The Bronze Bow

[December 2004]

**********
The Bronze Bow
Elizabeth George Speare

Highest rating: 9
Lowest rating: 4
Average rating: 6.92 (6 votes)

Book cover rating: ugly

This book was generally well-liked, especially as historical fiction and young adult literature. It provided an interesting perspective of Jesus through cultural, societal perspectives without specifically being “Christian lit.” The author’s portrait of Jesus seemed to us mostly accurate and certainly not offensive, as some secular takes on Jesus might be.

We almost unanimously agreed that the book ended too quickly. The author spent a lot of care and time building to a conclusion that was abrupt. We would have appreciated her taking more time (and words) to flesh out her ideas.

But for the most part, we would recommend this book, for both adolescents and adults, as good historical fiction involving Jesus and life under Roman rule during the time of Christ.

Vanity Fair

[November 2004]

**********
Vanity Fair
William Makepeace Thackeray


The only book in the history of book group that not even one of us could finish. I guess you could say none of us could make peace with it. So we got together and watched the movie instead.

The Notebook

[October 2004]

**********
The Notebook
Nicholas Sparks

Highest rating: 7.5
Lowest rating: 3
Average rating: 5

Our average rating speaks volumes about our general opinion of this book. Some enjoyed it, others didn’t, but few if any of us had really strong feelings about it either way.

Some thought it was tranquil and sweet, others found it boring, but most of us really thought it was neither here nor there, not really memorable, and unimpressive.

While some like the descriptions (of the relationship, of the house remodeling, of the alzheimers aspect...), several of us didn’t like the ending (a somewhat important part in a book), and most of us weren’t sure we’d recommend it (or read it again).

So, was it a hit? was it a miss? This group might say its both.

The Red Tent

[September 2004]

***********
The Red Tent
Anita Diamant

Highest rating: 8
Lowest rating: 2
Average rating: 6

In our discussion, we discovered firsthand that this is a controversial book. We found it an easy and interesting read. However, we thought the biblical missteps were distracting at best and bordering on blasphemous at worst.

Taken as a work of fiction, it was well-regarded. Taken as a historical account, it was much-doubted. However, we all enjoyed the “human faces” given to the biblical characters.

Some questions that we pondered:
•Would we have enjoyed it more without any scriptural knowledge?
•Could it have been as good a novel had the author stuck closer to scripture?
•Did the author know she was “taking liberties,” or does she believe her portrayals of people & places are accurate?

Their Eyes Were Watching God

[July 2004]

**********
Their Eyes Were Watching GodZora Neale Hurston

Highest: 8
Lowest: 5
Average: 6.8

We discussed how Hurston’s writing style, with its detail and dialects, could completely immerse you in the culture or utterly bog you down with reading about it.

For some, this was the first book we had read that occurs completely within black culture (as opposed to books about racial tensions between blacks and whites).

The evolution of the title character was a source of inspiration, as she changed from a dependent to independent woman.

In general, this book was well-liked except for the difficulty which some of us had in reading it.

The Distant Land of My Father

[June 2004]

*********

The Distant Land of My Father
Bo Caldwell


Highest: 8.5
Lowest: 6
Average: 7.5

We discussed the varying aspects location offered in this book. For some, it was easy to immerse in the California sections, yet difficult to picture the China sections.

Anna as a young girl seemed unrealistically portrayed to some, although influence of memory on the narrator could account for this.

This was a moving book about pain, forgiveness, and regret that most of us would recommend.

Watership Down

[May 2004]

***********

Watership Down
Richard Adams


Highest rating: 9
Lowest rating: 5
Average: 7.45

We discussed the difficulty of assimilating to the characters--”are these talking rabbits?”--but also the genius behind using rabbits as metaphor.

We discussed the grandeur the novel attempts (an epic) and the lengths to which it succeeds (great).

We discussed the various characters and settings and plot devices, their strengths and weaknesses, and the desire to see the movie rendition of this fascinating piece of literature.

In the Presence of My Enemies

[April 2004]

**************

In the Presence of My Enemies
Gracia Burnham

Highest rating: 9
Lowest rating: 5
Average rating: 7.5

We discussed how this book put a face on both terrorism and Christianity. It is being read by non-Christians and Christians alike and is thus a great witness.

We also appreciated how the author was descriptive in their plight and yet used discretion with her words. She didn’t try to disturb the reader as much as she wanted to present the truth of the situation.

Gulliver's Travels

[March 2004]


**********

Gulliver's Travels
Jonathan Swift

Highest rating: 7
Lowest rating: 2.5
Average rating: 5.2

And just for fun...

Those who read the entire book:
Average rating: 6.67

Those who read only portions:
Average rating: 4.125

I’ll leave it to you to determine whether those who gave it a low rating did so because they did not finish the book or whether they did not finish the book because they didn’t like it to begin with.

We discussed--some might say “disgust”--the social significance of the novel in its own time, though for most of us (myself included) it went over our heads.

We also discussed some of the crass descriptions and the surprise that this is sometimes made into a children’s story.

Safely Home

[February 2004]

**********

Safely Home
Randy Alcorn

Highest rating: 8.5
Lowest rating: 5
Average rating: 6.83

The book was met with mixed reviews. It seems that everyone liked parts and everyone disliked parts, but which parts were which varied somewhat. (“Parts is parts,” right? Heh heh) The descriptions of heaven were the weakest parts of the book for most, but whether this is the fault of the author or the topic itself is hard to say. The religious, political, and social aspects of China were the most interesting, yet perhaps not detailed enough for some. We also discussed the idea of “Christian books” and their quality vs. message.

The Persian Pickle Club

[January 2004]

The Persian Pickle Club, by Sandra Dallas

Highest rating: 8
Lowest rating: 6
Average rating: 7.0625

Everyone generally enjoyed this book, although there was some discrepancy as to whether or not we thought it was a “good” book.

Some thought the characters could have been written better or more thoroughly. Others thought the plot stood well enough on its own and that any more character development would have ruined the pace.

Some thought that the book was entertaining, but was little more than that. Others said that the book should not be judged as a classic but for what it is: quality modern ficiton.

There was some comparison made to The Secret Life of Bees (which many books in our group seem to get compared against; maybe because it was our first book). Someone made the comment that, once again, we have an ambiguous ending.