Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Redeeming Love: The Companion Study
    Redeeming Love: The Companion Study
    Redeeming Love: The Companion Study
    Audiobook6 hours

    Redeeming Love: The Companion Study

    Written by Angela Hunt and Francine Rivers

    Narrated by Francine Rivers, Kate Forbes and Stina Nielsen

    4.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Venture deeper into the Heart of Redeeming Love with this one-of-a-kind study.

    Through the beloved bestselling novel Redeeming Love, millions of readers have experienced the captivating love story of Angel and Michael Hosea that illustrates God’s power to redeem even the most
    lost among us. This six-week study invites you to enter more fully into both the classic novel’s eternal message and the biblical story that inspired its writing.

    Each week’s readings include:
    • a personal reflection by Francine Rivers about the writing of Redeeming Love and the power of God’s Word
    • key scenes from Redeeming Love, selected to illustrate God’s loving pursuit of you
    • Bible study lessons that creatively blend story and Scripture to glean fresh insights
    • thoughtful reflection questions designed to inspire you to a deeper experience of God

    Perfect for both individual reflection and group discussion, this study will draw you deeper into the life-transforming love celebrated in Redeeming Love.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateOct 13, 2020
    ISBN9781705003251
    Author

    Angela Hunt

    Angela Hunt is the bestselling author of more than 100 books, including The Tale of Three Trees, Don’t Bet Against Me, The Note, and The Nativity Story. Her nonfiction book Don’t Bet Against Me, written with Deanna Favre, spent several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Angela and her husband make their home in Florida with their dogs.

    More audiobooks from Angela Hunt

    Related to Redeeming Love

    Related audiobooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The Editor

      Aug 7, 2020

      Greetings in the Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In your July issue of JOY! you asked what we are grateful for. I’m grateful for the fact that Jesus Christ saved me and my family. My third born son suffered severe burns on his body, and my last b

      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Mar 10, 2023

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Sep 23, 2022

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Oct 25, 2024

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The Editor

      Jun 15, 2020

      A lot of people are asking why the world is the way it is. What’s going on? What on earth is God doing? Most of these people have never considered God before, but are questioning now that there is this terrible international crisis that is killing th

      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Apr 14, 2023

      Send your letters to editor@joymag.co.za Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for

      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The Editor

      Apr 22, 2019

      The Bible in a Nutshell is amazing! I have just received a ‘Bible in a Nutshell’ book as a gift from my mom. Wow, wow, wow – what a treat. I can’t put it down and have learned so much from it. What a treasure. Thank you for producing such a valuable

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The Editor

      Oct 30, 2020

      It’s such a relief to read a magazine that the whole family can enjoy. May God continue bless you all. Shirley Hoshe What a joy to open the magazine and see all the beautiful organs of the world. Wow! They are true masterpieces. I am sure that each

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The List

      Jul 30, 2021

      The List
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Apr 22, 2022

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Feb 11, 2022

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Aug 23, 2024

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Aug 23, 2024

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Jun 16, 2023

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      A Marriage Made in Heaven

      May 19, 2020

      A Marriage Made in Heaven
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Dec 30, 2022

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      What Grandpa Taught Me

      May 27, 2022

      What Grandpa Taught Me
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Sep 20, 2024

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Mattie Jackson Selecman

      Nov 1, 2021

      Mattie Jackson Selecman
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The Editor

      Nov 19, 2021

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Jul 21, 2023

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Incurable Optimist

      Sep 11, 2019

      The Incurable Optimist
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Mar 18, 2022

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The Editor

      Oct 22, 2021

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Families In A Rural Texas Town Adopted 77 Children. This Couple Led The Way.

