This Side of Heaven - A Review

My latest review is by one of my favorite Christian authors, Karen Kingsbury. Okay, to be honest, I've not read a lot of Christian fiction in the last few years, but I've not been disappointed by her novels that I have read. And this book is no exception.

Here's the description that I took off the publisher's website:

This Side of Heaven, by Karen Kingsbury - Annie Warren always wanted the best for her son, Josh. But years of failure and bad choices created a heartbreaking distance that has grown far worse since the day Josh was hit by a drunk driver. Now on medical disability, Josh has put his life on hold for years, waiting for the insurance company to send a settlement that never seems to come. Worse, he believes the story of a scheming woman who claims they have a seven-year-old daughter named Savannah.

Despite the unlikelihood and complete lack of evidence, Josh dreams of being a father and is determined to one day claim the child. His family doesn't know the full story. They don't know what happened the night of the accident that was worth the chronic pain Josh suffers every waking minute, or that he is turning his life around. They haven't seen that Savannah's eyes are his, and they don't know how desperately the little girl needs her family.

When the settlement that rightly belongs to Josh is threatened, Annie sets out to defend her son. But she might find a treasure more valuable than money, one she never expected, one that is the greatest gift her son could ever give her--THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN.

I thought that this was a great story. It did elicit a few tears from me, as much as I tried not to. While mildly predictable, it wasn't all predictable. I found myself angry with some characters and really able to identify with others. It was a story of grace and God's control and it was good to read about a character that was willing to change. Kingsbury had some wonderful themes in this novel that I think are important for people to take to heart.

To me, this novel is even more special because some of the characters are based on real people that Kingsbury personally knows. It is very touching to hear her personal story.

This book was provided to me by David C Cook for an impartial review