Customer Reviews

Return (Redemption Series-Baxter 1, Book 3)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Return continues the story of the Baxter family and their loved ones facing life after all that happened in Remember, including September 11th. The characters are well developed and the story lines hearbreaking and uplifting, often at the same time.

Remember was the first Karen Kingsbury book I'd read. I was totally enthralled and read it in only a few days. I just bought Return, anxious to learn of the characters and relationships that reminded me of my own family in different ways. I started Return last night and finished it this morning...a complete page turner.

Each chapter had me needing to know what happened next. Unlilke another Kinsbury novel I read recently (One Tuesday Morning), there wasn't endless set-up and whole paragraphs to skip over. I read every word and had to cover the bottom halves of the pages so I wouldn't peek.

One Caveat: As in Redemption and Return, the story lines are serious and not always happily-ever-after, instead it's more of a Hopefully-ever-after. But this book hit home one many levels with me and my family as we're going through numerous crisis with various family members. The messages whispered to the characters spoke directly to me, God's words driven home with tangible situations.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm now looking forward to her next book in this series. Kinda wish I hadn't read this one the same month it was released!

NOTE: This is the third book in a series, but it can easily stand alone and reading the previous books isn't necessary to quickly learn and love the characters.

Return is the 3rd in the Redemption Series, following Redemption and Remember. Return focuses on the Baxters' son Luke. He becomes "disenchanted" with God and turns 180 degrees from the values of his family. As always, the interactions between the Baxter family members not only make an engaging story, but also teach the reader the importance of trusing God. This is my favorite series of all time, and I do read constantly! It evokes strong emotions in the reader, because there is bound to be someone's behavior or some life situation that really hits home. It is a book you'll never forget! Buy the entire Redemtion Series at once so that you won't have to pause between books. Here they are in order: Redemption, Remember, Return, Rejoice, and Reunion. And even after that there is a spinoff series that promises to be just as rewarding: the Firstborn Series, also involving the Baxter family but with some new characters and situations--outstanding!

I am almost finished with this book, it is an absolute page turner. I read the first two in her series last summer and could not wait for the next edition, and will eagerly await the next one. I have been so blessed by how you(Karen andGary) are using scriptures to make points in the people's life. Many of the scriprtures are just what I need to be reminded of in my daily life as a nurse.
Also their lives are very much like all of our lives, integrating all the problems and how, when they look to God then His plans will fall into place, because He has great plans for us.

This book is simply AMAZING! I was hooked as soon as I opened it and can't stop reading it again and again. It is beautiful. It touches your heart with a message of love. God's love expressed through a family's love for eachother and the romantic kind of love that women LOVE to read about. This story has taken me on a rollercoaster of emotions: laughing, crying from sadness, and crying from joy. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

This book was another book of Karen Kingsbury's that was difficult to put down. This book focused on returning to God, to the people you loved, kind of liked the prodigal son. This book also talked about forgiveness and how sometimes, we do end up suffering the consequences of our actions. But yet, no matter what we do, the book points out that God loves us and wants us to return to Him.

I can't believe how true to life the issues are that the author's characters' deal with in her novels. No pain is sidestepped. No pat answers are offered. True healing and forgiveness are experienced. Consequences of sin are suffered. This is real life with a whole lot of hope. The resolutions made sense and weren't easy fixes. I got choked up nearly as often with this book as I did Remember. Also, I read the entire novel in two days (around working my full time job.) Wonderful read. I especially loved the contrast between liberal thinking and true faith. Highly recommended.

Just when everything seems to be going wrong with this country, our relationships with others, our very lives, Kingsbury delivers this shining light in our time of darkness. This book not only addresses possible reactions from 9/11 but how one family overcame adversity brought by consequences of their sin. This story touched me and showed me that there is always hope!

The women in my small group at church introduced me to this wonderful series. I have read all 3 of the books and am anxious to read the next. Following the lives of the Baxter family through their trials, heartaches, and happiness helps illustrate the powerful message of the necessity of putting God first in our lives...

I have laughed, smiled and cried in each of these books and can't wait to do it again with the next!

Return is the 3rd book in Karen Kingsbury's Redemtion series. This book is mainly focused on Luke, the Baxter's only son, straying from God after some traumatic events, including 9/11. He rejected his Faith, his family, and the girl he loved. Instead he turned to a life leading to destruction, and he messed with a false religion--freethinking. "Freethinking meant he could avoid his family if he wanted to. According to freethinking, whatever thought he went with was the right one." "Luke's life was strange and dark and empty and alone." This book is a heart-wrenching story of a family's love and devotion to one another through thick and thin. It makes you feel like you are living life right alongside the Baxter family. Karen Kingsbury does an amazing job of getting the reader involved in the book--you won't be able to set it down!

This one is the best one yet, I cried in the first quarter of this book. Karen your writing skills in this series are truly God's hands writing through yours. And the series is so timely. It gives hope in a world that sometimes seems truly hopeless; hope for love, hope for joy, hope for reconciliations, hope in every area of one's life. Please quickly write Reunion, I simply am on pins and needles awaiting it's debut!