Karen Kingsbury
Reunion (2004)
Author: Karen Kingsbury with Gary Smalley
Genre: Literary (Christian)
Plot Summary:
Fifty-four year old Elizabeth Baxter, a devout evangelical Christian, has terminal cancer. While her husband, John, and their five adult children (several of whom are featured in earlier books in the Redemption Series) pray for a miracle, Elizabeth wants to tie up the loose ends in her life so she can feel at peace with God’s plan for her. Elizabeth and John, an exceptionally close and loving couple, share a secret--before they were married, they conceived a son that they gave up for adoption. As her cancer advances, Elizabeth prays for two things: to see her firstborn (now age thirty-five) and to live to attend the family reunion planned for the marriage of her daughter, Ashley. Various subplots deal with problems faced by family members and serve to illustrate how modern Christians use prayer to guide their lives. SPOILER: A series of coincidences (or was it God answering Elizabeth’s prayers?) brings Dayne Matthews, her long-lost son, to Elizabeth’s hospital bedside for an eleventh hour reconciliation. (The future of Dayne, a non-believer ripe for salvation, unfolds in Kingsbury’s Firstborn Series.)
Geographical Setting: Bloomington, Indiana (highly fictionalized)
Time Period: Present day (2004)
Series: The Redemption Series, Fifth (and final) book
Appeal Characteristics:
The use of contemporary settings and explications of current-day social issues (drug and alcohol abuse, AIDS, casual sex, and out-of-wedlock pregnancy) viewed in light of evangelical Christian beliefs make Kingsbury a very popular author. Unlike the earlier books in the Redemption Series, Reunion focuses less on romantic conflicts and more on familial relationships. Good use of flashbacks and dialog-driven summaries provide ample back-story for the reader who is new to the series. Those who are not put off by the author’s overt evangelicism may find Kingsbury’s characters familiar and accessible, making it easy to care about them and become emotionally involved in their lives. Both plot and characterization are of equal importance to the story which moves along at a brisk pace. While Reunion packs an emotional punch, its over-all tone is positive and hopeful. An epilog by well-known Christian non-fiction author Gary Smalley, founder of the Smalley Relationship Center, and a series of discussion questions make this book useful for Christian book clubs and study groups.
Read-alikes: Fans of emotionally-charged Christian fiction featuring contemporary issues will enjoy Spring Rain, the first book in Gayle Roper’s Seaside Season Series, which features a single mother raising her son with the help of a relative who is suffering from AIDS. Francine River’s The Atonement Child deals with a Christian family's reaction to their teenage daughter's out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Those who appreciated Elizabeth’s spiritual growth during her struggle with cancer will find a similar story in Season of Blessing, the fourth book in the Seasons Series by Beverly LaHaye and Terri Blackstock. For Christian fiction portraying the rekindling of romance in a mature (but troubled) marriage, try A Time to Dance also by Karen Kingsbury or Nicholas Sparks’s The Notebook, which, although not evangelical in its approach, emphasizes faith, family, and Christian values in a romantic story-within-a-story told by a man to his aging wife.
Red Flags: Evangelical Christian viewpoint; premarital sex, out-of-wedlock pregnancy, AIDS, promiscuity, drug and alcohol abuse (although none are graphically portrayed); some violence
This Side of Heaven (2009)
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Genre: Literary (Christian/Evangelical)
Plot Summary:
Karen Kingsbury's This Side of Heaven is a touching family drama written from an Evangelical Christian perspective. Josh Warren has disappointed himself and the people that love him in many ways. He lost faith in God, dropped out of college to become a tow truck driver, and had a one night stand with a married woman, Maria. Josh thought he would never see Maria again, but then she sends him a picture of her little girl, asking for money. Josh is sure the child is his, but his family refuses to believe him. Maria realizes Josh isn't worth much and severs ties with him. When Josh is hit by a drunk driver, he develops an addiction to painkillers to deal with his chronic pain. Years into a court battle with his insurance company, he is inspired by a song on the radio to regain his relationship with God. SPOILER: A shocking accidental overdose ends Josh's dreams of winning his settlement and finding his daughter. Annie, Josh's mother picks up where he left off and learns more about her son than she ever knew when he was alive. Fans of Karen Kingsbury's other novels may be upset by the death of the central character midway through This Side of Heaven and disappointed by the lack of romance. Although this novel is part of the Cody Gunner series, he plays only a minor role and This Side of Heaven can be read as a stand-alone without confusion.
Geographical Setting: Colorado Springs, CO
Time Period: Contemporary (2009)
Series: Cody Gunner series (Book #3)
Appeal Characteristics:
The frame of this novel may be an important appeal element for some readers. The book is set in contemporary Colorado Springs. Kingsbury brings present day technology and music into the book, making the situations feel more realistic and relatable. The characters use iTunes and many other Apple products, they chat on Facebook, and they listen to Wynonna Judd. Kingsbury's tone is warm, uplifting and inspirational. Her style is simple and unpretentious. The storyline in This Side of Heaven is straightforward. The plot is not convoluted and, although there are surprises, they are foreshadowed early. It is a character-centered, bittersweet story. The pace of the book is an important appeal element to note. Kingsbury writes a lot of dialogue. Her chapters are short and often end with a cliff-hanger, making This Side of Heaven a fast-paced page-tuner. The characterization in this novel is another significant appeal element. All the characters are realistic and flawed people with whom the reader is meant to deeply empathize. There are lots of interesting and well drawn secondary characters. Although the central characters are Josh and Annie, several chapters are written from the perspectives of the supporting cast.
Read-alikes: Readers who enjoyed This Side of Heaven may also like Lisa Tawn Bergren's Refuge. The first book in the Full Circle Series, this is a fish-out-of-water romance with a Christian perspective. San Francisco natives fall in love in the rural ranch town of Elk Horn Valley. The contemporary frame will feel familiar and Bergren's realistic, flawed characters may be interesting to those who read Karen Kingsbury. Bergren's fast pace will not leave Kingsbury fans bored. Another good suggestion for Kingsbury fans is Alice Wisler's Rain Song. This is a simple storyline about a Christian woman who returns to her family after the death of her mother and tries to repair her family relationships. The character-centered storyline and family theme will appeal to those who liked This Side of Heaven. The relatable central characters and detailed, three dimensional secondary characters will also appeal to Kingsbury readers. Sharon Hinck's Stepping into Sunlight is a story about a woman, Penny Sullivan, who witnesses a violent crime. She begins to question her faith in God as she tries to deal with her post-traumatic stress disorder. The contemporary frame is important to the realism of the situation as in Kingsbury's novel. Her character-centered storyline and strong secondary characters will feel similar to This Side of Heaven. Another author that Kingsbury readers might enjoy is Nicholas Sparks. The Notebook is a good place to start. Told mostly in flashbacks, this novel relates the life-long love between Allie, wealthy and sophisticated, and Noah, poor and hardworking. Although Sparks' novel is not Christian fiction, fans of This Side of Heaven will appreciate the bittersweet, character-centered storyline and the warm, inspirational tone. Readers entertained by Karen Kingsbury's fast pace will like Terri Blackstock's Christian suspense novels. Evidence of Mercy, the first of The Suncoast Chronicles would be an appropriate choice. Lynda Barrett, an attorney, inherits a plane when her father dies. She decides to sell the plane to Jake Stevens, but the plane goes down with both of them in it and she realizes someone is trying to kill her. Readers of Kingsbury will also enjoy Blackstock's simple, conversational style and her flawed, relatable characters.
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