Annette Smith Reviews

Added April 2, 2007

A Bigger Life

Author: Annette Smith
Publisher: Navpress
Available At: Bookstores everywhere
Publishing Date: January 2007
Genre: Fiction: Christian
Format: Trade Paper
Price: $12.99
ISBN-10: 1-5768-3995-8
ISBN-13:
Author Email/Website: annettesmithbooks.com/
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

A Bigger Life offers readers a larger perspective on living. Annette Smith has crafted a novel that is rich in emotional appeal, as it highlights an authentic application of Christianity in our modern world.

Joel Carpenter made a bad decision that led to his divorce. Now, as he struggles to start a new life, his past challenges him to make the ultimate commitment to love and forgiveness.

Written from Joel's point of view, these pages tremble with the tensions and troubles of a man juggling a career while sharing custody of his small son. This female author has realistically captured the emotional upheaval of divorce from a male perspective. As readers are led into Joel's life, through flashbacks, memories and insightful dialogue, his indiscretion and insecurities provide motivation for his lifestyle. Shunning Christian comfort, he tries to make a clean start without freeing himself from the feelings that bind him. Yet, a surprising twist of events brings the true meaning of love back into focus.

The contemporary nature of this novel allows the author to explore complex relationship issues. Infidelity, divorce and the resulting breakup of the family are shown with sensitivity and realism. Joel's life mirrors that of many men who seek peace and a place to begin over. It's here that the genuine healing power of Christianity is brought into the story, in a subtle, but powerful way. The spiritual insights, as seen through Joel's eyes, are developed slowly and significantly.

Readers will need tissues for the latter half of the book, but those tears will be a poignant reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made in the name of love.

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