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A review by katiedoodle
Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin
3.0
I liked the writing style of this book and generally found most of the messages surrounding identity and the feelings and needs of orphaned and abandoned children to be positive. The plot was a bit unbelievable but quite sweet.
I enjoy that there was a mystery to be solved in this story, although I was disappointed to find that the main character, who has dedicated his life to solving it, ultimately just hears the truth from the very man whose name he was trying to clear all along without really doing anything successful to uncover it himself.
There were a few moments that had me side-eyeing the author as well. In one scene, a woman who used to be an adult film actress is harassed by a man at a restaurant. It's rude but she doesn't seem to be in any physical danger. She punches/stabs him in the throat with her keys and continues to assault him violently and this is rewarded with a comped meal and no real reaction from the main character. In another scene, the protagonist reminisces about the time his father did not let him in the house to escape from a bully who was beating him up, telling him he needed to go face the issue, and this is also framed as a good thing.
It also felt like the author was trying too hard to say something profound. Almost every scene has Unc giving a flowery speech to one of his family that is really about how everyone has scars but they're still unique and wonderful. A couple of these moments would be fine but it is just constant.
Finally, I didn't realize this story was in the category of Christian fiction when I initially picked it up as a book club read. Personally I am not interested in this genre. The religious themes were apparent but not central to the story and not really overbearing, although they were some of my less preferred parts of the story.
Overall it was a pleasant read but I was a bit let down.
I enjoy that there was a mystery to be solved in this story, although I was disappointed to find that the main character, who has dedicated his life to solving it, ultimately just hears the truth from the very man whose name he was trying to clear all along without really doing anything successful to uncover it himself.
There were a few moments that had me side-eyeing the author as well. In one scene, a woman who used to be an adult film actress is harassed by a man at a restaurant. It's rude but she doesn't seem to be in any physical danger. She punches/stabs him in the throat with her keys and continues to assault him violently and this is rewarded with a comped meal and no real reaction from the main character. In another scene, the protagonist reminisces about the time his father did not let him in the house to escape from a bully who was beating him up, telling him he needed to go face the issue, and this is also framed as a good thing.
It also felt like the author was trying too hard to say something profound. Almost every scene has Unc giving a flowery speech to one of his family that is really about how everyone has scars but they're still unique and wonderful. A couple of these moments would be fine but it is just constant.
Finally, I didn't realize this story was in the category of Christian fiction when I initially picked it up as a book club read. Personally I am not interested in this genre. The religious themes were apparent but not central to the story and not really overbearing, although they were some of my less preferred parts of the story.
Overall it was a pleasant read but I was a bit let down.