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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Let go and let God..., November 4, 2004
This review is from: Speak to My Heart: A Novel (Paperback)
Why is it that when life seems to be perfect and everything is going well, out of the blue something happens to knock you for a loop? This is exactly what happens to Serena Jasper. The night she learns she has been accepted into a prestigious university, her mother delivers some devastating news which drastically changes everything Serena has believed about her life. This news affects Serena so much, she no longer has faith in anyone, including God and especially her mother. Up until this point, the relationship between Serena and her mother was ideal, her faith was strong and her spiritual compass set on the straight and narrow.
Talk about a spiritual wake up call! As I read SPEAK TO MY HEART, I wondered if the author had access to my life that I didn't know about. While Serena's situation is not the same as mine, the feelings of doubt, insecurity, and a faltering spiritual life are the same things I am presently experiencing. Mrs. Adams debut novel is not "preachy", nor is it filled with holier than thou characters who snub others for not being a "perfect" Christian. Instead, her characters are normal, everyday people who strive to do God's will, but find themselves swayed by trials and tribulations and the cunning craftiness of the evil one. Kudos to the author for a wonderful read which definitely spoke to my heart.
Reviewed by Renee Williams
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great first effort!, July 13, 2005
This review is from: Speak to My Heart: A Novel (Paperback)
Speak to My Heart is Stacey Hawkin Adams' debut novel. I am always elated anytime I read a book that draws me emotionally into the character's life. From the beginning of the novel, readers are drawn into Serena Jasper's story. Serena and her Mama are tight! They have been that way ever since Serena's dad died when she was young. Unfortunately, the bond between this mother and daughter abruptly gets broken when Serena's Mama shares a devastating secret.
Right after sharing news of her acceptance into graduate school, Serena's Mama tells her the man she has known as father all these years, was not her biological father. Serena's conception came as the result of an affair her mother had with Deacon Gates. In shock, shame and anger, Serena withdraws from her mother and disassociates herself from her home church St. Mark's Baptist Church. Not only does a wedge come between her and mother, but Serena slowly lets school and then her career come between her and God.
With a promotion and a hot account opportunity for her company, Serena soars as a advertising executive. Along the way, Serena meets Micah, a seminary student whose friendship and recent career change leave Serena searching for the missing pieces in her own life. The chaos that is derived from her roommate's tumultuous relationship and one of the girls she used to mentor at St. Marks, causes Serena to look at the choices she has made. As she discovers how selfish she has been, she begins to seek God's voice again and also tries to reconcile with her mother before it's too late.
You will need some tissues with this book. I won't tell you why, but being one who easily cries anyway, I had tears flowing down my face several times. Forgiveness and reconciliation are shown so passionately through the characters of Serena and her mother. The book touches on many topics such as the pitfalls of working in the corporate world, domestic violence, adultery, terminal illness, teenage pregnancy, backsliding, etc. Even with all these topics, one major theme runs throughout, people, careers and situations may disappoint us, but God is always there for us. Nothing takes the place of emptiness, but God himself.
--Tyora Moody
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finding Faith in One's Darkest Hour with Speak to My Heart, January 11, 2005
This review is from: Speak to My Heart: A Novel (Paperback)
Serena Jasper's life is going great. On the fast track to a superb career in advertising, her future is bright and promising. Then her mother drops a bombshell that threatens Serena's identity and her faith in God.
Speak to my Heart is the premier novel of Stacy Hawkins Adams. Adams, an inspirational columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Virginia, delves into the psychological destructiveness of secrets and blinding faith. The central character, Serena Jasper, is a character to remember in that she is full of anger, doubt, confliction, and perseverance. This story is written in her voice, and although at times, I found her to be a little redundant in expressing her feelings of pain and anger, once the story got moving, she developed more fully and became more real for me.
What hits me the most with this story is the spiritual force behind it. The quoting of scriptures and the words from God to Serena seemed like they were very much for me also. This book had me re-evaluating my position with God and what I felt he has called me to do. But it also brought forth my own disappointment with the church and the hypocrisy that reigns within it at times.
What is also intriguing about this book is the additional story within the main story. I found the storyline of Erika all too real. An obvious victim of domestic violence, it was sad that Erika didn't come around and see that her abusive boyfriend was not going to be changed by marriage. But what really bothered me was that Adams, as the writer, did not save Erika from years of abuse. I guess having had a friend who was abused by her boyfriend like Erika, I wanted to see her come to her senses before it was too late. I wanted Serena's "spiritualness" to bring her through.
I also felt a slight irritation with the character, Micah. In the beginning, I felt that he was too preachy, but eventually, he became the voice of reason. He tells Serena like it is spiritually and realistically. Still, I wanted to know if the relationship between the two of them would go further than Adams allowed it. I personally didn't see nor feel the intimacy between them: just hints from the dialogue of other characters.
As such, I felt the ending was incomplete. I wanted to know what was going to happen to Erika and if Serena and Micah would take their relationship further, among other things. But that's the mark of a true writer: they leave you hungry for more information and angry with them for not having saved a fictional character.
What also makes this a good book, however, is that Adams did a wonderful job of tying in spirituality to reality. None of her characters are so fictional that you could not believe they existed somewhere in this world or felt sincere pain. But even more so, if you are looking for something to believe in or to confirm what you already suspect/know about the power of God and faith, then this is the book for you. It will have you running to your Bible looking for inspiration and validation. I know I did.
In the end, this book isn't just about pain, betrayal, and even romance; it's about finding faith and forgiveness in one's darkest hour. Enjoy the reading!
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