Customer Reviews

When Heaven Weeps (Martyr's Song, Book 2)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

WHEN HEAVEN WEEPS is one of the more powerful novels that I've read in the past few years. The second book of The Martyr's Song series, it is basically a 20th century re-telling of the Biblical story of Hosea.

Jan Jovic was a Bosnian soldier in World War II. His troop happened upon a small village where the people were led by a godly man name Father Michael. A confrontation between Michael and Karadzic, Jan's commanding officer, escalated into a terrible tragedy where Michael and a small child named Nadia show Jan the true meaning of the love of Christ in the sacrifices that they make. Jan's eyes are opened and his life will never be the same.

Flash foreword to the sixties and Atlanta, Georgia. Jan has written a story retelling the story of Nadia and Father Michael entitled THE DANCE OF THE DEAD. The book became a best seller and Jan has turned his life into a ministry, desiring to show the world what the love of Christ truly means. About to be engaged to his manager, Karen, his life is turned directly upside down one day when he happens upon a junkie named Helen, who is fleeing from her lover (who also happens to be a very dangerous underworld figure). What ensues basically follows the plot of Hosea. Jan unavoidably falls for Helen and Helen responds in kind but she continues to be drawn to her past, and thus becomes unfaithful to Jan multiple times over.

In Hosea, God commanded Hosea to take a prostitute as his wife and to love her. The prostitute's unfaithfulness to Hosea was a graphic example of Israel's unfaithfulness to their lover, God. In WHEN HEAVEN WEEPS, the character of Helen represents each of us -- and therein lies the power of the story. WHEN HEAVEN WEEPS is remarkable in that it is quite graphic in its description of sin. All of Helen's dirty laundry is laid out before us, and as we read we wonder how anyone can be so callus in their regard for the love shown to them. But the detail is necessary, because when we realize that Helen is us the effect is ten times more powerful than if her sins had been glossed over (Ivena's explanation on page 263 is the key). As the story plays out Jan and Helen engage in a conflict that will demonstrate again what the ultimate love of Christ is, but also show that true love demands true sacrifice.

WHEN HEAVEN WEEPS, then, stands as a triumphant work. It is not a perfectly written book (and that is why I cannot give it a full five stars). But it is very readable, and any literary criticisms that I have can easily be laid aside in light of the power of the message contained here. This is a rare thriller that will have you turning the pages like mad but also challenge your faith walk with God at the deepest levels, if you choose to let it. A solid FOUR STARS.

When Heaven Weeps, is a love story dually set in a Balkan village near the end of World War II and America in the late 60's. The story of ex-Serbian solider Jan Jovic and his courage to learn why loving is dying. The story of Helen, a drug and sex addicted prisoner of her needs and the struggle to receive unconditional love. Finally, it is also the unforgettable story of Ivena, who as a young mother watched her child and most of her village die simply to fulfill a twisted soldier's game. This very game of death and love played expertly first by Ivena's daughter, then by Helen and Jan, knits this novel into a masterpiece of Christian fiction.

I picked up this book to read because of three things. One was this sentence on the back, "dive into a romantic thriller like none you've ever read. Drink deeply of a love that will bring a tremor to your bones. Go ahead, it's your turn to play the game. But remember... There is a price. And no one could possibly prepare you for that price." I love books based on relationships and I am absolutely fascinated by thrillers. I had no idea what I had begun. This book not only fulfilled my thirst for a relationship based book with a thrill aspect but it delivered. It changed my thinking. It tightened my belief system. It left me asking months after I read this book "Do I believe and live what I say I believe."

Secondly the author's note at the beginning of the book shared a very critical letter written by someone regarding this authors first book in the Martyr's Song series. The criticism was based on bringing an experience from the bible into present day perspective. I had not read the book but was intrigued by the idea of the author being satisfied with this criticism.

And finally, I had gotten a little bored with standard formula Christian romantic fiction. I wanted something new. I wanted something that affected me like Perretti's "This Present Darkness." I received more than I bargained for and found myself changed with a closer walk with Christ as a direct result of the questions this book of fiction posed. This is not a book for teens, this is not a book you can read for a few minutes and lay aside. Prepare yourself time because you will not want to put it down, unless it is to catch your breath.