      Jul 3, 2024

      When Donna Martin’s mother died, the floor of the Baptist church caved in. It was an apt metaphor for her grief. She fell into a depression. To hear her tell it, God answered her prayer by impelling her to open her heart by adopting a young brother a

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Letters To The EDITOR

      May 20, 2022

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      A Testimony of God’s Faithfulness

      Aug 27, 2021

      My testimony is shrouded in abandonment, pain, and rejection. This is a shortened version of the events that have taken place in my life… Right from the very beginning, my father walked out of the hospital on the night that I was born. He told my mom

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Redeeming Love

    4.5/5

    1,123 ratings79 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This story was challenging to read until I understood the relationship between the heroine and her husband reflected the nature of Christ toward His people. Wonderful period piece set in the Wild West days of America.
    • 3/5
      This is a "modern" day retelling based on the biblical story of Hosea. Angel is a prostitute in California during the time of the Gold Rush. Michael, who lives alone on a farm not too far away, ventures into town to sell his goods. When he sees Angel pass by on the street, he's convinced it's God's purpose to whisk her away and marry her. But she sees things differently.

      I'm going to preface this by saying that even though I consider myself a fairly strong Christian, I rarely, if ever, read Christian novels. It's not because I don't care for the subject matter (although maybe it is, a little bit), but because I just feel that none of them are very well written. I always find myself rolling my eyes. Call me a book snob. Okay. But I'd heard people rave about this book, so I figured this must be one of the exceptions.

      Well, no. I'm trying to figure out what it is people love about this book. The story itself? Maybe. It's an alright story, and the title of the book is apt. But it's basically nothing that hasn't been written about before. I found the story overly predictable, filled with cliches, and.....well, mostly cheesy. And yes, I did some eye rolling. Lack of originality aside, I just didn't think it was written that well, and was comparable to the (few) other Christian novels I've read. So I guess I just have to go against the majority on this one.

      I watched the movie shortly after finishing the book. I figured it couldn't be as bad. And it wasn't, honestly. I liked it much better than the book. It did cut out a fair amount of the religious undertones which is what happens when Hollywood gets a hold of anything, and I could've given or taken that, but I thought the movie was well done. So this is one instance where I'd recommend watching the movie over reading the book.
    • 5/5
      Just...let me catch my breath! An emotional, wild ride! My all time favorite book! Amazingly told story with lovable characters, realistic events, and heart pounding fast paced action! Five stars and two thumbs up!!! I first read this at the library, and as soon as I finished, i knew I had to buy it!

      Although this is a modern, paraphrasing of the Bible story of Hosea, it does use a lot of 'extras' so if you ware expecting it to be the same, you might want to skip this one. Like movies, there is a lot in the book that doesn't happen in the Bible. It's a work of fiction, and should be read as such.

