 |
The Book of Jane
By Anne Dayton / Random House, Inc |
*******************
Kelly’s Review:
The Book of Jane is a modern-day take on the Biblical story of Job. Jane Williams, a New Yorker who seems to “have it all”, is the central character. Jane has a job she loves, a boyfriend she adores, a great apartment and more. Everything in her world is just perfect and she is thankful for all the blessings in her life. The tables start to turn and Jane is met with one disaster in her life after another. Whatever can go wrong for her does. Jane knows that she has to continue to rely on God and believe in His graciousness, even in the darkest of times. But, will she?!
I don’t mean to leave a cliffhanger in the book description above, but I just don’t want to give away anything in the plot. The way Jane’s trials and reactions are written in this book are very believable. Jane’s trials have a domino effect – first one, then another, then ANOTHER and so forth. Her reaction to those trials is not oversimplified which I appreciated. The book is written in a way that illustrates that Christians suffer too. Too often I think that some novels are guilty of “cleaning up” Christianity and making it seem as though all it takes is a prayer heavenward to set things straight. That’s simply not the case as we all know. I found it encouraging to read a novel in which the character had so many trials and faced them with God’s guidance, but also with her own human emotions showing.
This was a great read. It was what some would call “chick lit”, I’m sure, but definitely chick lit of great quality. The read, for me, was enjoyable and inspirational. I will be sure to read more books by these authors in the future.