I enjoyed Dekker's first book, but felt he was pushing a little, still stretching his wings. Boy, this book takes flight and never comes down. Dekker tells a gripping story and peoples it with characters we love or hate. On top of the captivating tale, he manages to weave in a powerful symbol of God's love and sacrifice for His Bride, the Church. Usually, this type of symbolism becomes heavy-handed and overpowers the use of a real plot and believable dialogue. Here, Dekker pulls it all off with masterful ease and entertains us just long enough for us to let our guard down...then he slams his point home. I've read few novels this well-written.

Some minor glitches: one character pulls on Nikes years before they were developed (I grew up in Eugene, OR...I should know). Big deal, right? But it did remind me it was all a story right in the middle of getting hooked. Dekker also loves to say "spiked." As in "his heart spiked." This started to jump out at me after a while. Last complaint...my copy was missing pages 313-344! A printing error, I guess. And right in the middle of the last quarter of the book...aggh. Once I found a complete book, I was greatly relieved.

Don't miss this book. Don't miss this author's writing. And don't miss the point. "When Heaven Weeps" it's because God loves His people and will do whatever it takes to prove that love. Ted Dekker does his best to weave a beautiful and suspenseful tale. I'll have to read this one again.

Although this story takes place in 1964, there is a "story within a story" in Book One that, to me, was the most emotional, heart-wrenching part of this whole novel. It hearkens back to World War II era Bosnia where a troop of soldiers, led by the unspeakably evil commander Karadzic, descends upon a peaceful village, turning a child's birthday party into a cruel, degrading, bloody "game". The depth of love confronting evil nearly brought tears to my eyes, and nothing that came afterward in the book had quite the same impact, although parts of it came close.

Jan, a soldier who defied Karadzic and spent five years in prison as punishment, comes to Christ and writes a bestselling book about the incident. Now living in America (Atlanta, to be precise), he is engaged to his beautiful and intelligent publicist, and is poised to make millions on a proposed motion picture based on his book. Then he "rescues" a drug-addicted young woman in the park, and his cozy world begins to get turned upside down. Foolishly and recklessly, he falls in love with her. This is a love he tries desperately to fight, but he cannot, because this love comes from God. Significantly, this is a love that scandalizes the evangelical establishment. Complicating matters is that Helen, the young woman, is torn between the unconditional love showered upon her by Jan and her love and craving for drugs, a craving that keeps her coming back to Villain #2, the evil and powerful Glenn Lutz.

"When Heaven Weeps" is based on the book of Hosea and the Song of Solomon from the Old Testament. It is symbolic of God's extravagent, almost foolish love for His people. There are many other issues working in this novel as well, not the least of which is the problem of Christian celebrity and the necessity of keeping up appearances. I found the treatment of Helen's drug addiction realistic, as well. It brought to mind a magazine article by Patti Davis that I read recently which talks about addiction as being a true love affair with drugs. Helen is truly torn between two lovers.

Unfortunately, I have to be the first reviewer to give this book less than five stars. The reason I do so is there are certain historical aspects that are problematic. These problems could have been solved by setting the story in 1976 instead of 1964. For one thing, as a previous reviewer pointed out, Nikes did not come on the scene until 1972, so Helen could not have worn Nikes in 1964. Also, references to cocaine as the drug of choice and a dance floor with a mirror ball seem more in tune with the "disco era." The story mentions a telephone answering machine, and I don't think those were too predominant in 1964. ALso, Helen is basically a hippie chick about a year or two too early. Putting the story 12 years later would have made Jan older, but Helen could still be 29 years old, thereby adding a greater age difference and fueling the "scandal" even more. And while it's possible that a drug dealer sold her mother "acid" in 1950 or before, it's not likely since LSD at that time was used mostly in psychological experiments and had not yet become a "street drug". Those issues became a distraction to me in what otherwise was a very compelling, gripping story.

I haven't even mentioned the fact that, besides being a love story, this is also a white-knuckle thriller. So we have love, drugs, God, death, violence, action, and even gardening! How can you go wrong with a book like this?

For a Christian to ignore this work would be like an ice skater ignoring the ice. I must admit, it blindsided me -- I never expected to read something like this coming out of a Christian publisher. But it's wonderful! Powerful. Leads the reader back to the passionate love found in the death of Christ, but does so in a contemporary story.