      Despite that, I loved it, and am so glad my friends recommended I read it! I'm not a big fan of romance, never was, so I had my doubts going in. I was shocked, that me, the girl who didn't date could find myself relating, on a profound level with this prostitute who lived a life I could never imagine! I loved how both sin and redemption were handled, how God's grace was truly sufficient and no wound was beyond His power to heal! This is the God I know, and although this is a work of fiction, it reminded me of why God is God, and that nothing I can do will ever change that! And thank God for that!
    • 3/5
      Recommended - but with some caveats.
      I found this Christian romance, based loosely on the book of Hosea, to be a powerful story in places. I also found it to be more steamy and sensual than most Christian romances, but the part that I struggled with the most was the consent issue between the two main characters. Michael Hosea sees Angel/Sarah - who is "working" as a prostitute at the time and sense God speaking to him, telling him this is the woman that he is to take as his wife. He buys time with Angel - using gold dust, as this is set during the time of the California Gold Rush - but merely talks to her during their sessions, trying to persuade her to run off with him and become his wife. This intrigues and upsets Angel, but she is also afraid of her Madam and the Madam's henchman and of the man from her past who abused her and forced her into prostitution in the first place. She also doesn't know if she can trust this man she barely knows. After an incident when she is beaten and almost to the point of death, Michael sweeps in to rescue her and takes her back to his farm - but first he has a marriage ceremony performed, a ceremony where Angel is half- conscious and mutters "why not" when asked if she consents. While Michael does not take advantage of her and patiently waits until he thinks she is ready before martial intimacy occurs, the hasty marriage scene still bothers me.
      This book did make me think about trying to help victims of abuse and/or who have addictions where the helpers may know the better path that the victim should take - but it also has to be the victim or addicts choice to take that path. So how much do you restrain that person to keep them in a safe place while they recover? Heady questions, and the kind of issue that comes up again and again as Angel leaves Michael several times before finally deciding to stay with him in the end. He does bring her back several times, but at the end he lets her go and decides he will not go back for her but wait to see if she ever comes back for him. Lots of other drama happens with other characters who are introduced, as this book also seemed really long to me. I was interested in how it would turn out, but it felt like a bit of a slog to get there during the 15 hour long audiobook I was listening to.
      The book has been polarizing in the Christian reading community, so I would be careful about recommendations. Some readers will love it, some will need trigger warnings about it and want to avoid it if they are sensitive to issues like sexual abuse.
    • 3/5
      What I especially liked about this book (a retelling of the Old Testament book of Hosea, set during the California Gold Rush) is that it doesn't portray redemption or grace as the least bit easy for anyone involved. More often than not, redemption is a messy, painful, scary, stretching process. Rivers really draws the reader along on that journey. Sometimes I thought the book sounded a touch too contemporary evangelical-y and not deeply rooted enough in its setting; in places the characterization feels weak. But it's still a worthwhile read, and, most importantly (in my view!), accomplishes what it sets out to do theologically. In my recent seminary class on Hosea, the claim that the biblical text offers a reflection of God's redeeming love was extremely unpopular -- but I think it can be, as Rivers successfully illustrates.
    • 5/5
      Masterfully written, Francine Rivers transports you to the Wild West and draws you into this redemptive story loosely based on the Biblical story of Hosea. It is a historical Christian romance that makes you want to slap the character until you realize it's actually you. Unconditional love that doesn't seem possible reminds us of the one Great Love that paid it all for us. This was the book that got me hooked on Francine Rivers. It will hook you too!
    • 5/5
      This book was utterly amazing. I absolutely loved it.
    • 5/5
      This is one of the best books I have ever read. It was so well written. I did not want to put it down. After finishing Francine's book, I had to go back and Read the book of Hosea from the Bible.
    • 3/5
      This is not at all the type of book I would normally gravitate towards. I didn't mind the basic concept of the book, since it reminded me of one of my favorite chick-flicks, Pretty Woman. I found myself very annoyed with the back and forth of the main character Angel. She was a very fickle woman. The book seemed much longer than it really needed to be, but overall passed the time just fine.
    • 5/5
      What a wonderful book. It will make you fall in love all over again. It was heartbreaking much of the time. I enjoyed being in the days of the gold rush. At time you want to shake the ^&*( out of Angel, Terza, Amanda whoever she is. Michae4l was such a wonderful man and I came to love Paul as well. the only thing I didn't like sbout the book is that when the author chose to end the story it all happened so quickly. I wanted it to move in slow motion and savor the love between Michael and Angel when she finally decided they truely loved each other no matter what. Based on the Biblical Book of Hosea it was wonderful and I also liked savoring the scriptural references.
    • 5/5
      Wow! A truly inspirational love story. This book is powerful! I couldn't put it down, not even to sleep.
    • 5/5
      This year celebrates the twenty year anniversary for Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, one of the most thought-provoking reads in my lifetime.

      Francine Rivers writes about a kind of love and forgiveness on a level that is seldom achieved by any individual. I was blown away by Michael’s diligence in creating change in Sarah, not through preaching and judging, but through love and example. This is one of those books that has left a lifelong impression on me.
    • 2/5
      That is quite a summary, huh? Written by either the author or a groupie, I would say that the above is a bit more of a love-fest that I would give it.

      The story of how I came upon this book: in my women's Sunday school class last week, someone was talking about the book and how her husband told her that it was making her cry so much that it was upsetting their children. I asked about the book and a member of the class took life and limb in hand to run to the church library to get me the book.

