Book Review: The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury

This is a charming ‘second chance’ love story.

The Bridge

by Karen Kingsbury

• Print Length: 272 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books (October 23, 2012)
• Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007EDZ08S

Genre: Christian Romance

My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description Publication Date: October 23, 2012

The New York Times bestselling author of Learning and Leaving shares a heartwarming Christmas story about a devastating flood, lost love, and the beauty of enduring friendships.

Molly Allen lives alone in Portland, but her heart is back in Franklin, Tennessee, where five years ago she walked away from a man she cannot forget, a rare sort of love she hasn’t found since.

Ryan Kelly lives in Franklin and spends plenty of time at The Bridge—the oldest bookstore in historic downtown Franklin—remembering the long hours he and Kelly once spent there.

     Now, Ryan and Molly’s favorite bookstore is in trouble. For thirty years, Charlie and Donna Barton have run The Bridge, providing the people of middle Tennessee with coffee, conversation, and shelves of good books—even through dismal book sales and the rise of eBooks. Then in May a flood tore through Franklin and destroyed nearly every book in the store. By Christmastime, the bank threatens to pull the lease on The Bridge and is about to take the Bartons’ house as well. Despondent, Charlie considers ending his life. And in the face of tragedy, miracles begin to unfold.

Review:
Molly Allen enjoys her business in Portland but she lives alone and has never forgotten the young man she fell for in college. Molly had to push to get her wealthy parents to let her go away to college. After all, they had her future marriage and career laid out for her already. Molly was happy to get to study what she loved most -- music.  She met Ryan and they shared hours in a room at The Bridge, a charming and personal bookstore in Franklin.

Ryan came to college leaving a girl back home. They weren’t engaged but everyone figured they would be together.  Ryan played guitar and dreamed of touring with a country band.  He and Molly became best friends and shared things they had never told anyone else, including their dreams.

They grew closer and closer. Molly wondered if she could face her father to tell him she had her own plans for her future. Ryan realized he had to tell the girl back home that he had other plans for his life. But just as Molly and Ryan seem to recognize a love for one another a phone call and lies pushes them apart and quickly builds an emotional wall.

Neither has married and now, seven years later, a crisis in the life of a friend, Charlie, the owner of The Bridge, brings Molly and Ryan face to face again.  Will they be able to communicate and understand what happened? Will they risk their hearts to be together instead of continue their solitary lives?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story.  This was one of those circumstances where there was a real ‘failure to communicate.’ I admit there were moments when I wanted to fuss at both of them to talk to each other when they began to second guess the other’s feelings and failed to be honest and open.

I liked the way Ms. Kingsbury allowed the backstory to unfold in memories. It was soft, warm and poignant. The characters come alive in their emotions and vulnerabilities. The story of Charlie and Donna’s love and life was a lovely side journey, although I wanted to give Charlie a talking to also.

The writing is smooth and direct. This read very quickly. I enjoyed how the story portrays that God is in control of our circumstances and things will turn out right and good when we allow Him to work things out instead of trying to do it ourselves.  There is also a message for being honest and open and for forgiveness.

This story doesn’t release until October but I hope you will put it on your Holiday wish list as it is well worth the read.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Donna’s thoughts on the impending loss of the bookstore:

Sometimes the only way to fight through a situation was to walk.
Give up one dream and take hold of another. Location 375.

Ryan’s ultimate realization:

In that single moment he knew with absolute certainty that he’d based the last seven years on nothing more than a lie.
A wicked, ruinous, heartless lie. Location 1451.

I received this pre-release eBook through NetGalley.

The main setting is Franklin, Tennessee for my Where Are You Reading Challenge.

Audible Book Review: One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury

This is a striking and engaging audio story.

One Tuesday Morning

• UNABRIDGED
• by Karen Kingsbury
• Narrated by Full Cast 

Genre: Inspirational Fiction
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Summary from Audible:
One Tuesday Morning
A devoted fireman and a driven businessman: strangers with the same face. Only one will leave the Twin Towers alive, but will he ever find his way home?

