Got around halfway before deciding to DNF. While I originally was looking for something to read alongside Proverbs and gain more insight into the trutGot around halfway before deciding to DNF. While I originally was looking for something to read alongside Proverbs and gain more insight into the truths in each chapter, I found that a majority of the chapters in this book served as summaries of the chapters in Proverbs in a sort of watered-down, oversimplified format, such as defining basic words and using little vignettes from the author's life as examples (most of them being everyday interactions that I didn't find particularly insightful).
The writing style also felt very basic and lacked emotion, faintly reminiscent of middle school persuasive essays. It was just there, functioning as a way to argue basic points that most people probably would've already picked up from reading the actual chapters in the Bible. And by basic, I mean things like: staying away from temptation, speaking in kindness, choosing friends wisely, needing to trust God, helping the poor, etc. Rather than providing new perspectives on any of these things, the author just stressed the importance of doing them over and over again, and the benefits of doing so (which, like, yes, but also doing these things should ultimately stem from loving God, not just the benefits here on earth). Her simplistic writing style became more problematic in chapters where more nuanced topics were discussed, such as relating to mental health. It came across in a very black-and-white way, which conveyed the sense that the author can't relate or empathize with those struggles.
Basically? If you're reading Proverbs, you're better off just reading the actual book from the Bible than reading this one. It doesn't really add anything new....more
While the writing style is lyrical and poetic, I felt very disconnected from the characters, which made it difficult to justify their morally questionWhile the writing style is lyrical and poetic, I felt very disconnected from the characters, which made it difficult to justify their morally questionable decisions. In addition, the lack of an active plot thread eventually started to grate on me.
So, DNFing this one. I probably won't return to it in the future. It just wasn't my thing!...more
If you know me at all, you know I despise giving books low ratings. I’d rather not rate them at all than give them a low rating, and so this is sayingIf you know me at all, you know I despise giving books low ratings. I’d rather not rate them at all than give them a low rating, and so this is saying quite a bit. :P
But for this book, I’ve decided to give a rating, simply because I feel more people need to be warned before jumping in. If you do plan on reading it, I highly, highly recommend having a Bible handy. It can be an interesting read for a believer looking to discern Biblical and non-Biblical ideas that have seeped into our culture nowadays, but it also can be extremely misleading to non-believers.
So! I DNF’d this book around a quarter of the way in, for several reasons~
1. I’m sure the author wrote this book with good intentions, but I found a bunch of ideas in this story Biblically inaccurate. It’s hard to convey a God character in novels accurately without seeming preachy or like a cardboard cutout, let alone the entire Trinity, so I applaud the author’s attempts. There were some genuine gems in this story that revealed the true loving character of God. However (and there’s always a however). Some issues had me raising my eyebrows all the way through. For one, it’s strongly implied that God is gender-fluid (He basically appears in the story as a woman, and later on as a man), and Jesus was just an ordinary man. Which in my mind, if these are the present inaccuracies only a few chapters in, how can I trust the author to even convey the full truth of the gospel accurately?
I also felt like there was more modern talk and rephrasing of parts of the Bible, like someone’s scripture interpretations, rather than solid, direct verses from God’s Word. It was like someone was trying to pass off parts of the Bible as a cheap, watered-down interpretation rather than what it really is in attempt to make it fit in with modern culture nowadays. And honestly, I could rant about this for hours, but for the sake of space and time, I’ll refrain. ;) All I’ll say is this: I absolutely despise it when God’s Word is watered-down in an attempt to make it more “relevant� to our modern generation. We don’t need a watered-down gospel that has lost its meaning. We need something that’s countercultural. We need the truth. And the Bible is all these things and more. Sure, it might be hard to swallow at times. But the worst thing is if we reach the point where the Bible becomes meaningless, so watered-down and modernized that we can barely recognize it anymore, and no longer treat with reverence.
In other words: This book is NOT the Bible. In order to find solid truths, we need to go directly to God’s Word. Not an allegory like this book or The Pilgrim’s Progress (which this book has been compared to). The Word of God will NEVER change, but yes, even fiction can be twisted and warped by man’s views, because we’re not perfect and never will be. Though, of course, the Lord can still use flawed works to touch people's hearts—not dismissing that in the slightest!
2. Obviously much more minor, but I also despised the profanity. Do we really need the b-word in a “Christian� novel? I get that some parts actually happened in real life, including possibly some of the dialogue, but it was completely unnecessary and felt shoved in just to make it feel more “adult”—which brings me to my final point.
3. The writing style felt so slow, and frankly juvenile. I can’t help seeing where this story was going—and as a reader with a thousand books on my TBR, I didn’t want to sludge through 200 more pages just to read pages and pages of things I’d have to constantly be comparing to what it actually says in the Bible.
To sum it all up, I DNF’d because I felt like I was wasting my time with this book, and y’know the saying � “life is too short to waste on bad books.� Buuuuutttt � If you’re planning on reading The Shack, go into it with lots of discernment & keep a Bible handy at all times, because you’ll probably need it. Trust me....more
While Sara Ella is a thoughtful and talented writer and instructor over at the Author Conservatory, I've decided to DNF this because the style just waWhile Sara Ella is a thoughtful and talented writer and instructor over at the Author Conservatory, I've decided to DNF this because the style just wasn't my thing. I've discovered I'm not really one for slightly nonsensical stories, and that's okay....more
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