egbella's review
4.0
Full RTC. Definitely darker subject matter, and while some aspects of the book weren't my favorite, overall it was a deep and moving story that kept me turning pages. Something I really appreciated was the way Rivers didn't take the stereotypical "Christians are the good guys and people with other opinions are the bad guys" approach. The characters felt diverse, real, and complicated to me, and they all made very real mistakes.
jazzyjan94's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book. This was the first Francine Rivers book I read. She handled the topic of abortion and dealing with an unwanted pregnancy very well. It was a very captivating and enlightening read.
chelanna22's review against another edition
3.0
Really enjoyed most of this book...but some of the dialogue drove me crazy. I got really tired of reading all the prayers and "God" dialogue. I'm a Christian and I love God and his word, but the prayers and voice of God seemed very fake to me. I realize a lot of it was loaded with scripture, but Rivers got a little carried away I think. I'm also very much against abortion, but the scene with the Widower's Brigade talking about abortion research felt awkward and like a lecture. I also thought it was odd that so many people had unwanted pregnancies in this book. And also, the ending (especially the epilogue) was awful. It was completely unnecessary to add that ending in.
I think the story line was great and I loved the message of this, but these moments in the book prevent me from giving this book more than a 3. So much potential in this novel, sad to see it tarnished by a few scenes.
I think the story line was great and I loved the message of this, but these moments in the book prevent me from giving this book more than a 3. So much potential in this novel, sad to see it tarnished by a few scenes.
nalian's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
emzo_henzo's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
random_spider's review against another edition
3.5
**Not yet a settled review**
In this book, we follow our protagonist who was raped and found out later that she's conceiving the rapist's child. Stripped away from her 'perfect' life and future, she endured the harsh life while seeking advice from others before the inevitable.
The Atonement Child was slow and heavy. REALLY SLOW AND HEAVY. Although usually I consider this as a pacing problem, I think it works on this book's specific plot...and yet it was still a little too slow/heavy for its own good. WHY? It's extremely melodramatic (so each emotions were weighty enough, and the readers were forced to read chunks of them.) The book also took its time debating the concept of abortion. Yeah, the whole novel was basically a tedious dispute about whether it was right/wrong to kill an unborn. I'll give it to y'all whether you would enjoy this peculiarity, but I was sure fixated on its various discussions/points (though there was some bias from the author.)
Overall, it's good enough. 7/10. Need fresh rereading for updates and justifications.
In this book, we follow our protagonist who was raped and found out later that she's conceiving the rapist's child. Stripped away from her 'perfect' life and future, she endured the harsh life while seeking advice from others before the inevitable.
The Atonement Child was slow and heavy. REALLY SLOW AND HEAVY. Although usually I consider this as a pacing problem, I think it works on this book's specific plot...and yet it was still a little too slow/heavy for its own good. WHY? It's extremely melodramatic (so each emotions were weighty enough, and the readers were forced to read chunks of them.) The book also took its time debating the concept of abortion. Yeah, the whole novel was basically a tedious dispute about whether it was right/wrong to kill an unborn. I'll give it to y'all whether you would enjoy this peculiarity, but I was sure fixated on its various discussions/points (though there was some bias from the author.)
Overall, it's good enough. 7/10. Need fresh rereading for updates and justifications.