Ascension of Larks by Rachel Linden is a Christian
Fiction novel. We follow Magdalena a Porto Rican photographer when her best
friend Lina calls with the tragic news of her husband Marco’s death, the man who
happens also to be Maggie’s unrequited love. She rushes off to the aid of her
friend to help her deal with the fallout, for Lina’s family as well as herself.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. This is such a
beautifully written, literary work. The quality of the writing style and story
telling is top notch. It was intense all the way through with solid, smooth
pacing. I was on the edge of my seat as wave upon wave of emotions pulled me
through the story.
The plot was compelling and powerful. Linden did a wonderful
job of looking at grief and loss. My one issue was that it felt like there were too
many big topics looked at. There were the couple main ones that we got to see
in-depth and many others that were just touched upon (topics worth going deeper
into), but not all in the same book.
The characters were so well rounded and complex. They felt
like they could be real people. I didn’t necessarily like all of them and
definitely didn’t agree with all of their choices or motivations.
The faith element is very light. There is a theme (a faith
lesson) threading clearly through the story and a side character of faith
speaking into the lives of the main characters. I feel it is perfect for
introducing the truth about what our faith is to non-believers in a non-threatening
or pushy way.
Overall, I did like this book a lot, but it was a bit too
emotional and sad for my tastes. However, I greatly appreciate the sense of
hope we are left with.
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