Title: Wings of Glass
Publication Date: 2013
Number of Pages: 400
Geographical Setting: somewhere in the country
Time Period: modern day
Subject Headings:female friendship, abused wives, Christian fiction
Appeal: engaged, honest, brutal
To say I loathed this book is a gross understatement. I despise domestic abuse stories. That being said I enjoyed the author's writing style and imagery, I just hated her story.
Penny ran away from her folks at age 17 in order to elope with her abusive lover. It's been 10 years of hell, but now that her husband has tragically lost her eyesight and she is with child, she hopes that it wil turn him into a better man. Her new friends however are doubtful, they want Penny to get away before Trent crosses the line and hurts her AND the baby. What is she supposed to do? She loves Trent and thinks that him abusing her is part of his duty as head of household. Will she ever be able to find God's strength and run away?
Now instead of giving this review only one star I chose to give it three because there are some redeeming qualities.
1. The characters are well developed and you feel as if they are people you could easily run into in real life.
2. The writing style is very descriptive, but doesn't bog you down, I read this book in a record 2 1/2 hours.
3. The author did her research well, even though I despise domestic abuse stories, the author really got into the mentality of the abused and makes it easy for you to empathize with the victim.
Now, why I hated this soo much. For the life of me I cannot understand or relate with the excuses that battered women make. I'm not trying to sound judgemental and I know I've never had to experience what they're going through, but I just can't undestand. Penny makes excuse after excuse for her husband. She even defends him when he drunkenly pushes her friend down the stairs who was carrying her newborn child!! A man pushes a woman carrying an infant and you try to tell the police it was an accident and that your husband didn't mean to do it!? Worst friend ever. Penny's friends keep trying to help her but she's in denial. Her husband beats her, degrades her, cheats on her, and verbally abuses her and she thinks it's ok! Like all the time!! I know this happens in real life but I can't understand it. As one of her friends, Callie Mae, says "The first time a man hit me would be the last time."
If you're into domestic abuse, rising above challenges, or living in denial, then thsi is the book for you.
I received this book for free from Waterbrook Press in return for my honest unbiased opinion.
Similar Works:
Fiction:
Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
What You Wish For by Fern Michaels
Non-Fiction:
More Bitter Than Death by Camilla Grebe
Erin, thanks for the positives. It's hard to understand the mindset of a victim unless you've been one. Growing up I saw my mother and 2 sisters enter abusive relationships and thought that would never be me . . . until it was. I think most people who enter abusive relationships have been conditioned from childhood to accept the unacceptable. I hope it opens the eyes of some who feel trapped and help them realize the metal bars aren't really there at all. Thanks for the review. Love your blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response! You found this review fast!! I'm sorry I wrote a scathing review of your book, it's a subject I just can't wrap my head around and I know that makes me bad, I can empathize with just about anything else. I have a friend that works at St. Jude and have had a few relatives that were in abusive relationships but for the life of me I don't know why all those women don't shoot those *beeps* in the face. Anyway, thank you for reading my review even though it wasn't the nicest. I look forward to checking out your other works, I really do like your writing style! Thanks again - Erin
ReplyDeleteGoogle alert, ha! No, it wasn't scathing. You said plenty of nice things. You're right, it's a tough subject. I was hoping the book might help others understand the mindset a little better. It probably shows just how emotionally healthy you are!
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