Marilyn Fitch

The content of this book has a lot of potential. It was a brief, quick read, and especially useful if you're interested in a conversational comparison between Reformed, Calvinistic theology and Lutheranism. As a former Calvinist, it was a bit redundant for me, but I appreciated some verbiage she gave, that I related to, regarding reasons I have converted to a Lutheran understanding of scriptures.

With that said, major word of caution: this book is seriously under edited! There are more than a small handful of typos and the syntax is full of errors and very clunky at times. It is hard to see past or understand the meaning of the text in a number of instances. Unless you have a particular interest in the niche subject discussed, and getting a conversational approach to it, I might pass on this one, for that reason alone. Jordan B Cooper has a more scholarly and thorough addressing of the subject if you're wanting a comparison of these two theologies.

With that said, I hope the author will rework this text and get it properly edited, because with fine tuning, I think it would make a great resource and useful read.

EXCELLENT. An earth shaking debut novel from Gwen Newell. Reminiscent of The Giver and The Winter King in the way that it presents darker themes in the safer medium of story for teens. And while it is definitely dark, it is not grotesque simply for its own sake. Much of the violence happens “off camera”, and while Newell is clearly already a master of mood (it was quite creepy, and cold), it wouldn't be “too much” for a teen who has been properly exposed to heavier subjects like the holocaust, North Korean prison camps, or even more detailed accounts of persecuted missionaries or martyrs.

I would go as far as saying I think this should be required reading for any teen confronting themes of governmental control, the sanctity of life, liberty, heroism, and self sacrifice. Also a good read for anyone who struggles with perfectionist tendencies, legalism, self doubt, or finding courage when faced with adversity.

Finally, it should be noted that the darkness of the story was an appropriate backdrop for the bright light of faith, hope, and love that eventually illuminates even the darkest corner of the Escape. Through the (very compelling) muck, mire, and ugliness of the dystopian world Newell paints onboard the Escape, what the reader walks away with is not despair, but a thrill of hope, and rest from a weary world. A beautiful literary picture of that ancient truth we should all hold dear, that, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Highly recommend!

I am excited to try the index card method laid out in this book! I am eager to de-digitize my home systems and create something that allows for ebbs and flows of life, while maintaining structure and some external accountability. This seems like a great method that is very customizable and can grow and change with you over time.

I marked down a star mostly because of a section at the end about divorce that felt unnecessary - might have made more sense if it was titled an “Afterward.” It also got a bit new-agey with visualizations at the end, and I would have really preferred, overall, that the book just end two chapters sooner. Nonetheless, it was a quick read outlining a very interesting method that I will definitely be giving a “go” at myself.

This story convinced me that I want to continue to read more Macdonald, and left me with many things to chew and ponder. Compared to Princess and the Goblin, the overarching storyline was considerably bleaker and darker, and I wouldn't recommend it to younger readers who may have been able to handle and enjoy Princess & the Goblin (my 5 year old, for example). I think some more maturity is required to appreciate and glean the nuggets of wisdom that Princess & Curdie has to offer, and it may leave young readers feeling confused, upset, and disenchanted. Nonetheless, a brilliant story that I enjoyed and will have my kids read when they are a tad bit older. Finally, as a big fan of “Curdie's mother”, I was happy her name was revealed in this sequel :)

PROS: There were a few genuinely funny moments of commentary on modern living and wise reminders on how to properly adult. I also admired the work the author has put into self love and the way she encourages the same for her reader. Preach.

CONS: I found myself wanting to skip entire essays where the author presented her liberal ideology or opinions as axioms.

Similar to other semi-auto-biographical essay collections I have read, the amount of self-explaining or self-apologizing for past errs presented under the guise of “here's-wisdom-learn-from-my-mistakes” was just a little too self aware for me. In one essay, the author went as far as to preemptively defend any bad or mediocre reviews she may receive for this very book.

OVERALL: I don't feel like my time was completely wasted because I got a few laughs and had one or two “ah ha!” moments where I truly related to the author as a female millennial. Still, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to my girlfriends.

This book is a solid three stars because it was engaging to start and kept me interested all the way through. It was an easy read, and I enjoy a good generational drama. Though wildly predictable, I admit I audibly gasped at the big twist at the end, and for that, I commend the author! I'm not always the easiest reader to shock :) However, I was disappointed when the compelling premise and skilled writing took a turn for the worse at the 1/3 mark and it occurred to me that this book would be more brain candy than food for thought. There were a few moments when the triteness of the writing and cliche character developments almost made me eye-roll. Nonetheless, I mostly enjoyed it.

The only reason this didn't get a 5 is because I'm honestly not smart enough to track with a good 30% of the I'm-sure-were-very-funny-and-clever science jokes in this book and, thus, don't think I got the full effect of it's genius and hilarity.

Still, for someone as scientifically and mathematically challenged as myself, many of the concepts were pretty digestible and I found myself reading the entire thing with a smile on my face. I just breezed through the sections I REALLY didn't get and picked it back up when there was a stick figure that helped me understand. You will not regret reading this book, stirring the imagination, and opening your mind to new ideas. I highly recommend. The nerd in me bows to the nerd in you.

Brilliant and eye opening! REQUIRED PREREADING: Narnia (of course), but also, the Ransom Trilogy! I was not aware of this last bit, but was too patient to go back, and thus missed out on many connections and points made. Nonetheless, a book I thoroughly enjoyed and will come back to once again ... as soon as I have finally read the Ransom Trilogy :)