I won't go into the story as its available above. Let me just say that every woman should read this novel. And every man who's never experience the full power of a romance that brings tears to your eyes. Don't get me wrong -- this isn't a woman's book and more than it's a man's book. It's simply a riviting thriller in which LOVE takes center stage. Caution, there is violence and some drug use here, but they are critical elements. Now THIS would make an incredible movie!

I read a couple of Dekker's newer bestsellers before digging back to this one. What a find!

OK, I gushed over Heaven's Wager--and rightly so. I'm not backing down one inch. But if Heaven's Wager was brilliant, When Heaven Weeps is a supernova, the single brightest star in the sky.

This story just explodes off the page. Dekker must've been on some kind of weird spiritual high to write this thing. What a volatile mix: a (ah hum) "lady of the night," a Really Bad Guy who's her lover, a whacked-out war hero--what an unlikely trio of characters, especially in a "Christian" novel. Yet almost in biblical fashion, almost like those gripping stories of God-forsaken Hebrews struggling to find their way that pepper the Old Testament, this story is larger than life.

I don't want to give anything away; I'd rather have you encounter it firsthand with little or no idea of what's going on from a plot perspective. That's always the best way. But listen, Dekker--and how he did it, I have no idea--majorly trumps Heaven's Wager. Sometimes an artist stumbles with his sophmore effort. Not here. All the promise so lavishly on display in Heaven's Wager bursts into full flower here. I can't wait to read whatever he's gonna do next.

OK, I enjoy a good tear-jerker every once in a while, but boy oh boy, I wasn't ready for this one!! It's definitely a ten-hanky book--that's the maximum score I'm aware of. When Jan . . . well, I don't want to give away the story, but some INCREDIBLE things happen near the end of the book. And at the start of the book. And in the middle of the book, for that matter. This may be the most incredible story of redemptive love in the history of literature. Don't, I repeat, DON'T miss out on it!

Boy oh boy, was I in for a shock! My book group read Heaven's Wager, and I loved it, as did most of the others. But I was TOTALLY unprepared for When Heaven Weeps.

I guess I was really the biggest Ted Dekker fan in our group after reading Heaven's Wager, so I went right out and bought When Heaven Weeps even before we decided on the next book to read. I planned to spend a few days reading it, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down!! I was up till three in the morning, and having a hissy fit that I couldn't finish it! Fortunately, I'm a stay-at-home mom, so I didn't have to worry about going off to a nine-to-five job the next day. But I'll tell you, I sure didn't get much done! Instead of cleaning the house like I usually do on Mondays, I had my nose buried in When Heaven Weeps. My poor husband and kids had to settle for Taco Bell that night!

But it was all worth it. I can't begin to tell you what this book did to me; I'm still processing it. But I'll tell you this much: I'm a change person from having read When Heaven Weeps. If you find a stronger, clearer, more powerful picture of the love of God in action, let me know, though I seriously doubt you'll find it. In any case, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get my book group to read this one. Even the ones who didn't like Heaven's Wager are going to flip, I'll wager. And so will you.

This was my first Dekker book, and I had no idea what I was in for. It certainly wasn't what I expected. From the opening scene in Bosnia right through the terrifying and totally unexpected conclusion, this book grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go. I don't think I've ever before read such powerful scenes in a christian novel. I've been ruminating on this book and what it has to say about God's unfathomable love for the past three weeks--I just can't get it out of my mind. The only other book that affected me this powerfully was Cry the Beloved Country. A classic.

What have we got here? The first great Christian novel of the millenium? Where did this Dekker guy come from?

This book is no holds barred. Author Dekker takes Christian fiction into uncharted waters and comes back, like Jason, with the golden fleece. Talk about taking chances. How about having your protagonist be under the spell of one of the most obnoxious villains of memory? I've never encountered a heroine like Helen anywhere else in fiction. She sinks oh so low only to encounter the heights of joy. Implausible? Not a bit, when there's a master storyteller like Mr. Dekker at the controls.

I can't say enough about this book. It's the most riviting, vital, captivating story I've read in the past decade. By all means don't miss out on this mindblowing story.