Winter Inspirational Fiction: Four Reviews

by Staff, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 1/4/2006

Stealing Adda
Tamara Leigh. NavPress, $12.99 paper (464p) ISBN 1-57683-925-7

Romance writer Leigh (Blackheart) makes her debut in the Christian market with this tale based at least partly on her life experience. Adda Sinclaire is a bestselling romance novelist with a case of writer's block and a lingering interest in Christianity. Like most chick-lit heroines, she has a knack for ridiculous situations, whether that's pulling out a clump of her nemesis's hair or sticking her tongue out at a good-looking guy across a restaurant (who turns out to be the publisher trying to acquire her next book). If at times unbelievable, the plot moves quickly and will draw readers in. Nick, the good-looking publisher, becomes Adda's love interest (although technically their relationship is "strictly business"). Stick Woman, her nemesis, accuses Adda of plagiarizing one of her books, forcing Adda into hiding. Add a dose of family conflict, an insistent would-be lover, and a supporting cast of several characters who happen to be Christian, and you have the makings of compelling inspirational romance. Traditional romance readers may also be attracted to this title—Adda's investigation of Christianity, if a bit forced, plays a supporting role, and readers are never browbeaten. And if the conclusion is primarily about the improvement of Adda's character, Leigh also fulfills her readers' expectations of the romance genre. (Mar. 15)

Pink
Marilynn Griffith. Revell, $12.99 paper (336p) ISBN 0-8007-3040-2

Although this book in the Shades of Style series adds to the sub-genre of African-American Christian women's fiction, its story by Griffith (Made of Honor) is confusingly laid out and relies on too many coincidences to be plausible. At the center is Raya Joseph, a talented young fashion designer who has been jilted by her fiancé, and whose parents are ensnared in marital troubles that leave her befuddled. Her boss and dear friend Chenille connives to introduce her to Flex, a hot, eligible guy from church. As Flex and Raya's romance blooms, Chenille is thrown into her own turmoil, first losing a baby and then learning that her husband has cancer. To make matters even more complicated, Raya has just been hired to design a wedding gown for an ex-friend whom she can't stand. And over everything hangs the shadow of HIV: a minor character is orphaned by AIDS, and Raya's unfaithful parents turn out to be at risk for the disease too. (An author's note at the end of the book urges readers to pray for people with AIDS, and points out that the disease disproportionately strikes black women.) Predictably, by the novel's end Raya has learned about reconciliation and forgiveness, and her faith has deepened. Snappy dialogue partially redeems this generally disappointing story. (Feb.)

Storm Surge
Rene Gutteridge. Tyndale, $12.99 paper (350p) 0-8423-8766-8

In her third book in the Storm series (The Splitting Storm; Storm Gathering), Gutteridge picks up previous story lines, and readers find FBI agent and storm chaser Mick Kline in a dilemma. Sammy Earle is on death row and about to be executed, and a box of memorabilia left in the attic by Kline's dead brother could hold evidence of Earle's innocence. Between chasing storms, Kline is torn between three attractive women who all seem interested in pursuing a relationship with him. His budding romance with prickly fellow agent Libby Lancaster is particularly endearing, and his ongoing relationship with his FBI partner Reggie Moore is less on display here than in earlier books, but still enjoyable. Gutteridge is an adept and talented writer with a good sense of humor. The tension is palpable throughout, and the characters are engaging. Occasionally, the plot gets confusing (as do some time jumps), and the hurricane climax feels stale. But a surprising plot twist toward the end helps bring a satisfying conclusion to the story. Although this can be read as a stand-alone novel, it will be most appreciated by fans of the series. (Jan.)

The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions
Karen Armstrong. Knopf, $30 (464p) ISBN 0-375-41317-0

Having already recounted "a history of God," the redoubtable Armstrong here narrates the evolution of the religious traditions of the world from their births to their maturity. In her typical magisterial fashion, she chronicles these tales in dazzling prose with remarkable depth and judicious breadth. Taking as her focal point the Axial Age, which spans roughly 900 BCE to 200 BCE, Armstrong examines the ways that specific religious traditions from Buddhism and Confucianism to Taoism and Judaism responded to the various cultural forces they faced during this period. Overall, Armstrong observes, violence, political disruption and religious intolerance dominated Axial Age societies, so Axial religions responded by exalting compassion, love and justice over selfishness and hatred. Thus, the central Buddhist and Jain practice of ahimsa, doing no harm, developed in India in reaction to the self-centeredness of Hindu ritual, and Hebrew prophets such as Amos proclaimed that justice and mercy toward neighbors offered the only correct way of walking with God. Accounts of the world's religions often present them as discrete entities developing apart from each other in a vacuum. Armstrong's magnificent accomplishment offers us an account of a violent time much like our own, when religious impulses in various locations developed practices of justice and love. (Apr. 3)

Cathleen Falsani. FSG, $24 (270p) ISBN 0-374-16381-2

Religion reporter Falsani dishes up a whimsical and absorbing collection of interviews with assorted literati and glitterati, dissecting issues of faith, ethics, and personal spirituality. Since these profiles originated as columns in the Chicago Sun-Times, it's not surprising that many of the interviewees have a Chicago connection, like radio shock jock Mancow, Smashing Pumpkins lead Billy Corgan, or Dusty Baker, the manager of the Cubs. But the questions examined here are truly universal. Some of the stars evince a fairly traditional stance on faith, including observant Muslim basketball star Hakeem Olajuwon, who prays in Arabic daily and runs all of his businesses according to the anti-usury tenets of Islamic law; novelist Anne Rice, who has recently returned to the Catholic faith of her childhood and written a novel about Jesus' childhood; or Bush speechwriter and policy wonk Michael Gerson, a committed Protestant who like Falsani is a Wheaton College alum. Others, like musicians Annie Lennox and Melissa Etheridge, fall into the spiritual-but-not-religious crowd, borrowing creatively from both Eastern and Western religions to craft a personal spiritual practice that works for them. Still others—primarily writers like Studs Terkel, Tom Robbins, and Jonathan Safran Foer—place themselves in the agnostic camp. Falsani handles the profiles with sensitivity, painting the book's diverse spiritual seekers with compassion and grace. (Mar. 14)