      The first thing I noticed, of course, was the cover and it just made me chuckle. It is very obviously the female equivalent of Fabio and I commented that it looked like a Baptist Harlequin Romance. Well, I have to tell you, it reads like one, too. At a robust 464 pages, I never even thought of shedding a tear. Instead, I wanted to slap the heroine of the book, named Sarah/Angel/Marah/Amanda/Mandy/Tirzah. A retelling of the book of Hosea, yes, but with much more running. She flees once, her husband finds her. She flees again, her husband finds her. She flees again and probably again ... honestly, I lost count. At some point, I would have just let her work it out with God without my help. Which he did, praying for and waiting on her for three years while she sought and found God thanks to a totally different man. Poor Micheal (her husband) never got to see the joy of her accepting the Lord as her Savior.

      Yes, yes, I know the moral is that I run away from God numerous times and He seeks me, forgives me and loves me just the same. I get it. I just don't want to read a tome about it. And good grief with the names in this book! Michael, Hosea, Sarah, Elizabeth, Miriam, Ruth, Paul. I would say that a light hand is not a strength of Francine Rivers.

      This is the second book that I have read by this author, and will more than likely not read another.
    • 2/5
      I loved Francine Rivers writing and read so many exceptional books she's written in the Christian Fiction genre (that used to be all I read 20 years ago). I also find the teachings of Hosea a mind-boggling tale of forgiveness.

      This said, the characters' actions in Rivers story made me want to hurl the book across the room. Never have I been as frustrated with a female main character...she had no clue on how to be a grown up, communicate, and/or let alone possess more than the emotional IQ of a box of doorknobs.

      I have branched out in far more genres even though I love Rivers writing...but for this story? It was her very first and I didn't enjoy it. At all. For that, I left 2 stars.
    • 4/5
      Wow, such a powerful story of true love and the willingness to forgive. I was glad I read this book.
    • 5/5
      After reading this book I was sad it was over. What a wonderful story of God's unconditional love. Angel rejected Michael's love to the point where she abandoned him because she thought he would abandon her. He didn't give up on her but he waited for what God had promised. I will definitely read this again!
    • 5/5
      i love the story so much. it gives so much hope. it's about love and forgiveness and really finding what your purpose in life really is. Michael doesn't just talk about God's love. He demonstrated it.

      It's inspiring. How really God can heal and restore the broken.
    • 4/5
      Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers was one of the first Christian books I had picked up in several years. I was excited to read about a retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea. This book didn't disappoint. While it was quite a book in length, I loved the description that was given. I was intrigued with the time period she had chosen to use for her retelling and how well she intertwined it so that many could relate to it.

      i myself saw myself in this book so many times. I felt the way Angel didn't at many times throughout my life. I saaw myself making the same mistakes over and over even though I sat there reading the book and yelling at her to stop her destructive behavior. Quite comical when I look back on it now.
      This book continuously reminded me that no matter what God's love is strong for all of us even when we feel at our worst and unworthy of his forgiveness. Redeeming love had me crying several times not only at the story it provided between the two main characters but at being reminded of God's love for me, for all of us. We can all be redeemed and Francine Rivers managed to get that message across in a lovely and moving story. I would recommend this book to anyone!
    • 4/5
      Have heard about Francine Rivers several times and decided to give one a try. Good characters, good story. I felt like some parts were dragged out a big more than necessary, but in general a good read.
    • 2/5
      Although most of the book I did enjoy, it could have been about 100 pages shorter. Just too much detail in the story telling {nothing sexual}. It is very much worth reading. Especially if you like christian fiction. This book was written based off of the Book of Hosea in the bible. And its set in the middle 1800's. I had to skip quite a few chapters. I mean I understand she was trying to set a scene in some area's and to get people to understand how she got to where she was by the end of the book but I think that could have been set with a lot less DETAIL and being so drawn out. I have read many books that have gotten their point across in under 250 pages. But thats just me. I dont need TOO MUCH detail to get the point in many cases. Especially if I already understand the situation in the story already. But she is a WONDERFUL author/writer and this is the 4th book I have read by her. I took a pause in reading THE LINEAGE OF GRACE by her and still waiting for book for to come to my library so I can finish the series {5 books in all}...3/5
    • 5/5
      A beautiful love story. Such depth. Such forgiveness. Such unconditional love. One of my all time favorite books.
    • 4/5
      It took me a while to review this book after finishing it, which is unusual for me. It needed to sink in. And it really has. I've been thinking about it for days now, and I can honestly say that it has drawn me closer to God, which is the highest praise that any book can have, truly.

