Redeeming Love | 
 enlarge | Author: Francine Rivers
Publisher: Multnomah Books
Category: Book
List Price: $19.99
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Rating:  543 reviews
Sales Rank: 8480
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 480
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.5
ISBN: 1601420617
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781601420619
ASIN: 1601420617
Publication Date: October 16, 2007
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Amazon.com
In this splendid retelling of the biblical story of Hosea, bestselling author Francine Rivers pens a heartbreaking romance between a prostitute and the upright and kind farmer who marries her; the story also functions as a reminder of God's unconditional love for his people. Redeeming Love opens with the Gold Rush of 1850 and its rough-and-tumble atmosphere of greed and desire. Angel, who was sold into prostitution as a child, has learned to distrust all men, who see her only as a way to satisfy their lust. When the virtuous and spiritual-minded Michael Hosea is told by God to marry this "soiled dove," he obeys, despite his misgivings. As Angel learns to love him, she begins to hope again but is soon overwhelmed by fear and returns to her old life. Rivers shines in her ability to weave together spiritual themes and sexual tension in a well-told story, a talent that has propelled her into the spotlight as one of the most popular novelists in the genre of Christian fiction. This is one of her best. --Cindy Crosby
Product Description
Can God’s Love Save Anyone?
Best-selling author Francine Rivers skillfully retells the biblical love story of Gomer and Hosea in a tale set against the exciting backdrop of the California Gold Rush. The heroine, Angel, is a young woman who was sold into prostitution as a child. Michael Hosea is a godly man sent into Angel’s life to draw her into the Savior’s redeeming love. This remarkable novel has sold over a million copies globally and has been a fixture on the CBA bestsellers list for nearly a decade. A six-part reading guide, suitable for individual use or group discussion, is included in this best-selling novel.
Story Behind the Book
“Writing Redeeming Love was a form of worship for me. Through it, I was able to thank God for loving me even when I was defiant, rebellious, contemptuous of what I thought being a Christian meant, and afraid to give my heart away. I had wanted to be my own god and have control of my life the way Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Now I know to be loved by Christ is the ultimate joy and fulfillment. Everything in Redeeming Love was a gift from the Lord: plot, characters, theme. None of it is mine to claim.”
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| Customer Reviews: Read 538 more reviews...
 Preachy, poorly written, and utterly predictable. August 27, 2008
I think it's important that I preface this by saying that I am not a Christian (which had a definite effect on my opinion of this book, if only because I was able to look past the intended "inspirational message" and appraise it as a novel.) This book was recommended to me by multiple (devoutly religious) relatives on the grounds that I would like the love story and that they had cried over it.
First of all, "Redeeming Love" is poorly written to the extreme. It's full of choppy sentences and far too many melodramatic sentence fragments. All of the characters, and especially Michael and Angel, are incredibly dull: Angel is your stereotypical, self-loathing prostitute, while Michael marries her because a very articulate and surprisingly talkative God tells him to, displays no depth to speak of, and seems completely unable to think for himself. The plot is excessively repetitive and annoyingly redundant, and none of the "twists" were even mildly surprising.
Secondly, the book was a poorly disguised vehicle for marketing Christianity, which in my opinion degrades both the book and the religion. Some of the reviewers claim to have been moved by Angel's spiritual journey; personally, I felt Rivers relied on the faith of her target audience and the tragedy (or horror, if you prefer) of some of the concepts in the book- such as children sold into prostitution- as opposed to her strength as a writer or the relatability of the characters to produce that effect.
Many of the reviewers complained about the "graphic" sexual content in the book. I have no idea what they're talking about- the book I read was not graphic, and all the sex was either vaguely referenced or simply just implied. Much of it was in the context of marriage: I don't understand how the idea of a married couple having sex can be considered shocking.
I cannot believe that this book received over five hundred five-star reviews. It is not worth your time, it is not worth your money, and honestly, it is not worth the effort of five hundred people to type up a few mindlessly praising words on Amazon.com.
