The Heart Mender - A BookSneeze Review

I received this book as a BookSneeze member to read and review. First, I will say that I am giving away this book. Click here to get your chance to win a copy of this book for free!

Now, on to the review.

I will say that this book was quite an interesting read. As a writer myself, I was attracted to the way Andy Andrews wrote this book. His use of foreshadowing flowed quite nicely, I thought. The switching from the "now" to the "then" wasn't choppy, which I thought was really great. However, when I got to the end of the book, the story just ended. It felt to me like there were some things that remained untold. And maybe there were a few things--it was based on a true story, and one of the "real life" characters seemed uncomfortable with Andy sharing her and her husband's story. I'll explain why later. I was a bit disappointed that Andy included some profanity in the telling of the story. It wasn't the F-bomb, but I discourage the use of any foul language, whether it seems mild or heinous. It's all the same to me--it all stinks.

The story begins as Andy finds some WWII paraphernalia while digging a root out of the ground on his property. After having done research, talking to a few of the older locals, and putting together all his evidence, Andy found the owner of the items left in an old can, buried in the sand. And from there, the story begins. The owner of the WWII items was a German U-boat marine, and after a difficult experience on the submarine, he was shot and washed ashore onto the beach, where a woman named "Helen" found him. I don't want to tell the whole story, but Josef (the German) stayed with Helen for a while to recover, pretending to be a Brit. Only a handful of people ever ended up knowing that Josef was in fact a German on duty on a submarine. The worry of Josef being discovered as a German continually plagued Helen and Josef, even at the time of The Heart Mender's publishing. They asked Andy Andrews to change the names in his story so that they could hold on to some anonymity, and to ease their concern for Josef's safety, obviously.

The Heart Mender is a story of forgiveness. You'll have to read to find out why. ;) I thought it was a very lovely story, and it was definitely a touching story.

Here's the run-down of what I think of the book:
Ease of reading ................ 5/5
Supporting Details ............. 5/5
Sufficient Length .............. 4/5
Ability to hold my interest ... 5/5
Overall Impression ............. 4.5/5

I am a member of BookSneeze, a fabulous website where you can read free books and keep them if you write a review for your blog and for a major retailer (such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble).

BookSneeze Book Review - Plain Paradise

(This is copied from my old blog for posterity.)

I've recently had the opportunity to read a book that I've really enjoyed. The title is Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman.


This is a fiction book about the Amish. The heroine in the story finds out that she's been adopted by her Amish family after an English woman she doesn't know comes knocking on their door. Her birth mother has only a short time to live, so she wants to know the daughter she'd given away when she was two weeks old. Meanwhile, the Amish folks who'd raised this young lady struggle with fear that the English woman will take away their daughter.
The entire story kept me wondering how the end would turn out. It was a great story, drew me to tears a few times. The characters seemed very real. I hope to find the rest of Beth Wiseman's books--I'm hooked now!

Basically, here's the run-down of what I think of the book:
Ease of reading ................ 5/5
Supporting Details ............. 5/5
Sufficient Length .............. 5/5
Ability to hold my interest ... 5/5
Overall Impression ............. 5/5

I am a member of BookSneeze, a fabulous website where you can read free books and keep them if you write a review for your blog and for a major retailer (such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble).

BookSneeze Book Review - John Bunyan

(This is copied/pasted from my old blog for posterity. :P)
I am a member of BookSneeze, a fabulous website where you can read free books and keep them if you write a review for your blog and for a major retailer (such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble).

I enjoy a good biography. However, it is not often that I read a biography about someone who lived so long ago as John Bunyan. In fact, I'd never read anything about John Bunyan's life. I read The Pilgrim's Progress while in high school, but never knew anything personal of Bunyan. The title "John Bunyan," written by Kevin Belmonte, is a nice book for someone like myself who knows little about John Bunyan. This title is part of a series of biographies by Thomas Nelson Publishers called "Christian Encounters." The book is written in an easy, flowing manner. The titles are not lengthy. The book is only 169 pages, including the Epilogue, bibliography, and some notes.

The book brings out the major points of Bunyan's life--his birth as a brazier's son, small details about his childhood, his life as an adult, his spiritual journey, his writing, and his struggles. However, I wish that this book had gone into more detail about his spiritual walk. As I mentioned, his spiritual journey was discussed, but I feel that more time could have been spent on that aspect of Bunyan's life.

For someone who has never read anything about John Bunyan, I feel I've come away from reading this book with a greater understanding about one of history's most brilliant writers. I now have a greater appreciation for The Pilgrim's Progress, and I want to soon read it again.

Basically, here's the run-down of what I think of the book:

Ease of reading ................ 5/5
Supporting Details ............. 4/5
Sufficient Length .............. 5/5
Ability to hold my interest ... 4/5
Overall Impression ............. 4/5