      As far as character development goes, I felt that Michael didn't evolve much from the start to the finish, but in all fairness, since he was supposed to represent our unchanging God, he wasn't supposed to change. Still, his love for Angel was so fierce and so immediate that it didn't feel true in the beginning, so that detracted from the story a bit for me.

      Angel's character development was beautifully done, however. Rivers did an amazing job taking us through her emotional trauma to being able to accept forgiveness and understand her worth in the eyes of God.

      This is a hard book to read in some ways because Angel's burden is more than anyone should have to bear, but I'm glad I did, as it was a potent reminder of the small, still voice that God uses to reach his children.
    • 3/5
      Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I really liked this book. I thought the author really developed and evolved her characters in a fantastic way. Her supporting characters, especially Miriam and Paul, really added to the story and the journey that Angel ( Sarah, Amanda, Tirzah…etc…) was on.
      Michael was an outstanding hero. Only a woman could create a man like that! Sometimes he seemed a little unrealistic and there were moments his unwavering patience was too much.

      Angel definitely didn’t make a change quickly, her progress was very slow and she took many steps back. The whole running away got to be a little too much at the end. I did think that Paul’s role was very well written and his evolution also very slow but ultimately rewarding. One of my favorite characters was Miriam. She seemed very real and authentic. Her human faults and her strengths were very original. She provided a great contrast to all the other characters. She was full of life and energy.

      Overall, this was a good book. Some parts felt very long and repetitive. I thought the author took the sins of Angel a little too far (I won’t mention that one sin that I thought was beyond all understanding)
      I really liked how she incorporated the stories of the bible to reflect the lives of the characters and she specifically focused on how “human” the stories in the bible are. This was a different read for me, but very interesting overall.
    • 5/5
      Here is a novel loosely based on the Bible story of Gomer and Hosea.

      It was brilliant. It kept my attention and it was easy to picture what was happening in my head and it was easy to follow the storyline.

      I loved it. I can’t think of a thing I didn’t like about it.

      I don’t read very much fiction, even “Christian” fiction. One reason is that I very rarely find one that I feel is worth my time and effort to read. So many of them are just “fluff”, useless, boring, unrealistic or other negative thing.

      This one is different. This has got to be the author’s masterpiece.

      The author did an excellent job in illustrating God’s redeeming love in this story.

      If you like Christian romance, run now, don’t walk to get this book. If you like Christian fiction in general, you will still love this book. If you are a Christian period, you will at least like this book. It is not just for sentimental women.

      To purchase your own copy of this book go here: Redeeming Love

      Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their blogging for books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 225: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

      (c) Cheryl Cope 2013
      Cheryl Cope on Google+
    • 5/5
      What a beautiful story! I loved it and had a hard time putting it down! The characters were totally believable and it was a shame when the book ended, I wanted to keep reading more. The love and faith that were in the characters was very inspiring. Reading this gives one hope that things that seem impossible aren't if we have faith and believe!
    • 5/5
      I read this book for the first time about 8 years ago, and I just finished reading it for the second time. I think that I liked it even better the second time around! Francine Rivers is exceptionally skilled at character development; this story based on Gomer and Hosea is a must-read!
    • 5/5
      When this book first came out, it was on display at our local Christian book store and I just picked it up on a whim. I have re-read it about a thousand times because not only is it such a compelling, heart wrenching story...but it spoke to me in so many ways! An incredible depiction of God's love shown through flesh, Redeeming Love takes the book of Hosea and elaborates to make it real.

