I had a hard time writing this book review. For starters, I recommended this book to my book club, and it was a flop. Or was it?
I saw the movie a while ago and remembered hearing from some friends that the book was very good. Even better than the movie. I had in the back of my mind to read it one day. But I never actually did.
On the day of my chemo I went to give blood. Somehow, my phlebotomist and I got onto the subject of books. (I think I had Lessons in Chemistry with me at the time.) She told me her all-time favorite book, which she picks up and re-reads every year, is Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers. Hmm. That’s interesting. She is a believer, and the story resonates with her.
While I was getting chemo, our book club leader reached out to me and said the lady who was meant to pick our February book wasn’t able to be there. Could I choose one? This book seemed to be in the forefront of my mind for a reason. It’s about love, and February is the month of love, so why not. I asked if it was okay to choose a Christian book; she said no problem! I offered this best seller as a recommendation.
I enjoyed the book. It is a very sad story about a woman forced into the sex industry from the time she was a child. It may seem like fiction, but I was thinking about all the real-life scenarios where this is happening today. It’s easy to just “forget about it,” and move on with our lives. Yet, many women deal with this on a day to day basis.
Along comes Mr. Hosea, who loves her from the moment he sets eyes on her (he doesn’t know Angel is a prostitute). He hears God speaking to him, telling him this is the woman for him. The story progresses from there as his unconditional love drives him to pursue a relationship with her. A godly relationship. His love eventually redeems her from the repugnant life she was living, but not without its many hardships along the way.
One other group member and I rated this book a 9. (She is also a believer, and has worked with teens who were sex trafficked.) The other group members were not as impressed, rating it as low as 4 or 5. I think one member even rated it a 2. Some thought the characters could have been developed more fully. (I agreed. This is why I rated it a 9, but I didn’t think that should knock off 6 or 8 points. ) It seems the connection to the Bible, Scriptural references, and the concept of hearing from God and loving someone in spite of their spiritual ugliness were a bit too much for some of the group members to swallow.
At the end of each meeting, our group leader summarizes our conversation and sends it to us in an email. I thought she captured the discussion well. Here is her summary.
“Ten of us gathered on this wet afternoon to discuss Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. This book brought a lot of discussion and topics especially sex trafficking. We all felt bad reading this book and also thought there wasn’t a lot of character development. For those of us who did not know the biblical story of Hosea, a prophet, who marries Gomer who is a prostitute, would have been beneficial to understand the book. Sarah/Angel who is Gomer, we all felt opened our eyes to the never ending cycle of prostitution and how she used it like money and the only thing she knew how to do. Some of us shared personal stories of working in the sex trafficking arena and how hard they become and how hard it is to break the cycle which is so heartbreaking. We were frustrated with the story at the end and felt it was wrapped up very quickly after all the angst. For those of you who would like to watch the movie, it is on Prime Video. Here is the Roger Ebert summary and review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/redeeming-love-movie-review-2022
~ Our Group Leader
We rated the book a 5.05.”
I came away from the meeting feeling a little defeated, to be honest, since I was the one who recommended the book. I was glad to read a book that didn’t drop “F” bombs, as well as one that told a story of restoration. I naïvely thought other people would like it too, and I thought they would value a greater understanding of sex traffic victims. The books we read before this one ended abruptly, and had a few literary flaws, but the group didn’t drop down their rating as much as they did on this one. That was a surprise to me. There must have been other reasons. Perhaps their distaste was primarily due to the Christian emphasis.
I’m a little skittish about recommending another book. 😳
The link to Roger Ebert’s summary (above) of the movie was beneficial. It is a good review, and it did help me understand why the others in my book club may have rated the book so low. I understood when he said the author may have been “preaching to the choir.” Our group identified their lack of understanding of the story of Hosea and Gomer (I explained it to them). The book definitely resonated more with those of us who have a Christian background. Background definitely impacts how one may view a story. I think Francine Rivers missed the boat here. She could have had a greater impact if she had reached out to a broader audience, explaining in a prologue the story of Hosea and Gomer for those who are unfamiliar with it.
I admit there were a few points that had me confused. The author switches the names of characters throughout the book (gives them multiple names) and this could have been more clearly written. There was one character I thought could have been developed a bit further. However, as I was reading the book I was more focused on the story of redeeming love for someone who leaves, leaves again, and continues to leave the arms of Christ. Just when you think Angel is staying, she leaves again. She goes back to her prior lifestyle. She doesn’t know anything else.
This impacted me as I thought about sex traffic victims. How hard it must be to leave the only lifestyle you have learned. The only thing that earns you a living. The only thing you know how to do. The only thing that brings you “love,” albeit a twisted and ungodly form of love. Building trust would be so difficult after that; believing that someone can love you unconditionally would take a great deal of time and effort. How many men would be as patient and generous as Hosea?
Yet Hosea keeps on loving her, the same way Jesus does with us. Jesus loves us no matter what. Unconditionally! Every time we turn our back on Him, He is there watching for us to return. He wants us to. He desires a relationship with us. And He patiently waits for us to do so. He never gives up on us. And when we finally do come back, He doesn’t chastise us or make us feel bad. He wraps His loving arms around us and says, “Welcome Home.”
But, I may be preaching to the choir.
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!