red_steele's review against another edition
3.0
Francine Rivers is one of my favorite authors, unfortunately I did not enjoy this book.
1. The narrator wasn’t great (the singing was bad) which decreased my experience by a star.
2. The book was longer than necessary. There were many stories and frivolous details that could have been omitted (e.g., stories about Joshua, Zeke’s long walks).
3. The relationship between Abra and Joshua was disturbing. They were raised as brother and sister for five years. Then Joshua (five years older) suddenly becomes interested in Abra when he is a senior and she is in the eighth grade. He was 18 and she was 13. I never rooted for their relationship and rolled my eyes throughout the book.
4. It was obvious that Susan was Abra’s mother when she suddenly appeared. It was disappointing that Susan decided to leave Haven instead of learning to receive God’s grace and develop a relationship with her daughter and Pastor Zeke. I’m not sure why it was necessary to abruptly end the book with her departure.
5. Overall I did not connect with the main characters. However, Mitzi was my favorite.
1. The narrator wasn’t great (the singing was bad) which decreased my experience by a star.
2. The book was longer than necessary. There were many stories and frivolous details that could have been omitted (e.g., stories about Joshua, Zeke’s long walks).
3. The relationship between Abra and Joshua was disturbing. They were raised as brother and sister for five years. Then Joshua (five years older) suddenly becomes interested in Abra when he is a senior and she is in the eighth grade. He was 18 and she was 13. I never rooted for their relationship and rolled my eyes throughout the book.
4. It was obvious that Susan was Abra’s mother when she suddenly appeared. It was disappointing that Susan decided to leave Haven instead of learning to receive God’s grace and develop a relationship with her daughter and Pastor Zeke. I’m not sure why it was necessary to abruptly end the book with her departure.
5. Overall I did not connect with the main characters. However, Mitzi was my favorite.
jazzyjan94's review against another edition
4.0
This review appears on my blog: https://confessionsofabookwormweb.wordpress.com/2015/09/04/book-review-bridge-to-haven/
I have been a fan of Francine Rivers ever since I picked up her novel, The Atonement Child when I was in 8th grade. A friend had recommended it to me, and I loved it. Since then, I have read most of her novels and I continue to enjoy her writing style.
Bridge to Haven was easy to get into and I liked the whole setting of the fictional small town of Haven. The characters were realistic, even though Pastor Zeke could get annoying with his coldness and sense of duty. I felt like how he treated Abra at the beginning of the novel was kind of cruel, but at the same time I understand why he did what he did.
Abra was a dynamic character, there seemed to be a lot of depth to her and her struggles throughout the book. Through Abra’s struggles to find where she belongs, the reader discovers the price of fame and searching for a place to belong in all the wrong places.
However, even though the book was good, there were a few things that I did not like about it. Firstly, I didn’t like the theme of mother issues, which seems to come up in almost all of Francine Rivers’ contemporary novels. Secondly, I felt like the ending was wrapped up too quickly and that there were some loose ends left untied. I also found that it was predictable when it is revealed who Abra’s mother is, it was obvious when the character was first introduced.
I am giving this book 4/5 Stars because Francine Rivers doesn’t disappoint with this latest novel, and I could not put it down.
I have been a fan of Francine Rivers ever since I picked up her novel, The Atonement Child when I was in 8th grade. A friend had recommended it to me, and I loved it. Since then, I have read most of her novels and I continue to enjoy her writing style.
Bridge to Haven was easy to get into and I liked the whole setting of the fictional small town of Haven. The characters were realistic, even though Pastor Zeke could get annoying with his coldness and sense of duty. I felt like how he treated Abra at the beginning of the novel was kind of cruel, but at the same time I understand why he did what he did.
Abra was a dynamic character, there seemed to be a lot of depth to her and her struggles throughout the book. Through Abra’s struggles to find where she belongs, the reader discovers the price of fame and searching for a place to belong in all the wrong places.
However, even though the book was good, there were a few things that I did not like about it. Firstly, I didn’t like the theme of mother issues, which seems to come up in almost all of Francine Rivers’ contemporary novels. Secondly, I felt like the ending was wrapped up too quickly and that there were some loose ends left untied. I also found that it was predictable when it is revealed who Abra’s mother is, it was obvious when the character was first introduced.
I am giving this book 4/5 Stars because Francine Rivers doesn’t disappoint with this latest novel, and I could not put it down.
digitlchic's review against another edition
5.0
Definitely not a book for a child/teen! It's a heavy book with hard themes. Having made similarly bad choices to the h, I felt Francine did a painfully powerful job of telling enough for the reader to feel the weight and emotions of the h and her choices without crossing over into explicit or vulgar. I also felt the scene near the end was equally necessary in it's tenderness and again found it very well done. I found it to have less sexual content than Redeeming Love, but felt it was a harder read because the mounting tension from her bad choices gets little relief in the middle.
That said if you're someone who is sensitive to sexual themes or abuse, this is not a book for you. But if you're able to walk through the hardships to see a beautiful story of redemption and Christ-like love, you'll find this read deeply moving.
That said if you're someone who is sensitive to sexual themes or abuse, this is not a book for you. But if you're able to walk through the hardships to see a beautiful story of redemption and Christ-like love, you'll find this read deeply moving.
kriste's review against another edition
4.0
The beginning of the book was emotional for me, and as always, the author brought a satisfying conclusion.
ash2wall's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
3.5
Not my favorite of hers. Kind of slow, and long. A little bit on the “ick” side for me that
Spoiler
she marries what used to be her brother.. I know they technically aren’t related but that was her brother for a while.. idk </spoiler)nicole5045's review against another edition
4.0
If you enjoy Francine Rivers' other titles, then you'll probably enjoy this one. It's no Redeeming Love, but it's a decent read. I liked the main character but had a major issue with the Pastor Zeke character. I found myself super angry that he gave his daughter away! When you adopt a child, it is yours no matter what. Even when the decision is explained at the end, I was left frustrated. The whole point of Zeke is to portray the heart of God and it missed the mark big time.
mommabygrace's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first book I have read from this author. I must say, I hope the writing style of her other books is better than this one! It sounded like someone was trying to give an account of the past, not what was currently happening to the characters. I feel this earned a 3.5 star rating. This book was alright, but definitely not one of my favorite romance novels.
roseice's review against another edition
4.0
An intense and heartwrenching book. Without a doubt, Francine Rivers can tell a story.
mrspenningalovesbooks's review
4.0
I have really enjoyed a few novels by this Christian author, and I really liked the characterization of the Haven characters and themes throughout. I loved the symbolism of the bridge and how she always emphasizes waiting for God’s timing. The contrast of Haven and Hollywood were good too, and how when we follow societal norms, it takes us further away from God’s plan.
I felt like the plot was very predictable and there were a lot of static characters that she associated with sinful qualities. I loved the concept of forgiveness and redemption and how hard it can be for people to feel God’s love once they have given in their shame and guilt. I felt like Joshua’s role was very static as well, and I would have like to see more complexity developed with his impatience of time, since he waits so long for his prayers to be answered. Overall, it was a good read with important reminders of God’s love for us all, flaws and failures included.
I felt like the plot was very predictable and there were a lot of static characters that she associated with sinful qualities. I loved the concept of forgiveness and redemption and how hard it can be for people to feel God’s love once they have given in their shame and guilt. I felt like Joshua’s role was very static as well, and I would have like to see more complexity developed with his impatience of time, since he waits so long for his prayers to be answered. Overall, it was a good read with important reminders of God’s love for us all, flaws and failures included.