On the morning of September 11, 2001, two men meet in a smoky stairwell of the World Trade Center. One is Eric Michaels, a driven financial manager from Los Angeles who has been busy climbing the corporate ladder, often at the expense of his wife and young son. The other is Jake Bryan, a New York City fireman devoted to his wife and daughter. In the midst of the crisis, Eric falls on the stairs and Jake stops to help him up. The two men freeze momentarily, stunned by the uncanny resemblance between them.

Later, after the building has crumbled to the ground, Eric awakes beneath a fire truck. He is burned and bloody and most of his clothes have been blown off. A fire captain rushes to his side, thinking he recognizes his friend Jake. By the time Jake's wife arrives at the hospital, Eric's face is bandaged and his memory gone.

In the months that follow, Eric struggles to relate to a wife and daughter he doesn't remember, while on the opposite coast Eric's real wife grieves and finds comfort from Eric's brother, a single man who has always adored her. The emotional suspense builds as Eric begins to have disturbing dreams and flashbacks, and questions grow in Jake's wife's mind.

The only way for Eric to find his way is by following the love of a special woman, and the footsteps of a man who no longer exists.

Review: I liked the basis for this story and found it to be an engaging listen.
The first couple of hours of the story are spent developing the characters and this seemed to move slowly but it is important to set the personalities.  Eric is a man who fails to appreciate his family as he is only focused on his career and success. His wife is a Christian and it is only her faith that has kept her from taking their son, who feels as if he has no father, and walking away from her marriage.  Jake, on the other hand, is a devoted Godly man who cherishes his wife and daughter above all things. He prays for his wife, Jamie, to come to salvation and trust in God and feels that she is leaning toward that acceptance. These extreme differences play a big factor in the story after the 9/11 attack.

Once the story hits the terror attack on September 11 it becomes very active and intense.  Jake is steadfast with his coworkers climbing the stairs in the second tower even though they realize they may never walk out.  Eric finally leaves his boss and heads down the stairs.  He stumbles along the way and is helped up by Jake. In that encounter he sees the picture of Jake’s daughter, Sierra, in Jake’s helmet.  When Eric awakens in the hospital all he remembers is Sierra, nothing more.

The intensity of the action dies down in the final third of the book as Eric struggles to find himself in the position and life of Jake. There is great emotionally turmoil for Jamie and a tender friendship that develops between Eric, presumed to be Jake, and Jamie, as they try to piece together his past and their lives.  There is also turmoil for other wives who lost their spouses in the attack. There is hope and tenderness as the story resolves.

There were multiple readers and unfortunately the female narrator read with a lot of swallowing  and as though she was reading around a lozenge which can be distracting.  I recognized one of the male narrators who I really liked.

This is a powerful story that I think many people could appreciate.

Sheila at Book Journey was reading this also and we agreed to share our reviews. Thanks for sharing Sheila! She asked me these questions:

Q1. Initially the book had come into publication in May of 2003.... not two years after the real attacks.  Do you think that was too soon?  Do you feel this book could have been used as a healing mechanism for those who have painful memories or losses during the events of 9-1-1, or was it a painful reminder?
I thought that the portrayal of the crash from a “ground zero” view was quite powerful. I myself was not fully aware of the extent of the loss of life in the fire crews. I think this story might have been too raw for some in 2003 but for others there might be great healing in the faith messages.

Q2.  Did you find this story believable?
Ah- The families presented and the attack scenes are completely believable.
I did however have some issues on the issue of the mistaken identity.  I questioned that there was no wedding ring on Eric to distinguish him from Jake and no body mark, birth mark that was distinguishing. I could understand the Fire Chief jumping to the assumption this was Jake but I had a harder time with Jamie, his wife, accepting this. It was understandable initially because of the look-a- like aspects and the fact that she would want him to be alive. She did have a few doubts but managed to rationalize them away.  Also I questioned how they were managing for months without income while Jake/Eric did not return to work.

