Friday, January 9, 2009

The Other Daughter, by Miralee Ferrell (Kregel Publications)

(click cover for more information)
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I may very possibly lose my "guy card" with this review, but, hey, if a book captures you, it captures you.
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The Other Daughter is the first novel in Ms. Ferrell's "Coming Home" series, and it's a solid debut. She takes on a variety of tough issues--fornication, an illegitimate child, abuse, abandonment, alcohol, and more--and handles them directly and honestly, but with compassion. The above description may sound like it makes for rather dark reading. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
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Suzanne Carson's birthday preparations are interrupted by a simple knock at the door. That knock is the last simple thing that happens to the Carson family for the next several months of their lives. For standing on the doorstep is bedraggled thirteen year-old Brianna, who claims that Suzanne's husband, David, is her father. Needless to say, this presents Suzanne with something of a problem.
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David is a Christian. Suzanne is not. David had promised her that he entered their marriage bed pure. Suzanne was the only one who actually did. Both Suzanne and David are forced to deal with the consequences of his indiscretion in their own ways. But, as so often happens, the one who ends up hurt the most is the one who is most innocent--Brianna.
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Ms. Ferrell writes from the heart to touch the heart. What she delivers is a very intricate, multidimensional story that covers the spectrum of emotions from shock and disbelief, through anger and distrust, but finally to faith and redemption. And she does it very well.
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With the exception of a couple minor scene disconnects, which really don't mar the storyline itself, The Other Daughter is skillfully knit together, a product of enduring quality. If you like your heartstrings tugged, this is a book for you.
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Okay, so why the "guy card" thing? Well, I confess to being intrigued by the synopsis of The Other Daughter on Ms. Ferrell's Web site; however, this is not your archetypal men's book. Case in point: There are six very nice author endorsements on the first page--all by women. A quick scan of the thirty reader reviews so far on Amazon.com (this will be the thirty-first) revealed only two or three that were clearly identifiable as being from men. But, you know, that's okay. Really. I'm not intimidated.
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You'll have to excuse me now. I've got cookies in the oven.

14 comments:

Miralee Ferrell said...

Truly, Bruce, I do apologize for marring your Man image, LOL! But hey, my pastor and several men at our church have read it, so you're in great company.

Thanks for the awesome review. I love it when a guy stumbles across my book and (even though hesitantly) ventures to take a nibble, then ends up finishing the last bite.

I'll be interested to see what you think of the sequel releasing in Sept., and the Old West flavor historical releasing Feb. 1st.

Blessings on you and your family....and hey, let me know what your wife thinks as well!

Miralee Ferrell
www.miraleeferrell.com

Bruce Judisch said...

Miralee,

Thanks for stopping by and commenting! It was a great read and I enjoyed it. And I know at least a couple folks who follow my blog who would enjoy it, as well.

Yup, my "guy card" has its share of wear and tear, so it didn't really even notice what I was reading. Besides, I burned the cookies, so at least a fraction of my 'guyhood' was restored. :-)

Cheers! Bruce

Anonymous said...

Ha ha :) Got to have respect for a man who is willing to go out of his comfort zone.

Thanks for the review, I will most definitely be picking this one up some time in the near future.

Sorry to hear about the cookies. :)

Bruce Judisch said...

Jennifer,

I thought of you when writing this review, actually. This is a book I really think a tender heart such as yours would get into.

Oh, and broccoli-chip cookies were just an experiement anyway. I'm not sure how they'd have worked out, if they'd survived. :-) :-)

Anonymous said...

Ha ha :) Broccoli-chip cookies?! Oh, Mr. Bruce, you just ruined it!! Did this recipe come from the Deceptively Delicious Cookbook or a recipe of your own?

Miralee Ferrell said...

Jennifer, thank you for the nice comment about my book! I don't know Bruce personally, but he was very gracious and bought my book and offered to do a review. So, he's getting a copy of my next book that will probably be up his alley a bit more...one set in the Old West...it's a historical romance, but has a touch of suspense and even a fight a couple of shootings, so that might help him regain his manly standing, LOL!

And in case you're interested (I've never offered this to a stranger before) if you want to buy a copy from me at the lower CBD price online, plus shipping, I'll autograph it for you and send. Or you can grab one at your local book store or Amazon, etc. Just a thought in case you're into autographed copies. M

Miralee Ferrell

Bruce Judisch said...

Jennifer,

Yup, and a batch of chicken-ripple ice cream is next on the list. (I wonder what temperature you'd bake that at...well, never mind. I'll figure it out.) :-)

Miralee,

I look forward to the next volume, and thanks for the kind offer to Jennifer, too.

Cheers! Bruce

Anonymous said...

Hi Miralee,

I would love an autographed copy!! Thank you very much for the offer, that is very generous of you! How would I go about paying you for the book and giving you my address?

I have known Mr. Bruce since I was a teenager...about 12 years now. My, has it really been that long, Mr. Bruce?! Anyway, Mr. Bruce was my Sunday School teacher. :) All I can say about his manly image being marred is it would be by this world's eyes, not by our Heavenly Father's eyes, that's for sure. Mr. Bruce has a big heart for Christ and loves sharing his knowledge of his love as well. I respect Mr. Bruce's opinion and insight greatly, and I learn a lot from him, even through the miles. :) But I'm quite sure Mr. Bruce will regain his manly standing with your next book. :) Ha ha

Mr. Bruce, thank you for allowing us to speak through your blog. :) As for your new cookies, I honestly don't know what temp you would cook chicken-ripple ice cream cookies at. I've never understand how cakes with ice cream in them are made, but they sure are delicious!!

I hope both of you have a wonderful day.

In Christ,
Jennifer ><>

Bruce Judisch said...

Jennifer,

But you're a girl. You're supposed to know all about baking cookies 'n stuff...

(Boy, I'm gonna get some hate mail on that one!)

Cheers! Bruce

Miralee Ferrell said...

Hi Jennifer, it's nice to meet you and thank you for the wonderful recommendation for "Mr. Bruce"...it sounds like he's been a wonderful influence in your life.

Just drop me a note at my email address, miralee at gmail dot com with your address. You can let me know if you prefer to send a check or use paypal and I'll give you the info you need in a return email.

Blessings! Miralee

Miralee Ferrell said...

Jennifer...could you get in touch with me again? Somehow your email disappeared and I don't know how to contact you about your book.

Miralee

Anonymous said...

I finished this book last night. This one ran all the emotions possible! "I laughed, I cried, it moved me, Bob!" (Larry the Cucumber, VeggieTales) LOL :) I did, I laughed, cried, got upset with how things weren't going the right way.

This is a great book on looking at how the Lord taking any circumstance and uses it for good. A great example of gentle wintessing, forgiveness and unconditional love.

Thanks for the recommendation! I truly enjoyed this one. :)

Bruce Judisch said...

Bless your heart, Jennifer! :-) It was good, wasn't it?

Thanks for commenting, as always.

Cheers! Bruce

Miralee Ferrell said...

Hi Jennifer and Bruce, I so appreciate your kind comments and am thrilled that you (Jennifer)just finished and enjoyed my book. The sequel, Finding Jeena, was supposed to release next Jan., but has been delayed until April, but it IS coming out....finally. Jennifer...if you have time, I'd love it if you'd rate it and do a short review...just what you posted here is great, on Amazon and/or CBD. Blessings on you both! Miralee