Tag Archives: Melodrama

The Grace of Guilt by Gareth Young

Synopsis: In a town dominated by an oppressive, judgmental church, a girl pregnant by rape, a homosexual boy, and an out-of-touch family man become united by a violent act. Review: I think The Grace of Guilt is aiming to be The Shack only with enough plot for at least three books. At first, I thought, “This person really hates Christianity.” The so-called Christian characters were so, so, so awful–prejudiced, hateful, and hypocritical. And then the savior-figure, an enigmatic hermit named Sam, just went around spewing…

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Rescue by Anita Shreve

Synopsis: An EMT falls in love with a reckless patient, who then abandons him and their daughter, and he struggles with whether he should let her back in. Review: I blazed through Rescue, which doesn’t have the strongest of plots but offers an emotionally compelling story nonetheless. Though it takes a turn for the melodramatic near the end, I stayed with the characters because I found them to be so real. It didn’t offer any grand revelations, nor did it make my toes tingle, but…

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Roses by Leila Meacham

Synopsis: The rise and fall of a Texas cotton family cursed with success and tragedy in equal measures. Review: I was SO excited to dig into Roses. I love me a good epic melodrama, and I was hoping for something along the lines of Douglas Sirk’s Written on the Wind, a favorite movie of mine. Sadly, I was disappointed and gave up about 175 pages into it for lack of interest. There wasn’t enough drama or sweep or passion or grandeur. I wanted more society…

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