Customer Reviews

Riven

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Let me admit up front that Riven by Jerry B. Jenkins is the first Christian fiction book I've read. I read it because, as a public library director, I felt the need to sample a genre that so many of my patrons want us to buy books to support. I must say that, though I wouldn't want a steady diet of Christian fiction, (who wants a steady diet of any fiction genre?) I did find much to enjoy in Riven.

First I thought the characters were realistic and believable. Thomas Carey, a man called to the pulpit but frustrated by having to deal with members of a congregation who want to control the church rather than use it for the purpose it was intended. Dealing with small and petty people drives Thomas away from that which he loves. Thomas eventually becomes a prison chaplain and in doing so finds his true calling. Then there is Brady Wayne Darby, a man that after one bad decision after another ends up on death row placed there for a murder that didn't have to happen. It is the juxtaposition and interaction of these two characters that supply the real meat of Riven.

Second, the pace of the story, while slow, allows the characters and their situations to develop without one plot gimmick or twist. Jenkins reminds me of fiction the way it used to be written; without the literary equivalent of special effects and without the over use of formulaic writing.

Riven is a masterful work focusing on the human condition and redemption. Jenkins contrasts one who has tried to do right throughout his life and "failed" with another who has done everything wrong and refuses to take responsibility for his actions. Isn't that a current mindset? Surely, I am not responsible for what I have done? As the two main characters collide, a chain reaction ignites and races to fulfillment, resulting in a brilliant display of the greatest price ever paid, the ultimate responsibility. Both Christian and secular readers will find more than enough to ponder.

Pastor Thomas Carey was called at an early age to spread the Word and over the course of several years he became a pastor at different places around the United States. His last calling ended in a disaster because a layman wanted to be the power behind the ministry; something Thomas could not accept. He takes the position as chaplain at the SuperMax state penitentiary at Adamsville.

Brody Wayne Darby has spent his whole life committing one crime after another starting when he stole at the Laundromat where he worked. As he grew older, he committed increasingly more serious crimes and did time. When he was released, he vowed to go straight until a woman hurt him and he killed her. He pleaded guilty and was sent to Adamsville.

In the years he ministered at the prison, Thomas met no sincere inmate. He feels empty until he meets Brody; both come away from their encounters feeling as if God is working through them.

Jerry B. Jenkins is one of the best Christian authors writing today. His latest work is a dark complex contemporary fiction tale driven by two seemingly opposite characters; their polar differences make each even more believable and the story line plausible. RIVEN is a memorable tale starring a man who feels he is a failure and another who only has death waiting for him in three years time. They met and both feel the Lord is working through them giving each what they need. This book will move the audience in so many ways and make them feel so many things. This is a masterpiece.

Riven is the story of two men - a sinner and a saint. Thomas Carey is a devoted man of God. Committed to pouring himself out for God's people, he and his wife Grace are devout followers of Jesus; never failing in their devotions, always striving onwards and upwards, despite the lack of fruit from their ministry. Brady Wayne Darby is the archetypal bad boy. Raised in a trailer park by an alcoholic mother, he soon falls pray to the sinful nature that begins to devour him. Like us all, he is unable to escape from sin under his own power. He quickly falls prey to lying, theft, drug abuse, and various felonies that lead to repeat visits to correctional institutes over the course of his adult life.

While the contrast of these two lives may seem contrived within the context of a review, it is anything but. The characters of these two men are developed over the course of hundreds of pages. We follow each of them through their struggles, their difficulties and their crises. We become first hand witnesses of their lives; we come to know them as personally as a friend or relative.

I know these men as I have known few other characters - I will never forget them. Thomas, so stubbornly faithful, clings to the rock though he lacks a fruitful ministry. Brady slips deeper into darkness, the burden of his sin mounting, and no hope in sight. I came to love them both. I have never developed such a heart for an unsaved character. Brady must have been difficult for Jenkins, a believer, to write. Once a man is saved it is difficult to remember the burden, the despair, being lost. Jenkins captures it all, magnificently. Thomas and Brady need each other, and when they finally meet the world is shaken for Jesus.

I'm surprised that controversy hasn't arisen over this title. The entire premise, particularly the conclusion, is sensational, unbelievable. I was swept away in an emotional maelstrom that had me weeping throughout the last 100 pages. It is easy to suspend disbelief when you can hardly see through your tears. Read with Kleenex at hand is my cautionary warning.

Jenkins makes it work, once again rattling hearts for God. I was not at all expecting what this book offered me: a graphic reminder of what Jesus has done for me, a story of radical redemption, the promise of hope, and something more than these three added together, something elusive and hard to define that exists in the melding of these elements.

Who's to know what impact Riven will have as the good news spreads? Jenkins work has touched the hearts of many and led them to repentance and belief. I can picture it happening again. Riven is a treasure to share, not only amongst believers, but also for those who don't realize that what Jesus did on the cross was for them.

This is the last Jerry Jenkins book I will ever read. The first part of the book was OK, but the characters were cardboard cutouts. The second part of the book leaps boldly into the ridiculous; there is NO WAY a death row inmate is executed in the manner described in the book. Has Mr. Jenkins never heard of "cruel and unusual punishment?" The premise was maddeningly preposterous. I can guarantee that even if the execution is sanctioned by the state it will be slammed down by the Supreme Court, as well it should be.

I am a Christian, and if this is what passes for Christian literature, I weep for the state of American Christianity. Well, I guess I do that anyway, but that so many seem to have enjoyed this book makes me realize why people think that Christians are ignorant. I beg my fellow believers to read better fiction, to be more discerning, to have a higher personal standard. And DON'T recommend this book to your non-believing friends and family.

