Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Book Review - Out of Her Hands


This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Out Of Her Hands

Tyndale House Publishers (September 22, 2008)

by

Megan DiMaria



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I was born and raised in New York State and have since lived in Maine, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Jersey, and now I live in Colorado. My husband and I have three delightful, adult children and an old Jack Russell Terrier named Belle who seems to find her way into my novels. My resume will tell you I graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a degree in Communications, and after graduation I worked as a radio and television reporter, freelance writer, editor and marketing professional.

I'm a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and am assistant director of Words For The Journey, Rocky Mountain Region.

But what's most important to know about me is that I am a follower of Jesus, wife, mother, friend, reader and writer.

Life’s a journey, enjoy the adventures!


ABOUT THE BOOK

In this second novel by Megan DiMaria, Linda Revere is back and continuing to struggle with the turmoil of contemporary life. Linda has been praying for her children's future spouses since they were very small. Confident that her prayers will be answered, Linda is not prepared for the young woman her son brings home. But Linda soon learns that while everything she once controlled is out of her hands, God is still in control. Megan uses her trademark humor while dealing with issues to which her readers will relate.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Out Of Her Hands, go HERE

"No sophomore slump for DiMaria! This novel (Out of Her Hands) is as engaging and meaningful as her first, Searching for Spice. Her realistic portrayal of the characters' lives should endear them to readers and help Christians to feel less alone in their daily trials."
~Romantic Times Magazine, 4 ½ stars TOP PICK!
“Life in Linda's world is messy...but filled with love, laughter, struggle and faith. Megan has created a most real heroine for us to love...and I adore her!”
~Deena Peterson, reviewer: A Peek at my Bookshelf
“Megan DiMaria crafts a novel so compelling, so real, you forget you're reading fiction.”
~Darcie Gudger, reviewer: TitleTrakk
"This is a great read for a quiet afternoon or in those times when you feel your own life spinning out of control and need the reality check of knowing you're not in it alone."
~Amazon reviewer

MY COMMENTS:
I looked forward to reading this book, especially when I saw that one of my favorite authors, Angela Hunt, called the first book, Searching for Spice a charming read. And I liked the book. (I obviously like the name of the mom! LOL) But with apologies to the author and all the other blog reviewers out there who are raving over this one, I didn't love it, for one primary reason. As I was in the early stages of the book, I kept going back to the beginning to make sure that I had not misread the age of Linda's son. If he had been 18 and not 22, the novel would have been fine. I could not believe this guy was still living at home and his mom was telling him to apologize to his sister when he was rude and telling him what time to be home at night. I understand that the premise of the novel was Linda's learning to give to God the control she wanted to have over her children's choices in life. I "get" the struggle she had with his choices. But the ending disappointed me. (Slight spoiler alert) For all the symbolic & literal cutting of the apron strings, I was surprised that the couple remained in Linda's home. Both Linda and her son needed some tough love.

However, I am certainly no expert in the reviewing arena, nor in the parenting of young adults, so I urge you to read this book and form your own opinion! Let me know what you think!

REMINDER: Don't forget about this week's book giveaway!

Happy Reading!


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2 comments:

Natalie said...

I have both copies and look forward to reading them

2nd Cup of Coffee said...

What an engaging protagonist name, though!