Riven (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: administrative segregation, exercise kennel, meal slot, Aunt Lois, Brady Darby, Stevie Ray (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this painfully slow story, Jenkins (Left Behind) builds two protagonists' story lines-each from different generations and different walks of life, yet destined to cross paths through God's providence. When readers meet young Brady Wayne Darby, he is still struggling to make it through high school, barely weaseling his way out of troubles that often come his way. With the Rev. Thomas Carey, Jenkins introduces an elder pastor, down on his luck and trying to find a new flock-eventually landing himself a prison chaplaincy on death row. Though the story ends with a predictable redemption, along the way, readers are assaulted with a heavy dose of despair, with women who cause the men in their lives endless trials and a plot that takes its sweet time. Since the novel is a complete departure from Jenkins's high-octane Left Behind series, longtime fans may be surprised by his versatility even as they grow impatient with the story's lugubrious development.
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From Booklist

You would never expect the paths of Brady Darby and Thomas Carey to cross. The teenage Brady is an outsider from the wrong side of the tracks who’s trying to find his place in life while still somehow protecting his little brother from their negligent mother. Thomas is a preacher without a flock, as he and his devoted wife, Grace, are forced to move towns once again after allowing membership at yet another church to dwindle under their watch. At every turn, Brady’s decisions seem to backfire, even when he tries change by participating in the high school musical. At the same time, Thomas and Grace are immediately rejected by their latest congregation for refusing to give in to politics, and their only child seems to reject them and their lifestyle. Several years later, the worlds of Brady and Thomas collide at a juvenile halfway house. They act as life forces for each other even as their individual worlds sink deeper into misery. Christian fiction author Jenkins covers much ground in this weighty book, and while heroes are made out of those who come to God, Jenkins avoids preachiness and, instead, lets goodness shine. Expect demand as Jenkins’ following grows with every outing. --Mary Frances Wilkens

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 558 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141430904X
• ISBN-13: 978-1414309040
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #262,789 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars dark complex contemporary fiction , July 24, 2008

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riven Provides Hope, August 6, 2008

By	M Appelt (Sacramento, California United States) - See all my reviews

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.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A decent read...., July 29, 2008

By	Robert Busko (Waynesville, NC USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.