Q3.  Do you plan to continue the series with the second book/audio - Beyond Tuesday Morning?
I was not even aware that there was a second in the series. I enjoyed this book and would be interested to see how Jamie and Sierra move forward from grief to living again.

I asked this question - but did not get this Sheila in time for her post as I failed to catch her last two emails in time to realize we were posting today (August 4).
Did you feel that the faith based issues were blended easily in the story or did some feel forced (more preachy)?
I felt, even as a follower of Christ, that parts of the early story seemed to hit a little heavy on Bible which might turn off some potential readers.  Later in the book parts of the message of faith were naturally blended  from Jake’s journal and I really liked that. I also liked the salvation message although again I thought this might be too “preachy” for some readers/listeners.  In these circumstances I sometimes feel that a book like this might end up “preaching to the choir.”

Book Review and Giveaway: Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury

This is a winning inspirational story just perfect for football season- or any season for that matter. It also highlights the difficulties of the foster care systems.
Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310286786
• ASIN: B002SB8NRG

Genre: Christian Inspirational
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Description: Football season becomes a time of realization that life’s most important victories are won off the field. A star quarterback with much to learn, a younger player with much to give, and a woman with a heart for underprivileged kids - thrown together into a time of self-discovery and a new awareness of the things that matter most.

Review: This is a truly lovely story.
Cody is a 9 year old boy who is convinced that the San Francisco 49er Football star quarterback, Aaron, is his father. Megan serves as his foster mom and wants to adopt him, but she has to convince him first that there is no father to give consent.  Megan works three jobsyet still finds time to help with the foster children, counseling several and helping at Friday night pizza dinners.

Cody is excited about the Friday night event because the 49ers back-up quarterback, a well respected veteran player, Derrick, is giving his time to talk to the children and also awarding tickets to the games.  Although Cody would love to see a game he is especially excited because he is giving Derrick a special letter to take to Aaron.

Aaron is forced to go to one of the Friday night events as a PR clean-up. He really doesn’t want to be there until he spots Megan across the room.  Then he wants to find a way to meet her and be with her.  Megan is completely unimpressed by the arrogant man, especially when she knows he hasn’t read Cody’s letter.

Derrick is a strong Christian, trusting in God to give him a winning season to help keep a special promise.  Derrick, as a loving husband with a great family and a strong faith serves as a clear  contrast to Aaron’s playboy life style. The mature Derrick is with the team partially to help guide Aaron in learning to make the most of his leadership role. Derrick not only is willing to share his faith with Aaron but he does more than talk about it; he lives it.  Although football has been a great career for Derrick, he recognizes that the most important thing is how he lives his life “between Sundays.”

Aaron begins to see how shallow his own life is.  He doesn’t see how he can overcome his past so that he would be deserving of a beautiful girl like Megan. Megan is convinced Aaron isn’t really interested in her and, besides, they are from two different life styles and could never fit together. What about Cody? Why won’t he stop insisting that Aaron is his father?

The message of salvation is presented clearly without being overly preachy. How Aaron comes to terms with his past sins and faces the future is nicely done. The author is able to convey from the actions of the characters the difference that faith makes in our attitudes and our lives and how that difference can be seen by others around us.

This story moves quickly. It is uplifting and refreshing but best of all it gives a good reminder that, although worshiping on Sunday with fellow believers is good, it is most important how we live or daily lives between Sundays.

I got a very good price purchasing this book (hardback) for our Ladie's bookclub. I ended up with two extra books so I am pleased to give them away to interested readers!

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
1. Visit the author's website and tell me something you learned there. One Entry.
Please leave your e-mail!

2.  Tell me if you do some service in your community to help others.  Three Entries.

3. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

4. For two extra entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

(Seven total entries possible.)
It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.

* This contest is open US and Canada only.
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* This contest will close 10:00 PM (Central) on October 29, 2010. The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.  TWO WINNERS!