"Hunters in the Dark," by Lawrence Osborne, was completely unexpected from start to finish. Nothing about it was predictable. What I thought was going to be a tale of someone running for his life turned out to be someone running from his life. Robert, an Englishman, visits Cambodia while on holiday from his job as a teacher and, following a few 'lucky' turn of events, decides he doesn't want to go back. The life of living day-to-day, never knowing what tomorrow will bring or when you will run out of money, calls to Robert in a way that nothing he has encountered ever has. The book was unpredictable because just as I thought I knew how the rest of the story was going to play out - a new character or scenario was added and my thoughts were derailed.
Lawrence Osborne has a way of writing that is so beautiful and descriptive, without being too detailed. He gives the reader only the necessary information for their imaginations to take flight and fill in the rest of the scenery. The story itself though is a little slow and at some points, boring. The first 40 pages of the book could probably be condensed into 10. There wasn't a lot there to hold a readers attention. This happened a few other times throughout the book as well. To the authors credit, I believe he was trying to convey what life would really be like as a drifter and that lifestyle would undoubtedly come with unexciting slow times. However, as a reader, I don't necessarily want to read three pages straight about the different restaurants that Robert ate at and what he had to eat at each place.
Other than that, "Hunters in the Dark" was beautifully written and it has a very unique story. Robert is a character that has the guts (or the stupidity) that we all wished we possessed at times to be able to do something drastic with our lives. I didn't absolutely love this book, but I didn't hate it either. I probably will not be reading it again though, so 3 out of 5 stars. There are references to sex (nothing graphic) and a handful of F-words throughout the text. So if you are looking for something completely clean, then skip over this book. I don't think anyone who hasn't lived on their own, or had to pay their own bills, will be able to relate to Robert, so I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone younger than at least college age. I received my copy of "Hunters in the Dark" from Blogging for Books for this review. You can get your hands on a copy by clicking here. Check it out and let me know what you think!
"In the Valley of the Mountains", by Anita Stansfield, is the last book to the "Shadows of Brierley Series." The first three books are about Ian and Wren and their journey, but this last book is focused on their oldest daughter, Gillian. Gillian's family has a nice home in Salt Lake City and she is trying her hardest to help out her parents in any way that she can, but even in a house full of people she feels lonely. Most of her friends are married and starting their own families and she longs for the day when she will have that. She goes from simply dreaming about it to suddenly being forced to choose between two amiable suitors overnight. Her head is telling her one choice, but her heart is leading her down a different path.
This book is my personal favorite of the series. Gillian's character is so full of life. She can be hard-headed one second, then blown away with her feelings the next. She has to choose between two very good choices and she doesn't come to a decision easily. There is laughter, heartache, and tears to be experienced with her story. You don't have to read the first three books to start this one, but I would recommend it. That way you won't miss out on some of the subtle references to events that occurred in the previous books. 5 out of 5 stars! This book is clean, witty, and a fairly easy read. I would recommend it to readers of all ages. Check it out and let me know what you think!
I love when my mom recommends books to me! She has such a talent for finding good books, especially series, and she always shares her books with me when she is done. Thanks Mom! :) One of the more recent series that she shared with me is the "Shadows of Brierley" series by Anita Stansfield. There are four books in the series, but the last book (which is my favorite) is told from a different person's perspective. So, I am going to talk about the first three books in this post, then I'll go over the last book in my next post.
"The Wanderer" is the first book and starts off in 1838, with Ian Macbrier trying to find himself. He is wandering about through London, drinking his days away and spending most nights in an alley, when he stumbles upon two men preaching about a book. He is directed by something other than his own will to buy a copy of the book and this starts him on the path back home. He doesn't actually read the book, and ends up throwing it in the bottom of his closet, but it comes in to play later in the story. Ian makes his way back home and tries to win back the heart of the woman he left. There are a lot of trials that both of their families have to go through, but love and family keep them strong. The same force that told Ian to buy the Book of Mormon also inspires him to go to America.
Which leads to the next book, "A Far Horizon." Ian has decided to take his family to America to search out the religion associated with the Book of Mormon. Their journey to New York leads to new life long friendships as well as incomprehensible heartache. The sorrow that they endure is outweighed by the blessings they receive, but nothing comes easy. It is a long and hard journey, but eventually they make it to Nauvoo.
The third book, "A Distant Shore," picks up in Nauvoo with Ian and his family making a home for themselves and settling in with the other Mormons. Then quite unexpectedly, Ian and his best friend Ward, get called to go back to England to serve a mission. Both have a wife and children and neither one of them knows what to do. They know that this is a calling from God, but how can they leave their families not knowing when they would return? The blessings that come from their willingness to serve are beautiful and Anita Stansfield does a wonderful job of weaving spiritual experiences into the story.
Truth be told, I don't usually like to read fictional books with characters who find the gospel. In fact I almost put this book down once I realized that's where it was going. I'm glad that I didn't. Anita Stansfield writes a beautiful story that has so much raw emotion in it. The characters feel real and the story will speak to your heart. These books will definitely give you a greater appreciation for what the early members of the church went through. You will be laughing on one page, then crying on the next and you won't be able to put it down. 5 out of 5 stars. These books are appropriate for young adults and up, so check them out and then let me know what you think!
Lawrence Osborne has a way of writing that is so beautiful and descriptive, without being too detailed. He gives the reader only the necessary information for their imaginations to take flight and fill in the rest of the scenery. The story itself though is a little slow and at some points, boring. The first 40 pages of the book could probably be condensed into 10. There wasn't a lot there to hold a readers attention. This happened a few other times throughout the book as well. To the authors credit, I believe he was trying to convey what life would really be like as a drifter and that lifestyle would undoubtedly come with unexciting slow times. However, as a reader, I don't necessarily want to read three pages straight about the different restaurants that Robert ate at and what he had to eat at each place. 