Watching the Tree Limbs (Maranatha Series #1) [Paperback]

Mary E DeMuth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 23, 2006

Nine-year-old Mara loves playing Nancy Drew with her best friend, Camilla. But then there are big mysteries that Mara's afraid to share: Who is her mother? Her father? And how can she stop the biggest criminal of all, General?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this debut faith-based novel, DeMuth transports readers to the hot East Texas town that is nine-year-old Mara's home. Amid the red dirt and pecan trees, Mara struggles to find her way through a painful and mysterious family situation. Who were her parents? Is her aunt Elma really her aunt-and does Elma really have a tumor? What will happen to her if her aunt dies? The pain in Mara's life multiplies when she meets General, the teenage neighbor who repeatedly rapes her, threatening her life if she tells anyone. DeMuth captures the horrific situation-from Mara's inability to keep her body from shaking to her determination to watch the tree limbs to keep her mind off of what is going on-while providing hope of redemption and healing. Her characters are expertly drawn, and encompass meanness, evil, great kindness and the confusion of generally good people who don't know how to handle what life has given them. Christian themes are woven throughout as a natural expression of the characters and situation. Readers may be surprised at the dark subject matter, but this book will appeal to many readers both as a thoughtful, powerful reflection on a difficult topic and as a compelling story.
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From the Back Cover

Knowing something bad will happen if she misses, nine-year-old Mara keeps her appointments. And she?s never told a soul. But despite the fear and shame that ensnare her, she clings to the hope that she can break free. Mara doesn?t know her real name. She doesn?t even know who her parents are. But with the help of her best friend, Camilla, and the mysterious DJ, Denim, she determines to unveil the secrets that shroud her life. Caught in a maelstrom of lies and deceit, Mara picks her way through the wreckage of a lost childhood until the day something magical happens underneath the pecan tree. Written in beautiful prose and set against the backdrop of the quirky town of Burl, Texas, Watching the Tree Limbs takes us on a journey through a young girl?s self-discovery and reveals the lengths to which God will go to redeem His precious children.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: NavPress (February 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576839265
• ISBN-13: 978-1576839263
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #631,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a freelance writer and novelist living in Texas with my husband of nineteen years and my three wonderful children.

I have been writing since 1992, first as a newsletter editor, then as a freelance writer, followed by a fiction and nonfiction author. My articles have appeared in Marriage Partnership, In Touch, HomeLife, Discipleship Journal, Pray!, Bon Appetit, Kindred Spirit, The Writer, and Writer's Digest. For two years I penned a lifestyle column for Star Community Newspapers in Dallas (circulation 100,000). My books include Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (Harvest House, 2005), Building the Christian Family You Never Had (WaterBrook, 2006), Watching the Tree Limbs, Wishing on Dandelions (NavPress, both novels releasing in 2006), Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture (Harvest House, 2006), Daisy Chain, A Slow Burn (Zondervan 2009), Life in Defiance (Zondervan 2010), Thin Places: A Memoir (Zondervan 2010), 150 Quick Questions to Get Your Kids Talking (Harvest House 2011), You Can Raise Confident and Courageous Kids (Harvest House, 2001) and The Muir House (Zondervan 2011).

I'm more than my books. I love to cook, try my hand (body!) at triathlons, have a nose ring, and am passionate about singing.

I love to help people overcome a difficult past and blog about it five times a week at http://www.marydemuth.com. My facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/authormarydemuth and you can follow me on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/marydemuth

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watching Tree Limbs...A Story You Won't Forget!, April 10, 2006

By 

Pamela Meyers "Writer Woman" (Chicagoland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Watching the Tree Limbs (Maranatha Series #1) (Paperback)

Mary DeMuth calls her blog Relevant Prose, and this is a more than apt description of her debut fiction novel, Watching Tree Limbs. Mary's strong voice along with equally strong characterizations drew me in immediately. Written from the perspective of the nine-year-old protagnoist, Mara, you feel her pain and want to reach into the pages and make things right for her. Shake the adults in her life and say "Don't you see what you are doing to this child?". Yet the only One who can make things right for Mara is God and God does reach in and bring people to Mara that point her to Him. You will fall in love with Camilla, Mara's rhyming and all-knowing best friend; Denim, the mysterious man on the radio who wants to make things right in the small East Texas town of Burl; and Zady, the housekeeper/surrogate mother that God uses most of all to shows her His love. This is a book I will long remember, days after reading the last sentence.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic in the making!, March 15, 2006

By 

Kathi Macias (Homeland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Watching the Tree Limbs (Maranatha Series #1) (Paperback)

When I received a copy of this book I made the mistake of starting it before I had met some of my most pressing deadlines. I am now playing "catch-up" with those deadlines because once I started reading WATCHING THE TREE LIMBS I couldn't stop until I was done. Not only is this a captivating and moving story, but the writing is exquisite. In this modern age of publishing where selling platforms often take precedence over writing ability, it's exciting to find someone who is a writer first, an author second. Mary's heart so obviously "feels" her words before she pens them that reading her work is akin to listening to a perfectly orchestrated symphony. Thank you, Mary, for one of the best reads I've had in a very long time!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grace lighting dark places, March 26, 2006

By 

Sharon Hinck "Sharon Hinck, author" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Watching the Tree Limbs (Maranatha Series #1) (Paperback)

In the tradition of "Secret Life of Bees" or "Peace Like a River", Ms. DeMuth introduces a young character's journey and invites us inside her skin. We feel the heat of the Texas sun, the pain of abuse, the longing for connection and family. Even though the subject matter is truthfully tough, each chapter is infused with grace. The writing is lyrical and hopeful even when confronting brutal realities. The story deepened my compassion for children who suffer in silence and reminded me that although there aren't always easy answers one person's acts of love can make a difference.