Book Review: Her Daughter’s Dream
Her Daughter’s Dream by Francine Rivers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This series, by Francine Rivers, was well written and interesting. I read the first book right after Christmas and finished the second moments ago. I’m glad I didn’t know about them until both had been published, waiting would have either driven me crazy or kept me from being interested.
The story of four generations of women from their childhood through adulthood and/or death, their joys and sorrows, their faults and their glories, their sin and their salvation. Rivers did a fine job of showing each woman’s choices as “reasonable” based on their history yet at odds with one another, which creates so much conflict in their lives. (I put “reasonable” in quotes because very very bad choices were made.)
The stories show how sin can be passed from generation to generation … and how faith can as well, standing upon one anothers’ shoulders as it were. It shows how we build walls to protect ourselves, not realizing the hurt they give to others. The books teach us to give grace to those around us, particularly our family … but to be wary of those who can truly hurt us.
I’ve read other books that trace generations and I enjoy them, but I’m always a little frustrated that the characters are never in the same place at the same time. Rivers does this here, and it seems imposed as does the gathering of three generations.
Everything bad happens to this family: abuse (physical and sexual), suicide, death, drugs & rock’n’roll, war, s*x outside of wedlock. (Hm. But no divorce …) There’s a lot of good that happens too, but it kind of seems too much bad.
I guess that’s my main issue with Rivers (other than some of her stock phrases: “raked hand through his hair” anyone?), in general. In order to make some sort of statement about politics/life/death/etc., she has to make many many statements, and her characters have to go through a lot.
Finally, this is not a book for children, even older teens, I think. While she doesn’t go into detail descriptions about s*x, there are some places where she is perilously close.
Overall, a fine book that has me considering walls, relationships, and choices I make and how they affect others. And how to give grace.
I read both books in this series at the end of last year. Like you, they left me pondering relationships.