PDF - Christian Library Journal

ADULT
FICTION
★
Heathersleigh homecoming, by Michael
Phillips. (The secrets of Heathersleigh
Hall; 3.) LCCN 99006750. Minneapolis:
Bethany House, 1999. ISBN 0764220454,
PAP, $12.99.
F. World War, 1914-1919--England--Devon--Fiction.
429 p. Adult.
In Heathersleigh Homecoming, twenty-oneyear-old
Amanda Rutherford Halifax, a prodigal
daughter, finds herself in the “faraway land” of
disobedience, suffering the consequences of
rebellion from her parents. Upon learning that
Ramsey, her unfaithful husband of one month,
belongs to a spy ring working against the Allies
in World War I, she flees from Vienna by train,
hoping to escape through Italy or France to
London. Fearful that she will reveal their
espionage secrets, Ramsey and evil Mr. Barclay
pursue Amanda relentlessly.
After discerning Amanda’s forlorn countenance
in the train station, and befriending her with a
kind invitation, Gretchen introduces her to
beauty and peaceful seclusion at the Chalet of
Hope high in the Alps of neutral Switzerland.
Here a group of Christian women dedicate their
lives to the emotional and spiritual healing of
others. But because healing is slow and painful
and Amanda’s prideful independent spirit
strong, she breaks away again to cross enemy
lines.
Amanda is unaware that information she
possesses about enemy spies in a secluded
lighthouse on the English coast is intertwined
with the duties of her father and brother on the
battle cruiser Dauntless, responsible for
torpedoing German U-boats in the English
Channel. Cleverly disguised, she outwits
Ramsey and Mr. Barclay, stalking them and
eavesdropping. Amanda reaches London, begs
an audience with Winston Churchill, her father’s
friend, and reports intelligence crucial to ending
the war.
Solid Christian truths and themes fill Michael
Phillips’ third novel in the Secrets of
Heathersleigh Hall series. In the Introduction,
his thoughtful treatise on the universal parable
of the prodigal son prepares the reader to
participate more personally in Amanda’s
homecoming. Through Amanda’s observations
and experiences, Phillips brilliantly depicts her
awakening to a godly sorrow leading to
repentance of pride and damaged relationships.
Phillips molds Amanda’s character as she learns
compassion and comforts others.
God answers her parents’ prayers and faith with
Amanda’s healing and restoration. But sin has
its consequences. Though she is reunited with
her mother and sister, Amanda never sees her
father or brother again; they die in the war.
Phillips shows that God is always good and life
goes on. Amanda looks expectantly to a new
future.
Readers will understand how to have a personal
relationship with their heavenly Father, and
think about the meaning of Christmas and
differing attitudes toward divorce and
remarriage. The story may be read without
knowledge of the series. Phillips says we are a
prodigal humanity. Heathersleigh Homecoming
is a splendid story for all of us and about all of
us.
Rhonda Marie Lackey, Writer, Former Teacher/Librarian, Tukwila,
Washington
Honor’s reward, by Kristen Heitzmann.
(Rocky mountain legacy; 5.) LCCN
99006867. Minneapolis: Bethany House,
2000. ISBN 076422204X, PAP, $10.99.
F. Family life--Fiction; Western stories; Christian
fiction. 317 p. Adult (High school).
Abbie was married to Monte Farrell. Cole
Jasper was a foreman on their ranch, but has
known Abbie since they were teens. Cole has
loved Abbie since he can remember, but after
Monte’s death by a bull, Abbie dismisses Cole
from his position on the ranch and vows she
never wants to see him again. In book five,
Abbie returns to the ranch with her new husband
Cole Jasper, after outwitting the outlaw Crete
Marlowe. Accompanying Cole and Abbie is
Birdie, the sixteen-year-old saloon girl, with a
large chip on her shoulder. Cole expects Abbie
to accept Birdie as her own, and raise her
alongside her niece Jenny and her son Elliot.
With Birdie “making eyes” at Cole, Abbie
struggles to accept and love her. Abbie knows
that she loves Cole, but she continually
compares him to Monte and is consumed with
guilt. When Cole discovers that Crete Marlowe
is after revenge, Cole is determined to see him to
justice, even against the wishes of Abbie. Will
Cole and Abbie’s marriage survive?