      Although it is not meant to be taken in place of the true book of Hosea, it encourages the reader to read the Old Testament in a different light. I think sometimes we read through the old books as factual...but these are things that happened to real people with real emotions and real SCARS. They are not too different from you and me.

      I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has struggled with understanding how God loves us, and how we are meant to to love each other...which I think it's safe to say that includes all of us.
    • 5/5
      PHENOMENAL! REMARKABLE! ASTONISHING! INSPIRING! AMAZING! WONDERFUL! STUNNING! STUPENDOUS! EXCEPTIONAL!
    • 5/5
      This book just blew me away. The premise--a more modern (early-mid 1800s, not modern-day but much more recent than the Old Testament!) retelling of the story of Hosea--sounded really interesting. It's a book of the Bible that I was fairly unfamiliar with (though about a third of the way through the novel I did cave in and stop to read the original), but I'm always a sucker for retelling a classic story. This one did not at all disappoint.

      I've read several Christian historical romances in the last few months, with somewhat mixed results. As a Catholic school teacher, I'd like to think I'm fairly comfortable with evangelism and spreading the news of God's love. However, I don't have a lot of patience for Christian novels full of characters who constantly have page upon page of dialogue with themselves about what God wants for them, how God wants them to live their lives, etc. (Does anyone *really* do that in real life? I can't imagaine it), and even less patience for those characters who claim to be Christian but spend most of the novel acting anything but. There was none of that in this novel, thank goodness. The character of Michael Hosea was absolutely amazing in his faith--consistant without being unbelievable; ultimately strong, yet showing realistic doubts when things seemed impossible. He is the ultimate hero, without being annoyingly preachy and too-good-to-be-true. Angel's character was absolutely heartbreaking. The things that she endured were unimaginable, yet realistic, and her responses seemed true to life. Francine Rivers really gets you into her head, so that at the same time you're crying to her, "No! Don't do that!" you understand completely why her character feels that she needs to do exactly what she is doing. The secondary characters, too, are very well written, making for a whole universe of people that the reader is rooting for--and against--in this novel. I also really enjoyed the quotes the author added at the beginning of each chapter--from many books of the Bible, Shakespeare, and other sources--they truly reflected the events of that chapter and added much to the reading experience.

      In the end, the only real criticism (and it really isn't much) I have for this book is the epilogue...everything came together nice and neat, but it almost seemed too pat, too bam-boom-here-you-go-all-wrapped-up-with-a-bow-for-you, given the length and detail of the rest of the story. I'm glad to hear how everything all worked out for the characters, but the manner in which it was written just seemed like a step down from the rich storytelling of the rest of the novel. Kind of like someone said, "Great story, but now you have thirty seconds to tell us how they're all going to end up...now, GO!" and that was the result. As I said, not much of a criticism, but it just didn't seem to "go" with the rest of the novel. All in all, though, I have to say I truly loved this book and hope to read more from this author soon.
    • 4/5
      Absolutely beautiful. One of the most inspiring stories I have ever read. Portions of this book had me in complete shock, sometimes anger, and sometimes uplifting happiness. This is one of the greatest stories of unconditional love and forgiveness out there. The characters are unforgettable; ones that will stick with me for a long time to come.

      Warning: this book deals with some pretty heavy issues [prostitution, rape, etc..] and may not be for everyone. Francine Rivers does an excellent job at allowing the reader to understand what is happening without becoming too graphic.

      We get an excellent portrayal of a women [Angel] who is completely consumed by bitterness, hopelessness, and guilt. She believes that she is at fault for every terrible thing that others have inflicted on her just by being born. It is so amazing to watch how far she comes.

      A timeless story of self-destruction and rebirth, betrayal and forgiveness, hopeless despair to deep faith, and the gain that can come from even the hardest sacrifices. I urge everyone to pick this one up, whether spiritual or not. There is something for anyone to gain from this one.