My review of Healing Stones by Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn
Posted by:
Michelle Sutton on
February 13, 2008 at
11:48PM EST
ABOUT THE BOOK
With one flash of a camera, Demi's private life becomes public news. She doesn't know it yet, but her healing has just begun.
Christian college professor Demitria Costanas had vowed to end her
affair with a colleague. But she gives into temptation one last
time...and a lurking photographer captures her weakness for all to see.
Quite literally, she's the woman caught in adultery. And almost
everyone--herself included--has a stone to throw.
Enter Sullivan Crisp, a decidedly unorthodox psychologist with his own
baggage. He's well-known for his quirky sense of humor and
incorporation of "game show" theology into his counseling sessions. And
yet there's something more he offers...hope for a fresh start.
Reluctantly the two of them begin an uplifting, uneven journey filled
with healing and grace. By turns funny and touching, this story
explores the ways humans hurt each other and deceive themselves. And it
shows the endlessly creative means God uses to turn stones of
accusation and shame into works of beauty that lead us onto the path of
healing.
An auspicious debut for a candid yet tender series about pain, healing, and God's invitation for second chances.
My review:
I'd never heard of this book before it landed in my mailbox, but I've
loved every book I've read that was written by Nancy Rue because she
usually writes pretty edgy stuff. I started reading this novel for the
blog tour and I was not disappointed. I literally couldn't put it down.
It captivated me from the first page! I stayed up late at night reading
it and took it with me to read every chance I got. The characters were
rich and the emotions were real. The story within the story, about the
therapist Dr. Sullivan Crisp, was impressively heartbreaking and
emotionally moving. I was totally caught up in the emotion and the
trauma in the characters' lives. I cried several times. And the ending
was so powerful it left me speechless.
The authors did a fantastic job at torturing their characters, but
better than that, they did an incredible job of showing you the healing
that took place in their lives. That is not easy to do, not like
creating the pain is, anyway. You--the reader--see the benefits of not
running from the pain and of learning to understand yourself and your
own heart so you can truly be vulnerable and love others. Forgiveness
is a strong theme in this book. So is spiritual pharisee-ism and
judgmental attitudes and the pain they cause. I gained so much insight
into my own life through the spiritual struggles of the characters that
I can't recommend this novel highly enough. I loved it!
Healing Stones was published by Thomas Nelson and was released January 1, 2008.
