I’m sorry to say that I’ve been had by well-meaning people who rave about a book. It happened to me several times when I was new to ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). I’d read comments or a review that said I had to read that book, it was so good, stellar, etc, etc, until I bought/checked out/borrowed the book. Most of the time I was horribly disappointed. It may have been a perfectly fine book, but I’d been led to believe it was going to be the best ever. After the third or fourth time, I quit believing what some people said about books.
Don’t let that happen today. Believe me when I say this is a great book.
I’ve had Words by Ginny Yttrup on my Kindle for some months. I’d read good reviews, heard loudest praise, been told it was a “must read,” but I wasn’t falling for that again. It was likely offered as a free or very inexpensive e-book, so I downloaded it.
Last week at the Mount Hermon Christian Writer's Conference, one of the workshop leaders quoted the first paragraph as an example of a powerful opening and I had to agree. Later in the week, Ginny Yttrup was named Writer of the Year at the conference.
So I decided to give it a try. I found Words on my Kindle, took a deep breath, and dove in.
Kaylee is a child, held captive in a cabin in the Santa Cruz mountains, and being victimized by a pedophile.
Sierra is a woman, held captive by guilt and regrets, and finally ready to let the past go.
When Sierra meets Kaylee in the woods, she is drawn to this child who doesn’t speak. Kaylee is rescued and placed in a foster home. As Kaylee recovers from her abuse, Sierra is also freed from her past.
The opening captured me. Because of Kaylee’s situation, it quickly became a hard book to read. Just when I was ready to quit, we changed to Sierra’s story and I had a glimmer of hope.
I’m so glad I decided to read Words in spite of the glowing reviews. This time, they were right.
It’s not an easy book but it’s a compelling one, and very well written. I highly recommend it.
No comments:
Post a Comment