Kristen Heitzmann has written an interesting, if
somewhat typical story of love in the west. I
found it difficult to pick up all the details from
previous books and was often confused or lost in
the story. The theme of reconciliation was
strong as well as the power of forgiveness.
Murder and prostitution is included in the
content, but not with much detail or graphics.
Tammy Williams, Freelance Writer, Social Worker, Port Orchard,
Washington
Imperial legions, by Andrew M. Seddon.
LCCN 99088716. Nashville: Broadman &
Holman, 2000. ISBN 0805421807, PAP,
$14.99.
F. Great Britain--History--Roman period, 55 B.C.-449
A.D.--Fiction; Christian saints--Great Britain--Fiction;
Boadicea, Queen, d.61--Fiction; Paul, the Apostle,
Saint--Fiction; Soldiers--Rome--Fiction. 434 p.
Adult.
Sergius, a Roman soldier, and Ailidh, a Celt,
should be dire enemies, but they’re not. Despite
the conflict between their two cultures as Rome
attempts to subdue the inhabitants of Britain,
Sergius and Ailidh unite themselves in Christ
where there is “neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor
free.” Appointed as tribune of a Roman legion,
Sergius participates in the destruction of the
Druids, the Celtic intelligentsia believed to be
responsible for stirring up the British tribes to
rebellion. Later, Sergius faces Queen Boudicca
and her warriors as they fight to protest the
injustices of the Roman empire. Dismayed by
the needless bloodshed of innocents, and
sickened by the tortured human sacrifices
Boudicca’s warriors offer to pagan gods, Sergius
is forced to question his own role as a soldier
and as a follower of Christ. Ailidh, once a
Druidess before her conversion to Christ, finds
herself an outcast among her people and grieved
by the revengeful, bloody nature of the tribes
against Rome. Together she and Sergius vow to
follow a better way.
Imperial Legions, by Andrew M. Seddon, is a
well-researched novel detailing the life and
attitudes of those living in the first century A.D.
The book includes a map, (very useful in
keeping track of the numerous locations and
military movements throughout the story), an
extensive dictionary of Roman and British
terms, and a list of sources. The book, which
gathers intensity about midway through, is
similar in style to the historical novels of Steven
Lawhead, Francine Rivers, and Donna Fletcher
Crow, although with more emphasis on the story
than the internal workings of the main
characters. The spiritual struggles of Sergius
and Ailidh seem more of an afterthought rather
than an integral part of their lives, resulting in a
somewhat anticlimactic ending. While there are
numerous characters involved, many of them
historical figures, Seddon uniquely describes
them so they are easily remembered. Seddon
also does a good job of portraying both sides of
the story—Rome’s and Britian’s. The book
describes the violence of war realistically, but is
reasonably non-graphic.
Sherri Beeler, Teacher, Cascade Christian High School, Medford,
Oregon
Jenny’s story, by Judy Baer. (Best friends
forever; 1) LCCN 00025562. Wheaton,
Ill.: Tyndale House, 2000. ISBN
0842319220, PAP, $9.99.
F. Christian fiction; Widows--Fiction; Gambling--
Fiction. 261 p. Adult.
Having lost her beloved husband of twelve years
to an aneurysm, Jenny Owens finds herself
mired in severe depression and grief. Barely
able to function, she relies on the strength of her
two childhood best friends, Libby and Tia,
feeling that God has abandoned her. As Jenny
works through the difficult stages of grief, she is
faced with the startling news that the husband
she idolized led a double life as a gambling
addict who frittered away all their financial
resources. Left with a heavy mortgage on her
home, and no college degree or job experience,
Jenny is forced to take control of her life in a
way she never had to before.
When Jenny hires a gardener to put her huge
yard back in order, the last person she expects to
see is another person from her childhood—
Mike, the rebellious “preacher’s kid.” As Mike
works in the soil, weeding, planting, and
fertilizing, he provides a listening ear for Jenny,
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