"Riven" is aimed at the Christian market, so I may not be the best person to review it, but since I've read it, I will give my opinion.

The novel opens as a Death Row inmate is taken to his execution. Rewind 17 years, the story alternates between high school kid Brady Wayne Darby as he struggles, growing up in a trailer park with a bad mother, and Reverend Thomas Carey, who seems to fail at every new job.

I liked reading about Brady Darby (anagram, see?) and I wished there was less focus on Carey. His story is less interesting and I found it difficult to like him and his wife Grace. They're very judgmental against their daughter and son-in-law. They don't seem to care much about them, except that they want them to become Christians. Less focus on them would have distracted less from the more interesting story about Brady. The parallel storylines make the novel overall a bit too slow.

"Riven" is a Christian novel, and needless to say, much of it, especially in the second half, is about religion. Since I'm not a Christian, I didn't find this as inspirational as most Christian readers no doubt will, and I found some events to be a bit too unbelievable.

Recommended for Christian readers who don't mind slow paced books. Christian readers may want to add one star to my rating. Not recommended to non-Christian readers, although some Christian readers may find it a good witnessing tool if they want to give away a copy to a non-Christian friend.

Riven (Jenkins) was an excellent, engrossing read.

Jerry Jenkins wove the fabric of his characters in such a way that you come to really know them and care about them throughout the story.

Pastor Thomas Carey and his wife, Grace, only want to serve God. But despite his deep and abiding faith, Thomas has a milque-toast personality that impedes his ability to fulfill what he believes is his purpose.

Brady Wayne Darby is the bad boy that you want to cheer on when he seems to be making a "right" decision, and yell at when he reverts to the bad decisions that he seems doomed to continue to make.

The confluence of the paths of these two men changes not only them and their own perspectives, but has far-reaching influence over the lives of others around them, like a ripple effect from a stone thrown into a lake.

I found this to be a poignant, riveting story. The characters were alive to me, and the story truly engrossing. I loved the Christian element, as it brought to life the scriptures that brought Brady Wayne Darby to the man he was destined to become.

I recommend Riven (Jenkins)to readers who like a thoughtful, enduring story.

Riven is Jerry Jenkins's "book of the heart." Having just finished it, I will agree that the story sticks with you, from Pastor Carey, who wrestles with his life disappointments and his own unreachable child, to Brady, the down and out guy on death row who has landed there due to his abysmal childhood and his own poor choices. What I really appreciated about this book is it didn't fall into the formulaic, predictable model of many other Christian books. Brady is not miraculously saved from execution; Pastor Carey's wife doesn't experience a sudden reversal of her disease. The book, like every Christian's life, is filled with hardship and difficult questions that may or may not be answered in a lifetime. Jenkins's characters are meticulously drawn and develop over the course of this hefty novel. One thing that hit me the wrong way was the improbable finish to Brady's stay on death row. (I don't want to give anything away.) It just would never happen that way and though the work is fiction, of course, the rest of it seemed so realistic that Brady's chosen method of death struck me as hard to believe. Nonetheless, this didn't detract from the overall power of the book. The back cover promises the work will be "gritty, compelling and gut wrenching" and it is. Jenkins is a masterful writer and his story will indeed stay with you after the final page.

Jerry B. Jenkins calls Riven the book he has always wanted to write, unlike anything he has ever written before. In Riven, we follow two main characters down two entirely different paths.

Brady Wayne Darby, a high school student with a bad-boy image, can't seem to find his place. After failing with the high school football team, he tries out for the school's performance of Bye, Bye, Birdie. An outcast from a broken home living in a trailer with an alcoholic mother who doesn't care what happens to him from one day to the next, Brady is the last person anyone would expect to picked for the school play -- especially for the high profile role of Conrad Birdie.

Reverend Thomas Carey, a small church pastor who can't seem to land a supportive flock, finds himself suddenly assigned to a group of several small churches, all of which he is expected to lead as spiritual guide. When he finds himself losing a power struggle with an elder at one of the small churches, Reverend Carey once again finds himself out in the cold, without a church home or even a place to live.

The author takes us on a journey through the lives of these two men: one who can't seem to stay out of trouble and away from the courts, and another who refuses to give up on God and pursue a secular career. We witness as Brady moves through the criminal justice system, from Juvie to the county jail and beyond. We see the Reverend Carey accept a highly unlikely assignment as the Chaplain of a Supermax Prison with the State Department of Corrections -- an assignment that allows him little to no contact with the very flock he is supposed to lead.

When an unfortunate turn of events throws Brady and Reverend Carey together, they become the most unlikely pair you could imagine, and highly unlikely things begin to happen. As Reverend Carey finally finds the hope he has longed for his entire career, and Brady Darby finds the hope he has rejected all of his life, the two become fast friends on a course that will shock the reader.

Of the many books I have read by Jerry B. Jenkins -- including the Left Behind series and The Underground Zealot trilogy, Riven is by far the most thought-provoking and most inspiring. The character development is some of the best I have seen from Jenkins, and the shocker ending will leave you wanting for more. A highly recommended read!

[...]

These characters gripped me from the very beginning of the story. Was the pace slow? I never noticed because the characters pulled me deep into their hearts and didn't let go. I cried for Brady more than once and read the last pages through streaming tears. The ending makes you ask how such a sad end can leave you with such hope. The answer is that it reminds us of the greatest story ever told--God's sacrificial love for us all. Jerry Jenkins is a masterful storyteller and this is powerful fiction.