Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

6 reviews

beklovesbooks's review against another edition

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Terrible book. Hard to like characters. Soft porn for people deceiving themselves that they’re reading something Biblical.

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mr_d8a's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It is a very dark book, but by the end there is hope. 

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harmshoney's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ohh my.. I have so many words & yet none at all. I am completely & utterly wrecked, changed, & overwhelmed. this is the most beautiful, encompassing, lovely book I have ever read. I am so grateful I can't even begin to explain πŸ–€

this book is about a woman named Sarah, sold into prostitution at 8 years old. she grew up embracing this life, becoming the most sought after in the industry & called Angel. until Michael.. Michael Hosea saw her & heard God tell him that Angel was going to be his wife. he didn't understand, but he obeyed.

the rest of the story is full of heartbreak & so, so much love. Michael is slowly breaking down Angel's walls with his relentless pursuit & his mighty love. being an example of Christ & his compassion, patience, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, & more. Angel discovers her healing can only come from one place.. the Father Michael worships.

this story just wrecked me. I really don't even know how else to describe it. it inspired me to pursue the Lord & to pray for my husband. it inspired me to love people & that God's opinion is the only one that matters. it pierced me down to my very core in such an aggressive, beautiful way. I'll never be the same. dramatic? yeah. true? also yeah.

when I finished, I watched several interviews with the author, Francine Rivers πŸ–€ basically, she's become my biggest inspiration. her testimony is beautiful & she seems to just radiate the Holy Spirit & peace that surpasses all understanding. I wish I could sit with her & let her pour into me. Redeeming Love has also become a tool to help women out of human trafficking. she's spoken at events & donates to this cause with the proceeds.

she's had many women come to her & say, "I want a man like Michael Hosea!!" & she says, "Jesus is the man!!" πŸ₯Ή this changed my perspective of the book & I am just so incredibly inspired & grateful. Michael is meant to be an allegory for Christ, & Angel is a reflection of all of us in our own ways.

I'm not exactly sure why - but it seems many people have some misconceptions about this book. Michael is nothing but gentle & loving towards Angel. some seem to think there are moments when he is being abusive, but I didn't see that at all!!

One of my favorite parts of this story, was how Francine covered intimacy so delicately. she was able to explain the intimate scenes in the most beautiful, appropriate way. there was nothing raunchy about it! Truly, it opened my eyes more to how much of a gift sex is within marriage. I'm so grateful she included it in this story!!

I want to reread this book over & over & yet never see it again πŸ˜† it's just so much & I'm feeling so deeply. Redeeming Love is the most powerful work of fiction I have ever read. I am beyond grateful that Francine wrote it. I finished with a hunger to dive into the Word & know my Savior. thank you, Lord, for your redeeming love!! πŸ™ŒπŸΌβœ¨

"𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅, π’˜π’π’–π’π’… π’šπ’π’– 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓 π’‰π’‚π’π’ˆ 𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓?"

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milpeaches's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Beautiful story, highlighting God’s love. Very enjoyable but would recommended being in a good headspace when reading. 

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leah_152's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you read this & can't relate to it on some level, you need a reality check. 

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theliteraryapothecary's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book grew on me the further I read in it. For a good quarter to half way through, it sat at a 3.5 stars, then it moved to 4 stars, then 4.5, and then 5 stars. 

In Redeeming Love, we have Angel - who had the worst childhood, adolescence and early adult life. She is a high scale prostitute who believes she deserves all the bad that has happened to her and none of the good. In this novel, we follow Angel through her struggles and successes. Her heartbreaks and her friendships. This is a Christian Fiction novel, but don’t let that deter you from this beautiful book. While there are Christian themes and many references to the Bible, even some quotes - it is not the main part of the story - that is still Angel’s love story. 

SPOILERS START HERE 

Content/Trigger Warnings: Prostitution, Depression, Child Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse, depression, alcoholism, abortion 

Angel and Michael’s love story is so real. To understand it completely, you have to first know Angel and where she came from. 

Angel was born out of wedlock to a mother so devoted to the father that he became the most important thing in her life. The father was already married with a family of his own; he wanted nothing to do with Angel - even told her mother to abort her. The mother went into depression and alcoholism every time he wasn’t around. When she died, Angel was left with her uncle who was a drunk and not the best caretaker - he really had no idea how to take care of her. So at the age of 8, she was sold into prostitution with Duke, who owned the brothel and shot the Uncle right in front of Angel.. She was stuck in that world until Michael came. 

Michael came and rescued Angel from the Brothel and loved her, but she didn’t believe she deserved that love. She ran away from him several times - the last time she was able to get help and created a home for β€œfallen women” and taught them how to read, write, do math, and take care of themselves. But no matter how many times Angel ran away, Michael always accepted her back and loved her the same. And that was the beauty in their love story.


For various personal reasons, this story resonated with me on many levels, and the reason why I had to rate it 5 stars. 

For my Booktube Video Review, go here: https://youtu.be/l7QVmYhlDl4 

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