Karen Kingsbury
Ever After (2007)
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Genre: Romance (Contemporary)/Christian
Plot Summary:
Lauren Gibbs and Shane Galanter met when they were children, fell in love when they were little older, and had a daughter, Emily, before either of them were ready. Shane's family moved away to keep the pair apart, and due to a terrible hospital error, Lauren was led to believe that Emily died. When Emily tracked down both of her parents, apart for almost two decades, the two fell in love all over, and the two began planning their lives together. But their lives have led Lauren and Shane in very different directions; Shane is a
conservative, career military man who believes strongly in the war in Iraq. Lauren is a liberal reporter for
Time magazine who has spent time in Afghanistan and has seen things that have made her staunchly oppose the war. Lauren is having trouble fitting into Shane's life on a military base, now, and she can't ignore the wedge their differences are driving between them. Lauren decides to go back overseas for one year and prays fervently that God will open her eyes and help her see things the way that Shane does. At the same time, their daughter Emily, who is deeply devout, is starting college and meeting an equally religious, amazing boy named Justin Baker; Justin is taking college classes, is scheduled for a second tour in Iraq with the armed forces, and does an incredible amount of volunteer work. The two fall in love quickly, and before Justin leaves for Iraq, the two are already talking about marriage. SPOILER: Justin is killed in the line of duty, and his death breaks Emily's heart. Her faith in God helps her recover, and eventually, she finds love with one of Justin's closest friends, a man who was by Justin's side when he died. Lauren is changed by the entire experience, and she thanks God for answering her prayers; she and Shane get married just a week after she returns to the United States.
Geographical Setting: Nevada, Washington, Iraq
Time Period: Contemporary (2007)
Series: Lost Love Series, Book #2
Appeal Characteristics:
This book is slowly, but steadily paced. There is a lot of description concerning the thoughts and feelings
of the characters, and there is very little actual plot to the story. Throughout the story, the characters
are reacting to events that they don't have control over, since the characters trust that what happens in life is decided by God. The story is written in a straight chronological line, but the third-person limited
perspective switches almost every chapter, so the story part of the story is revealed very slowly. There are four main characters that the reader is meant to empathize with, and through whose eyes the reader sees the
story. These characters are really the most important aspect of the novel, and characters are types that the reader is supposed to recognize immediately, but who are deeply effected by the events of the story and God's role in those events. The story really emphasizes the people over the events; there is really only one "event" in the story, and the focus on that event is entirely on the ways in which is affects the characters,
mentally and emotionally. The author's intention in writing this story is almost certainly for people to be
touched by the characters and their faith in God. The frame is really not a vital aspect of this story; these characters could really live in any time, as long as there was a war going on during it, and the story could be told with very few changes. There are specific locations mentioned, but they don't really add to the tone or atmosphere; really, the entirety of the mood of the story is decided by the feelings of the characters. The story is consistently romantic, evocative, and inspirational. The story is written thoughtfully, but directly--there is never any question as to what exactly is happening and what exactly the characters are thinking and feeling and doing, but the words were undoubtedly chosen carefully to best reflect the characters that are thinking and saying them.
Read-alikes: Readers who enjoyed the simple construction of the storyline and the intensely devoted characters in Ever After might also appreciate that in Terri Blackstock's Never Again Goodbye. Laney Fields has tracked down the daughter she gave up for adoption years ago and discovered that the child's adopted mother has died; now Laney wants a spot in her daughter's life, which also brings her close to Wes, her daughter's now-widowed adoptive father. Both characters are intensely Christian and family-oriented, and the storyline deals solely with the relationships between and the emotions and thoughts of the characters, which is also the case in Ever After. Fans of Kingsbury's Ever After may also enjoy Lori Wick's The Long Road Home. The Long Road Home is the story of a pastor whose wife has died and who has been gravely injured by a falling tree; he is angry and questioning his faith while being nursed back to health, both physically and emotionally, by Abigail, who relies on God to help her in that difficult task. Although the Long Road Home is a historical romance, rather than a contemporary one, those who were drawn to the strong, faithful characters, who had to overcome extreme grief and doubts about their faith and career paths with the help of each other, and God, will enjoy those same elements of the characters in this book. The storylines are written similarly as well, written chronologically and with little plot or alternate storyline to distract form the romance between the characters. Those who really enjoyed the strong, devout character of Lauren, who questioned her career path and her outlook on life, will also appreciate the character of Debbie in Donna Fletcher Crow's All Things New. Debbie's circumstances have changed dramatically, and in her quest to find herself, she meets Gregory and his daughter; but both of their pasts make the situation difficult, and Debbie either has to confront her history or leave Gregory behind. Just as with Ever After's Lauren, Debbie realizes the depth of her faith through these difficult experiences; the storyline is also similar, focusing on the romance and the character of Debbie rather than external forces. Fans of Ever After may also appreciate Francine Rivers's Atonement Child, which is a book about a college student named Dynah who is raped, becomes pregnant from the incident, and is then faced with the difficult decision as to whether to follow her faith and have her child or listen to her mother, her friends, and her boyfriend and have an abortion. The main character in Atonement Child is a strong and intensely devout college student, much like Emily in Ever After. Dynah, like Emily, is faced with an incredibly difficult circumstance that is beyond her control; ultimately, as Emily does, Dynah turns to God, and He helps her through her grief and fear. Those who appreciated Ever After's storyline, which dealt with controversial real-world events and situations, and the frankness with which the author presents her Christian point-of-view on what the right path is, will also appreciate those elements in Atonement
Child. Those who enjoyed the character of Lauren in Ever After will find the character of Jacqueline in Angela Hunt's A Time to Mend, which was also published under the title Gentle Touch appealing as well. Jacqueline is a nurse in the cancer ward of a hospital who finds a lump in her breast that turns out to be cancer. She turns to God in her time of crisis, putting her faith in Him for the first time, and she begins to depend increasingly on her doctor, a man who she once thought to be cold and distant, but becomes much warmer as time passes. At the beginning of the novel, Jacqueline is strong, independent, and career-minded, but as the story progresses, she realizes the importance of God and of her heart above anything else. This story, which, like Atonement Child, deals with frightening real-world situations and the dependence of the characters on their faith to endure, will also appeal to those who enjoyed Kingsbury's gentle but frank dealing with the difficult issues of war and death.
