shelfreflectionofficial's Reviews (844)

I think my main reason for a 3 star rating instead of a 4 was that I went into this book thinking it was going to be about something else. For some reason I thought it was about how to give nonbelievers grace instead of acting from a framework of demanding justice. Nope- this was about social justice. Which is still a great topic to share and encourage in, it just wasn't what I was hoping to get out of the book.

That being said, Keller is always a good writer and backs up everything he says with Scripture. It did feel repetitive at times and some of the things he said felt idealistic instead of realistic solutions.

This topic has a tendency to become a topic of political division, but I liked how he addressed the fault in both the conservative and liberal stance on social justice. Conservatives blame the breakdown of families and the liberals blame racial prejudice and inequities. Keller points out that the Biblical reality is actually a balance of both, which is an important distinction to make of a politically polarizing issue.

The other thing Keller discusses which I think is vitally important to understanding and communicating about social justice is that 'justice' and 'freedom' do not mean the same thing to all people. In addition, people's definition of these words, whether they admit it or not, stem from their deeply rooted views and beliefs of right and wrong, human nature, and happiness which essentially boils down to faith. People want to keep 'religion' out of the social injustice discussion but there's really no way to do that and get to the root of the dissension and the heart of the matter- justice is rooted in the character and being of God himself.

I'm still processing some of the ideas he had about situations in which people are consistently given financial aid or money that they habitually use for unnecessary things. I guess it's a good challenge to me to think about God's unconditional grace- that he has habitually been faithful to me even when I didn't deserve it- but at the same time I struggle with how that translates to the tangible things of functioning in society.

Anyway- good book overall, definitely worth a read.

It was an interesting read. I hadn't heard of this trial at all so it was new to me. But I didn't like that we knew who the killers were from the beginning. I guess since it's a true story there is no need for the mystery but it took away from the intrigue a bit for me. The end also got a little tedious with all the extra information regarding other inmates and happenings around the area that did not pertain to the case. By that time I was just ready to be done reading it. Not a bad read, just not a page-turner as I was expecting it to be.

**I WON THIS BOOK IN A GOODREADS GIVEAWAY**

I have read Tess Gerritsen before and really like her books. This one was no different. There was a lot of suspense all throughout and was a fast read. I will say that this book had some gruesome imagery and may not be a good book to read while you're eating lunch! I liked how it went back and forth between past/present and from 3rd person/1st person. It added another dimension to the book. The content that took place on the African safari was really interesting- although I can't say it has inspired me to do a safari any time soon...

Overall a great and suspenseful story worth reading.

This is one of my favorite movies. Most of the time I like the books better than the movies, however this is a case where I am able to still love the book and the movie both even though there are differences. The heart of the story is the same. I love the story because I love the relationship that Gerry and Holly had and because I can relate to how Holly handles the loss, I feel like I would be the same way. Other reviewers don't like her character and think she is just whiny and selfish and needs to get on with her life and doesn't like her friends moving on without her. And I think those reviewers have never actually experienced any loss. I think the book portrays a very realistic reaction to losing who was supposed to be your lifelong partner and best friend. Your spouse is so much a part of you that it's hard to move on when you're missing a piece of yourself. Besides, I don't think the author even portrayed her as whiny or selfish. Holly does still care about her friends' lives and tries to deal with the pain by holding it in, not taking it out on them.

I do agree with another reviewer though, that I would have liked more substance to Gerry's letters. I would have liked to see more of their interactions and his words to her to help her move on.

I love this book and I love the movie. A beautiful story of love, even after death. Full disclosure: even with a message of hope, it will still leave you sad when you are done.