Review: Insightful
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 13, 2013
There is a slow revolution happening in the approach to religion. A growing number of people struggle with the desire to accept God and religion in their life but find they can't quite bring themselves to fully embrace the archaic tenants of many institutionalized religions. Movies like "Saved" and "Dogma" and now books like "Finding Grace" are some of the first markers, and hopefully also drivers, of this religious revolution. I am normally very cautious about picking up `spiritual' books for fear that the author will spend pages upon pages trying to tell me what to think and infuriating me with archaic religious theology. At no point during the reading of this novel was I talked down to or presented with infuriating and backwards concepts."Finding Grace" is the story of a woman that struggles with deciding God's place in her own life. It is a life filled with every kind of tribulation from family estrangement and marital problems, to loneliness and even the abortion of a child. Grace transitions through various levels of traditional and non-traditional piety; from being a minister's wife at one point, to renouncing Church forever at another. However, the book is not sad or emotionally difficult to read. While engaging, it remains fairly positive throughout.I normally write my reviews by pointing out the positives first and then the aspects I didn't like. However, the aspect of this book that warrants the most discussion is it's message so I will quickly get the negatives out of the way and move on. I did wish the story had a little less crying, not so much because it was overly melodramatic - it wasn't - but because I have trouble picturing two people sitting together drinking tea and crying. Maybe that's just me, but it wasn't a huge detriment to my enjoyment of the story. I also did not approve when Grace talked about herself as a heroine, although that was one tiny paragraph and we quickly moved on. Finally, I did think that the story-telling could be tightened up a little. I would have liked some more elaboration in some sections to help bring those aspects of Grace's experience to life. With all of that said, it was an engaging read and I found the trial especially gripping. I pretty much read the second half of the book in one day.Now to talk about what this book really is. From my perspective it was the presentation of a new philosophy in fiction form - much like Ayn Rand's `Atlas Shrugged' (Although I did think the story was much better and more concisely written than `Atlas Shrugged' and the narrator in this case does not talk down to her reader). The big difference between both books is that the philosophy presented in "Finding Grace" is more religious and spiritual than Ms. Rand's. I don't agree with every idea presented, but that doesn't matter, because the story simply lays the concepts out for you to accept or reject as you wish. If anything, it encourages you to think for yourself and that inevitably means disagreeing with at least some ideas presented. Otherwise, in my opinion, you've missed the most important point.I think that many readers struggle with "Atlas Shrugged" as I suspect they will with "Finding Grace" because they feel the need to either accept or reject it all in its entirety. I don't agree with that approach, and even though I don't agree with every idea in "Finding Grace," I can say without a doubt, that I am richer for having read it. And more importantly, I will continue to grow richer as I reflect further on it and periodically reevaluate what I have read, whether or not I agree with it, and what it means to me in my life. What greater impact can a book have than that? I already have a list of people in mind with whom I intend to share this book, and I sincerely hope it will make their lives richer as well.I am very grateful to Kathy for providing me with a free copy of "Finding Grace" in exchange for my honest review.