Inspiring stories of people saving one another from physical and spiritual peril.
Two novellas about losing and finding God in unlikely ways.
Both these stories by debut author Walker ask the question: If we ignore God, will he ignore us? In “Mack’s Destiny,” Macklin “Mack” McGregor is a pleasure-seeking man who was born into a Christian family, but he’s long since strayed from the religious path. His story alternates with that of his lifelong friend Destiny Harding, a single mother whose poor choices have left her with two children by two different men. She recently took a vow of celibacy until marriage—something Mack can’t understand—and she hopes to make better choices for herself and her children in the future. But the past keeps stalking her: Her ex-boyfriend Tucker tracks her down, determined to “see [Destiny] dead before he let anybody else have her.” As Mack develops feelings for Destiny despite himself, he also faces Tucker’s violent jealousy and anger. In the end, however, Mack’s attachment to Destiny might just save Mack from himself. The second novella, “Reva’s Journey,” explores similar themes. Reva Mitchell is on the run after she witnesses a shooting in a Detroit club. The police put her in protective custody, and she abandons her city life and heads to rural Indigo Beach, Mich., where a kind pastor named Deon and a born-again Christian named Melvin Harris offer her safety and inspiration. As she pieces her life back together, she encounters Destiny Harding (from the previous novella), who once more plays a pivotal role in helping a lost soul. These tightly written stories work best when they address the metaphorical dangers that a person faces when he or she loses his or her way. Each is well-written and exciting and they both offer adventure, surprises and messages of religious inspiration. These highly readable, thought-provoking tales will hit home with spiritually minded readers.
Inspiring stories of people saving one another from physical and spiritual peril.Pub Date: July 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-1449798451
Page Count: 252
Publisher: Westbow Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
These letters from some important executive Down Below, to one of the junior devils here on earth, whose job is to corrupt mortals, are witty and written in a breezy style seldom found in religious literature. The author quotes Luther, who said: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." This the author does most successfully, for by presenting some of our modern and not-so-modern beliefs as emanating from the devil's headquarters, he succeeds in making his reader feel like an ass for ever having believed in such ideas. This kind of presentation gives the author a tremendous advantage over the reader, however, for the more timid reader may feel a sense of guilt after putting down this book. It is a clever book, and for the clever reader, rather than the too-earnest soul.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1942
ISBN: 0060652934
Page Count: 53
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1943
Hoffman (The Red Garden, 2011, etc.) births literature from tragedy: the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple, the siege of Masada and the loss of Zion.
This is a feminist tale, a story of strong, intelligent women wedded to destiny by love and sacrifice. Told in four parts, the first comes from Yael, daughter of Yosef bar Elhanan, a Sicarii Zealot assassin, rejected by her father because of her mother's death in childbirth. It is 70 CE, and the Temple is destroyed. Yael, her father, and another Sicarii assassin, Jachim ben Simon, and his family flee Jerusalem. Hoffman's research renders the ancient world real as the group treks into Judea's desert, where they encounter Essenes, search for sustenance and burn under the sun. There too Jachim and Yael begin a tragic love affair. At Masada, Yael is sent to work in the dovecote, gathering eggs and fertilizer. She meets Shirah, her daughters, and Revka, who narrates part two. Revka's husband was killed when Romans sacked their village. Later, her daughter was murdered. At Masada, caring for grandsons turned mute by tragedy, Revka worries over her scholarly son-in-law, Yoav, now consumed by vengeance. Aziza, daughter of Shirah, carries the story onward. Born out of wedlock, Aziza grew up in Moab, among the people of the blue tunic. Her passion and curse is that she was raised as a warrior by her foster father. In part four, Shirah tells of her Alexandrian youth, the cherished daughter of a consort of the high priests. Shirah is a keshaphim, a woman of amulets, spells and medicine, and a woman connected to Shechinah, the feminine aspect of God. The women are irretrievably bound to Eleazar ben Ya'ir, Masada's charismatic leader; Amram, Yael's brother; and Yoav, Aziza's companion and protector in battle. The plot is intriguingly complex, with only a single element unresolved. An enthralling tale rendered with consummate literary skill.
Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4516-1747-4
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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