Rating: 
Summary: View changing book
Review: This was such a wonderful book! It changes your views on abortion and shows how God helps us through all of our hard times, no matter what the circumstances. I would reccomend this book to anyone that wants to explore what they believe!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, with "real" characters and "real" choices
Review: This was such a great book! Francine Rivers brings the characters to life! The issue of abortion is truthfully described and the choices Dynah has to make are real. Dynah Carey is the kind of solid Christian that everyone wants to be, but an unwanted pregnancy tests her faith to the limits. Pressure from her fiance, friends, and a family that knows the tragedy of abortion prevent Dynah from making her own decisions about the child she carries. Dynah alone must learn God's will and make the choice.
Rating:
Summary: True work of the Lord
Review: This was the first book of Ms. Rivers that I red and it got me hooked! I absolutely couldn't put it down!!! I laughed &I cried. It stired so much emotion I really could empathise with the characters of the book. I highly recomment.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book that Hit Close to Home
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very well written. I enjoyed both the factual part and the emotional-relationship part. The factual part about the link of abortion to cancer. The emotional-relationship part about Dynah losing her fiance due to her being raped. It's terrible that a tragedy had to happen to Dynah just to find out people's true colors. I could especially relate to this book because I too was raped and lost my boyfriend as a result of it. My ex-boyfriend and Ethan belong to the jerk club. Even though it was obvious that Joe cared for Dynah, I did not like the very end of the book (I don't want to ruin it for anybody who hasn't read it yet), but it should have been the other way around. After you read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about.
Rating: 
Summary: Not A Favorite Of Mine
Review: I liked the book, but the characters did not seem very real. The characters seemed to have extreme personalities, like, there was no middle ground. For example, Ethan was too stuck on his reputation; Julia, too insensitive (especially for a woman); Dynah didn't seem as emotional as I thought a pregnant rape victim who had people telling her that her baby was a monster would be. The story developed too quickly for the author to really let us understand her characters.
Rating:
Summary: I JUST COULDN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN !!!
Review: I was encouraged by a co-worker to pick up a copy of Francine Rivers' book " The Last Sin Eater ". After I read that book, I searched on the net and came across this book. It had a catchy title so I thought, why not. I started this book and absolutely could not put it down until I finished it. I am not what you would call an avid reader, but this book is so well written, you just feel the pain of Dynah when she goes through all of the ordeals of being raped and finding out she is pregnant. She has so many people trying to tell her what to do. You would be surprised at who they are and what they are telling her. She only has to realize what God's plan is for her life, and who her real friends are. This book keeps you on the edge consistently throughout, from the first page to the last. It will make you think the next time you say "I don't know what God wants me to do in a certain situation". I highly recommend this book for christians and non-christians alike.
Rating:
Summary: A riveting story that makes you think
Review: I just read this book, a book I wanted to read from the time I knew it existed. It was the compelling story I knew it would be. I found the reactions of Dynah and the people around her -- the college dean, her fiance, her parents, etc. -- to be very realistic. I found myself thinking that many women in such a situation would find the same kind a reaction to their circumstances, even in the Christian community. Other people certain of what SHE must do, their acceptance of her hinging on whether or not she did what they wanted.Dynah's story beautifully illustrates that what happens after a rape can be nearly as traumatic on the victim as the rape itself. It also shows that something truly beautiful can come out of evil circumstances when God is involved. I highly recommend this book. I would only caution that you should set aside plenty of time to read it, because you won't want to put it down!
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: This is my 4th Rivers novel, and I must say that I found it much less enjoyable than the other works I've read so far ( my favorite is Voice in the Wind). I found the characters unrealistic and unconvincing, especially Ethan, her harsh fiancee, and Janet, her insensitive, flaky roomate. Compared to Angel in Redeeming love, and Hadassah, Julia and Marcus in the Mark of the Lion trilogy, I found Dynah to be false and unrealistic. Being a 20-something myself, her realities and views of the world were naive and sheltered, making it difficult to relate to her. Certainly her struggles and pain would be potentially devastating, but the story developement was fast - too fast - leaving too little room for character involvement. To put it simply, when I put the book down in between reading, Dynah and her fellow characters completely left my mind until I picked it back up again. With Rivers' other novels I carry her people in my head even when I'm not reading. I love Francine Rivers' novels and plan to read all that I can get my hands on, but was truly disappointed in this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Theologically weak, but a literary delight.
Review: This was the first Francine Rivers title I have read, and came highly recommended, so my expectations were high. One of the outstanding qualities immediately evident in this novel is Rivers' superb ability to describe real feelings. Few people have the ability to understand the feelings and struggles of others. Even less are able to communicate these feelings and struggles to others. Rivers succeeds admirably on both counts. The main character Dynah, like people in real life, is unpredictable, and Rivers' description of her struggle with the difficult issues and consequences of rape, pregnancy and abortion mirrors the highs and lows experienced by people in the real world. Although Rivers is clearly committed to an absolute pro-life position on abortion, she shows that applying this consistently in real life situations involves a difficult and painful struggle. Her characters are far from shallow, and their development throughout the course of the plot enables Rivers to work with deeper themes of repentance and forgiveness. A literary criticism could be made that the fairy-tale type ending where Dynah and Joe pledge to be married is too optimistic and is a concession to the standard movie romance. It seems to be a significant departure from the realism that Rivers has so brilliantly described throughout the rest of the novel, since the real struggles that Dynah experienced are far from over with the birth of her child and impending marriage. However, on the whole this novel's strength lies its literary qualities. Notwithstanding the above kudos, The Atonement Child is not entirely exempt from criticism. It is unfortunate that Rivers' commitment to the sixth commandment (by firmly maintaining a pro-life position over against murderous abortion) is not accompanied with an equal commitment to the third commandment (the constant casual use of God's Name as an expletive borders on the blasphemous) and the fourth commandment (there are a number of instances where the main characters buy a meal on a Sunday, implicitly endorsing Sunday shopping). Moreover, I found Rivers' portrayal of the antagonistic church community somewhat too negative. Although it is undeniable that the church community does not always function as it should, I sensed that the important role and involvement of a sympathetic and supportive church community could have been developed more strongly. Of more serious concern is Rivers' belief in ongoing revelation. On at least two occasions, God is presented as speaking directly to and through Dynah. Readers like myself who believe that God's revelation is sufficient and complete in the Bible, will have to sadly conclude that Rivers is unscriptural on this point. The above weaknesses, however, do not detract from the novel's strengths. I simply present them for the consideration of discerning readers, but still do not hesitate in speaking very highly of this book. Despite its theological weaknesses, this novel is rightly regarded as one of the best in contemporary Christian fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This is a powerful book about a "normal" Christian girl from a "normal" Christian family who gets raped one night, and then discovers she is pregnant. As she struggles to decide whether or not to have an abortion, she discovers that a lot of things about her friends and family's lives and convictions that were hidden below the surface. I thought it was neat how the author didn't portray all the Christians as the nice guys with all the answers and the doctors at the abortion clinic as evil monsters. Even though this book is pro-life, I would highly recommend it to people on either side of the issue-- it's the kind of book that will make everyone think. I, for one, couldn't help wondering what would happen if I was put in the same situation as Dynah. After all, she was really just a normal person. P.S.- I'll join the other reviewer in Joe's fan club. He's the man.
|
