Though Kingsbury’s writing is serviceable, Zack’s interior life, which is consumed by guilt, worry, shame, reticence and...
Christian novelist Kingsbury offers a faith-based look at an American Idol–style show and the inherent spiritual risks placed upon the contestants.
Zack Dylan loves a few things intensely: Jesus, his girlfriend, Reese, the family horse farm and singing. When creditors threaten the family ranch, Zack sees Fifteen Minutes, a popular television singing competition, as a way to earn the big bucks and also let the world know about his faith. Zach is a gifted singer-songwriter, and there is little doubt that he could win, but no one wants him to enter the competition. Reese is worried it will strain their relationship (they were college sweethearts), and Grandpa is afraid that celebrity will weaken his commitment to God. Apparently, no one can exit the celebrity sawmill unscathed. Two of the show’s new judges are testaments to the dangers of the spotlight: Chandra Olsen was a previous Fifteen Minutes winner, but since her win, a crazed stalker killed her parents, her fiance left, and she lost her faith. Kelly Morgan, nearing 40, is the daughter of a preacher and the wife of a faith-based movie producer, but stardom has made her vain and shallow; she wants to divorce her (perhaps cheating) husband and take up with a young reefer-smoking pop star. Ignoring family concerns, Zack auditions in Atlanta and meets beautiful cheerleader Zoey Davis. The two make it through the auditions, and as she begins crushing and tweeting about Zack, the show’s producers immediately create a Romeo and Juliet narrative for the season. Zack is outraged and worried that Reese will misunderstand, but he is increasingly committed to winning and hopes that when he does, he can use his new platform to tell the world about Jesus. But he changes, as was feared by all, and it is up to Chandra and Kelly (recently renewed in their faith) to help Zack.
Though Kingsbury’s writing is serviceable, Zack’s interior life, which is consumed by guilt, worry, shame, reticence and insecurity, becomes a drain on the novel’s momentum.Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4516-4705-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Howard Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
These letters from some important executive Down Below, to one of the junior devils here on earth, whose job is to corrupt mortals, are witty and written in a breezy style seldom found in religious literature. The author quotes Luther, who said: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." This the author does most successfully, for by presenting some of our modern and not-so-modern beliefs as emanating from the devil's headquarters, he succeeds in making his reader feel like an ass for ever having believed in such ideas. This kind of presentation gives the author a tremendous advantage over the reader, however, for the more timid reader may feel a sense of guilt after putting down this book. It is a clever book, and for the clever reader, rather than the too-earnest soul.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1942
ISBN: 0060652934
Page Count: 53
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1943
Hoffman (The Red Garden, 2011, etc.) births literature from tragedy: the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple, the siege of Masada and the loss of Zion.
This is a feminist tale, a story of strong, intelligent women wedded to destiny by love and sacrifice. Told in four parts, the first comes from Yael, daughter of Yosef bar Elhanan, a Sicarii Zealot assassin, rejected by her father because of her mother's death in childbirth. It is 70 CE, and the Temple is destroyed. Yael, her father, and another Sicarii assassin, Jachim ben Simon, and his family flee Jerusalem. Hoffman's research renders the ancient world real as the group treks into Judea's desert, where they encounter Essenes, search for sustenance and burn under the sun. There too Jachim and Yael begin a tragic love affair. At Masada, Yael is sent to work in the dovecote, gathering eggs and fertilizer. She meets Shirah, her daughters, and Revka, who narrates part two. Revka's husband was killed when Romans sacked their village. Later, her daughter was murdered. At Masada, caring for grandsons turned mute by tragedy, Revka worries over her scholarly son-in-law, Yoav, now consumed by vengeance. Aziza, daughter of Shirah, carries the story onward. Born out of wedlock, Aziza grew up in Moab, among the people of the blue tunic. Her passion and curse is that she was raised as a warrior by her foster father. In part four, Shirah tells of her Alexandrian youth, the cherished daughter of a consort of the high priests. Shirah is a keshaphim, a woman of amulets, spells and medicine, and a woman connected to Shechinah, the feminine aspect of God. The women are irretrievably bound to Eleazar ben Ya'ir, Masada's charismatic leader; Amram, Yael's brother; and Yoav, Aziza's companion and protector in battle. The plot is intriguingly complex, with only a single element unresolved. An enthralling tale rendered with consummate literary skill.
Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4516-1747-4
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