BOOK CHANGED ME FOREVER!!! August 22, 2008
I am not an avid reader but found out about this book through a friend that told me how it changed her life. I was skeptical but still very curious so I bought the book. I finished it in three days. WOW. All I can say is that for the first time in my life I began to hear the Lord speak to me through this book! I could literally feel the presence of God's love all around me as I read this book. "Redeeming Love" has caused me to fall in love with my Savior all over again! It is a new and fresh love that I now have in my heart for Him! If you feel like you have fallen away from Him and miss His love and presence then you HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!!! I promise, it will re-ignite your love for Him. He has always been there waiting on you to fall in love with Him again. HE NEVER STOPS LOVING US! It is US who falls away from Him! This book will prove that to you!
Amazing!!!!! August 16, 2008
To give you an idea of how this book affected me, I have been an Amazon user for years and this is the first review I have ever left.
I actually bought this book somewhere else and only bought by it accident. I was really after another book that had no Christian leanings. I found this book by accident and hoped I would have a good weekend read. I started at about 9 or 10 pm Friday night and didn't stop until 5:30 am Saturday morning. After reading this I read some in my Bible to cofirm some of what the book talked about and I cried for I think a good hour or so after I read the book.
This book shows a beautiful example of God's love for us.
This is suprisingly the best book I read have on accident in my life. I have never read anyting by this author, but I will definately check out her other work.
Note: The NIV refernces are ok, but to get the beauty of the verses quoted check out the KJV of the Bible.
This book changed my life....forever August 14, 2008
I cannot explain the impact that this book has had on my life. I was lent this book and after telling a friend 'I'm really not that into Chritian fiction' read the first page and kept reading the entire night. I am now reading it for the second time and ordered my own copy. I think this should be required reading for anyone who has ever fallen in love. Francine Rivers' classic retelling of the book of Hosea is beautifully written, she presents God's love for his people in a way that leaves no doubt that there is nothing we can do to make our Father love us less.
The character of Michael Hosea is absolutely mesmerizing. The love trust he has in the Lord as well as his commitment to his very worldy wife, Angel (Sarah) is inspirational. Although she has had a tumultuous and very difficult life, Michael listens to the Lord that this is the wife He has chosen for him, refuses to give up on her, and trusts the Lord in all things in their relationship.
After reading this book, I have decided to walk with the Lord in a much closer way. I think that it would be impossible for any woman to read this book and not wish that her own husband/boyfriend etc. (no matter how wonderful he may be) was a little more like Michael! This book serves as a model of what a relationship and life based on the Lord should look like. If you read one book this year, please let it be this one! You will NOT be sorry!
 Cheesy Romance Strikes Again August 6, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Time is short, so I try to read books that will improve my thinking (i.e. the classics I missed out on earlier in life). Books such as "The Tale of Two Cities" and "Emma," among others, are usually first on my list. My sister was reading this novel and said it was wonderful, so I thought I would read it with her.
After a few pages and great expectation, I could see clearly where this book was going: the same old romance format using a Christian wrapping. (WARNING - I am going to give away the ending in the following paragraphs, but I'll bet you can guess it anyway!)
First, the style of writing is lacking depth in every sense of the word. Where are the wonderfully intriguing character studies that I so love in Jane Austin's books? Where are the complicated sentence structures? It was very, well, predictable.
She is bad, he is good; she is still bad, he is still good; she finally repents, he finally wins her heart. I know God is mixed in, but really, He doesn't talk to us like that. We are to search Scripture to find the answers, not hear them in our heads, and especially not in bold print in a romance novel.
I got through one half of this book and couldn't stand it any longer. The dialogue was extremely weak, boring me to tears (a different kind of tears than other reviewers seemed to have shed). I had to skip to the end to verify what I already knew would happen. He got the girl, they lived happily ever after, ta-da.
A more realistic ending would have been that Michael got syphilis from his lovely wife and became disillusioned at the least, at the worst, he would have died. A book with a memorable ending that comes to mind is Edith Wharton's House of Mirth. I didn't necessarily *like* the outcome, BUT it had a powerful impact. It was REAL.
Get this from the library if you must; just don't spend money on it. Well, actually, don't even spend time on it if you have better reads waiting on your shelf.
As for those who have said that this is the best book they have ever read - there is a world of romance out there, but it can be clothed in beautiful layers of rich silk and embroidery, not only in plain sackcloth.
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