In Search of Eden, by Linda Nichols

I read this book on the recommendation of Violet at promptings. It was a good prompting. Thanks, Violet for the recommendation!

I could not put this book down. It was fabulous. I worked through it in two days (even though my parents are visiting). I took it to bed last night and woke up with it this morning. I would have to say that this is Christian fiction well done. Or better than most? I really, really liked it.

The story was complex. Nichols did a great job weaving people's lives together. I was doing my best to guess at how everyone was "related" and even when I had it figured out, I had to read on to see how it would play out. It was just a great book.

The story follows Miranda who is searching for the child she gave birth to and whose mother had put her up for adoption. For eleven years she is haunted by thoughts of where her child ended up. Who raised it? What was it? A boy or a girl? Where are they now? Having given birth and being a mother, I found the story powerful and was easily able to identify with Miranda.

The moral and point of this book is to say that we should not miss out on experience the good in life that God has given us while on a quest for the perfect. Perfection comes much later - but not here on earth. It's a story that teaches that if we spend our time playing life's victim, we will miss out on the here and now and everything that God has to offer us.

The characters are memorable and well-developed. They are believable, as are the location and "facts" behind each individual person's story. Well told drama. Nichols has gone the farthest at restoring my opinion of Christian fiction in a powerful and major way.

Mirlandra (not Miranda but Mirlandra) -- bring on Francine Rivers! I'll do it!