Embrace Me (Paperback)

by Lisa Samson (Author)
Key Phrases: mashed potato casserole, Father Brian, Mount Oak, Drew Parrish (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Biting and gentle, hard-edged and hopeful . . . a beautiful fable of love and power, hiding and seeking, woundedness and redemption.

When a "lizard woman," a self-mutilating preacher, a tattoed monk, and a sleazy lobbyist find themselves in the same North Carolina town one winter, their lives are edging precariously close to disaster . . . and improbably close to grace.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595542108
• ISBN-13: 978-1595542106
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #170,799 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting, life-changing, brave book about the power of forgiveness, May 19, 2008

By	Christina Lockstein "http://christysbookblog.... (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Embrace Me by Lisa Samson is another jewel in Samson's crown. Valentine stars as the Lizard Woman in a travelling freak show along with her friend, Lella, the Human Cocoon. While it's not a great life, it's one that she has come to terms with until returning to winter in a small North Carolina town. There she encounters Augustine, a tattooed and dread locked monk, who shakes up her ordered existence with his talk of God and faith. Samson's books are not for those readers who want to be comfortable and comforted in their reading. Her books with self-mutilating pastors and chain-smoking characters make me squirm in my seat like a good sermon. She delves into topics and places few Christian books dare to go, and God bless her for it. Her books are not to be read lightly and tossed aside. They weigh on my soul and heart and never leave me untouched. Augustine quotes Mother Theresa: You only love Christ as much as the person you love the least. Did that make you squirm in your seat? That's what Embrace Me will do to you, make you re-evaluate the strength of your faith and love for God. Samson writes like no one else in the business; each sentence is carefully crafted and weighted. Read this book and be transformed within.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quirky but captivating tale about forgiveness, March 25, 2008

By	Cindy Swanson (Rockford, Illinois) - See all my reviews

Although I've always been a Lisa Samson fan, I have to admit I balked at reading this book! The story of a disfigured girl who travels with a freak show as "Lizard Girl"? It sounded just a little too weird to me.

Well, I should have known that Lisa Samson could take a premise even that strange and spin it into an immensely readable tale of forgiveness, redemption, and even joy.

The story really focuses on two people: former pastor Drew Parrish, and the girl with the disfigured face, Valentine--whose best friend is her fellow "freak," a beautiful girl without arms and legs named Lella. (Samson admits in a note at the end of the book that there are so many options now for disabled people, you wouldn't be finding them in a traveling sideshow--but she says she bent reality somewhat to make the book's point.)

The friendship between Valentine and Lella is so sweet and tender, and their lives are so full of small happinesses and infused with such gentle humor and quiet grace, you somehow fail to get really depressed about their plight.

While Valentine and Lella are taking a break from the road in a town called Mount Oak, another story unfolds that actually takes place several years earlier--that of the wildly successful preacher, Drew Parrish, who somehow finds himself completely down and out. How Drew rises to prosperity and then loses it all is a fascinating tale.

And how Drew's story intersects with that of Valentine makes for extremely compelling reading. In fact, despite my initial skepticism, I ended up reading the entire book in one evening, completely unable to put it down. While drawing me in with very special and utterly believable characters, it opened my eyes to so many lessons about Christ and about the things that are really, truly important.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! Her best book ever!!, July 31, 2008

By	Jessica R. Walker - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Wow! This book is amazing. I could not put it down. Lisa Samson has an amazing gift at creating real believable characters, ones that you can relate to no matter where you are in life. This book is no exception! I have read almost all of her books and this is by far my favorite. This book would be great for all ages! A great book for a reading group, a small group, or youth group to read together. Whoohoo! Ms. Samson!