Red Flags: Death of a main character, allusions to past pre-marital sex/pregnancy and current sexual
feelings.
Fame (2005)
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Genre: Romance (Contemporary/Christian)
Plot Summary:
Katy Hart used to be on the road to fame, but then a personal tragedy left her reeling and running to Midwest suburbia. Now Katy is the director of a Christian kid’s theater group in Bloomington, Indiana and Hollywood is the furthest thing from her mind. Dayne Matthews is Hollywood’s biggest playboy and the paparazzi’s number one target. Dayne has a secret that would shock Hollywood, he’s adopted and his birth family lives in Bloomington. The one time he went to try to find them he saw Katy Hart from a distance and now he’d like nothing more than to make her old Hollywood dreams come true. SPOILER: Dayne tracks down Katy and offers her a starring role in a big budget Hollywood movie. Although they are starting to fall in love with each other and the movie is a huge opportunity for Katy she turns him down. They don’t end up together and Katy goes home to Bloomington. However, this is the first book in a series and their relationship will continue to grow.
Geographical Setting: Bloomington, Indiana and Los Angeles, California
Time Period: Contemporary (2005)
Series: Book 1 in the Firstborn series.
Appeal Characteristics:
For readers who enjoy gentle romance with Christian values Karen Kingsbury’s novel will be very appealing. Kingsbury writes at a slow yet compelling pace that will keep readers turning the pages and heading out to get the next book in the series. She provides just enough information about the characters to make the readers feel attached to them and wanting the best for them. The tone of the novel and the characters’ dependency on prayer and faith will be appealing to those who are drawn to novels with Christian values. The setting of the novel is very comfortable and will be familiar to many Midwestern readers. Kingsbury illustrates the differences between life in Los Angeles and Bloomington which makes the novel interesting and relatable. For some readers the character of a psychotic stalker may be off putting, but for those who enjoy a little bit of drama in their inspirational romances Fame is a great choice.
Read-alikes: If a reader is drawn to Kingsbury’s story and characters they should continue the Firstborn series with the next book, Forgiven. All the characters return in the second novel that features Dayne Matthews trying to come to terms with the family he’s not sure he wants to be a part of. Readers who are drawn to the romantic tone, Christian values, and long lost family of Kingsbury’s novel will enjoy Terri Blackstock’s novel Never Again Good-bye, the first in her Second Chances series. The novel features a woman who had a child as a teenager and gave her daughter up for adoption. When she goes looking for her daughter she finds her being raised by a single dad and finds a new family for herself. A major theme in Kingsbury’s novel is family and accidental pregnancy. Two families in Fame are faced with the difficult decision of what to do with an unplanned and unwed pregnancy. One family chooses to give their child up for adoption and chooses marriage, but what about another option? For those who are drawn to novels that deal with issues of unplanned pregnancy as it relates to Christian values Francine Rivers’, The Atonement Child may be a good choice. However, readers should be warned that this novel also deals with rape and may be upsetting to some. For reader’s who enjoy the inspirational tone of Kingsbury’s novels and the way she uses the characters’ pasts to drive their present, Donna Fletcher Crow is a good choice. The first novel in her Virtuous Heart series, All Things New features a character who is forced to either run from her past to start a new life or trust her faith, face it and possibly lose the man she is falling in love with. Readers who are drawn to series about a family with a strong Christian background will enjoy Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series. The first novel in the series is Danger in the Shadows which is actually a prequel to the other titles in the series. This novel is the most like Fame as it follows a normal girl, Sarah, who is falling in love with a well known, famous athlete. She, like Katy Hart, has a past that is keeping her from being with the man she loves, but Sara’s past is much more dangerous. Henderson’s novels have similar Christian tone and compelling pace to Kingsbury’s and the plot of this particular novel will be very appealing to those who enjoyed Fame.
Red Flags: mild violence
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