against Goliath" Story and so much more, December 9, 2007

By 

Nora A. Stlaurent "TBCN Founder" (Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Soul to Keep (Paperback)

This book by Davis Bunn reminds me of the books he has written under the name T. Davis Bunn, The Warning, The Presence, The Ultimatum, just to name a few. They were powerful, gripping, thought provoking, and life changing. They revealed God's power in a way I had never read before.

My Soul to Keep is that kind of story. This book describes the movie business inside and out. Very similar to what the book The Devil Wears Prada did with the fashion industry. It reveals the good, the bad, and the process of how people got to be evil in the choices they make.

I have seen broken lives transformed right before my very eyes into something really awesome. God tells us to renew our minds daily and walk in what "He" says about who we are in Christ. It's crucial for those who have a colorful past. I have seen people like this hang on to what God says about them and "stand" on what God has done in their lives. The World (Satan) always wants to come along and expose our failures (our juicy stories) for the whole world to see. Satan has won if we stay stuck in the past. It's only when we let God Break us "Free" of our past, that He can do amazing things with our future.

Davis Bunn describes this entire transformation process which is so eye opening, heart felt and moving it had me cheering the victories and have tears in my eyes as I read how God moved in the characters hearts and situations. I felt like I knew them personally.

This story and the characters ring true to who God is and what He can do with our lives if we let Him. Davis Bunn reveals what can happen when God does move mountains and reveals His miracle in the making? Questions he makes you think deeply about are: Will we be strong enough to take the challenge in our life even when it looks impossible to us? Will we grab the miracle He is offering us with both hands and hang on no matter what - like our lives depended on it (most times it does)? Can we believe in miracles in such modern times? This author thinks so and so do I.

Davis Bunn lifts the veil and gives us a glimpse at what God is capable of doing in us if we let Him put a spark in our heart though the Holy Spirit who can launch us beyond our comfort zone. The author says in his book and I quote "What I have discovered is that God has taken these broken shards and made a vessel into which He could pour His greatness in ..." so true!!

Bunn's story and characters bring this statement I heard come alive; "God has to minister to us before He can minister through us". This story is powerful, gripping, thought provoking and life changing. I highly recommend this book to everyone. The characters and message stay with you long after you finish reading the book.

Nora St.Laurent
Book Club Servant Leader
[...]

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do Falling Stars Rise?, November 4, 2007

By 

Cara Putman (Lafayette, IN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: My Soul to Keep (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the first to last page. This story is rich in layers, with characters who have struggled and victories on many levels. Nothing is easy for the renegade group of movie-makers. Every step forward seems to lead to two backwards. Just when I was ready to cheer because it looked like everything had worked out, yet another, killer obstacle confronted them.

In each case, they rose to the challenge by falling to their knees. Brent is a thoroughly broken man who doesn't believe he deserves another chance after what he did in the past. Yet those around him rally and support him. They push him to be more than he thought he could be.

While I've never been in the movie business, the scenes felt well-researched and authentic. It was easy to be transported to the fast-paced, long-houred, crazy world.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational Thriller Goes Hollywood, November 25, 2007

By 

CatLover5324 "BookLover2" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Soul to Keep (Paperback)

My husband and I just finished reading Bunn's latest book and neither of us can stop talking about it. I've been a fan of Bunn since the mid-1990s and "My Soul to Keep" did not disappoint. Brent's struggle, the relationship with his former Hollywood peers and present supporters, a prayer group that...well, I don't want to give the plot away. You definitely need to read this book for yourself. Bunn has the ability to allow the reader to feel what the characters feel, see and experience as they do. Trust me, you don't want to pass this book up.