Rating: 
Summary: Really 2.5 stars!
Review: The Last Sin Eater disappointed me possibly because I loved the other two books I've read by Rivers so much. The book's plot kept me interested, but did not thrill me. I liked Cadi's character, but found it unbelievable that the people had no hesitations in their new found Christian belief. The immediate and complete change in the characters after they found Christ was just not believable at all! I would not recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: This book quickly and completely drew me in. Not usually the sentimental type, I pretty much cried nonstop through the first eighty or so pages.
Like others on this site, though, I was disappointed by the "sunshine and lollipops" conversion of the primary characters. These characters deserved more depth, more struggle with both their old nature and their deep-rooted misconceptions of redemption and forgiveness.
That being said, I was pleased with the resolution of my two favorite characters--Cadi and her mother. Let's face it, by page 10 most of us were ready to adopt the guilt-wracked child and struggled to see a deeper level to Cadi's mother than the woman's frigid surface. The final scene with the two was delicately constructed and wonderfully revealing, and saved an otherwise saccharine ending.
So, the 3-star rating is an average--I give five to the engaging beginning, four to River's 11th-hour rescue of the ending, three to the cast of characters as a whole, two to the misuse/underuse of a potentially riveting character like the sin eater, and one to the "Lifetime movie" treatment of Cadi's conversion.
Not a bad piece of fiction, though, and I will seek out Rivers' work again.
Rating: 
Summary: Humbling and Heartwarming
Review: Francine Rivers brings to life with power and authenticity the language and feel of mid-1800's Appalachia. The Last Sin Eater is the story of 10-year-old Cadi Forbes whose family is wracked with grief over a terrible tragedy for which Cadi blames herself. Because of this tragedy, she has lost her mother's love and is the object of scorn in her small community. The only way for Cadi to redeem herself is to find the "sin eater" and confess her role in the tragedy.What follows is a beautifully drawn story of discovery, redemption, and grace. The characters are authentic and believable. The reader can empathize with Cadi's feelings of failure and inadequacy, experience her mother's pain and loss, and understand the resistance of the community to relinguish its old ways. Miss Rivers has done a beautiful job of creating parallels between the "sin eater" and Jesus Christ, the only true way to the throne, without making a mockery of the people she protrays.
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