Rated PG for mature thematic content, sexual content, partial nudity, and strong violent content. Add content advisory. Did you know Edit. The novel is inspired by the Old Testament story of the prophet Hosea and his wife, Gomer. Details Edit. Release date January 21, United States. United States. Official site. South Africa. Technical specs Edit. Color Color. Related news. Oct 29 Slash Film. Oct 20 firstshowing. Contribute to this page Suggest an edit or add missing content.
Top Gap. By what name was Redeeming Love officially released in Canada in English? See more gaps Learn more about contributing. And so Angel runs. Includes a six-part reading group guide! New York Times bestselling author Francine Rivers continues to win both industry acclaim and reader loyalty around the globe. Her numerous bestsellers include Redeeming Love, A Voice in the Wind, and The Masterpiece, and her books have been translated into more than thirty different languages.
I read it twenty years ago, and even now the story reverberates in my mind. I knew then this book would be a classic. There is not one false note in this wonderful novel. Very highly recommended. At the end of the book, I dropped to my knees and promised God I would always write for him. Redeeming Love has a special way of infusing the great and indescribable love of God straight into the heart of the reader.
Steeped in Scripture and filled with grace, it is a masterpiece that moves beyond allegory to touch the reader at the deepest level where faith is born. Michael Hosea is the consummate hero; Angel, in one way or another, is every woman who has ever lived without love. You cannot read this book and not be changed. Redeeming Love deserves to be the classic it is.
What would you like to know about this product? I'm repulsed by the ideas that this book reinforces for women. I'm disgusted that this drivel was written by a woman. And after reading some reviews prior to recieving the book, I'm appaled that some people found this book moving, positive and uplifting. The plot device of using these characters to represent god and his unconditional love that he supposedly has for his children was weak.
This was represented by the two main character's and Angel. So god talks to him I'll leave that one alone and tells him to marry her. He has a priest marry the two of them while she's pretty much unconsious.
She runs away after being forced to work for and take care of him. I wonder why she would run away. So she finally meets a family who is willing to take care of her. She's in a good place. And then he comes back for her. She for some unknown reason, goes back to him. The worst part is the ending, because she wants nothing more than to please him and bear him a son. This book does nothing more than subjugate women. In my own opionion, so do gods and religions, but that's a different story for a differnt time.
What positive message is there in this for anyone? Be a good wife and devote all your time to making babies. I think we all know there is more to life than that. Please don't waste your time reading this book, get something else that will celebrate life and the worth of an individual, or something that you will learn something from. I'll be trading mine in at the local book mine, to get something of more worth.
View all 20 comments. Aug 21, Christy rated it it was amazing Shelves: audio , new-to-me-author , five-stars. It doesn't beat you down.
It doesn't cast blame. My love isn't a weapon. It's a lifeline. Reach out and take hold, and don't let go. I saw this on my libraries page and it had been recommended to me in the past, so I picked up the audiobook. This book was fantastic and I loved it so much! This book takes place in California in 5 stars "Love cleanses, beloved.
She is a prostitute who has been owned by others since a young age. Michael treats Angel well and shows her what real love and partnership is. No matter what, though, Michael never gives up on her. Redeeming Love is, above all, a story of unconditional love.
Though fallen low, God raised her up, an angel. View all 18 comments. Please note: I read the Kindle version which apparently is the clean Christian version. The original paperback is what I should have read. This book quotes a lot of scripture and the story itself is based on the Bible story of Hosea and Gomer.
She catches the eye of a farmer named Michael. Michael sets out to wed the closed off Angel and offers her a home and freedom. Nonetheless the writing was strong and it is a nice story of redemption and spiritual rebirth. Jun 12, Jill rated it really liked it Shelves: romantic-historical-fiction , stars.
This is a review of the original version. The version is basically the same as the original, but was edited to remove any descriptions of the love scenes and any coarse language to make it suitable for the Christian market. Based on the Book of Hosea from the Bible, where God told the prophet, Hosea to marry the prostitute, Gomer - "Go marry a prostitute 4. Based on the Book of Hosea from the Bible, where God told the prophet, Hosea to marry the prostitute, Gomer - "Go marry a prostitute and have children with her.
Author Francine Rivers wrote historical romances and historical fiction before she became a Christian. Redeeming Love written in , bridges the writing of her original romances and her later Christian fiction, illustrating well the old and new Francine Rivers in the one book. The original does contain some coarse language eg son of a bitch, damn, bastard, etc and some descriptive love scenes, not contained in the second version. The original holds up better in my opinion as a romance than the revised version, with more emphasis on their relationship and the physicality of it.
Nevertheless, both versions contain the same plot. For those who prefer a clean read, then the edited, or Christian version, is preferable. Although it is peppered throughout with Bible verses I don't think they're intrusive. It is afterall, a Christian story, based on a book of the Bible and written by a Christian. My only real complaint is that often it lends itself to cheesiness, but that's my complaint about most, if not all, romances.
He felt her loosen and melt in his arms and he sent her up again in to the heavens, joining her there and holding on to the moment as long as he could before the slow descent back to earth. Oh, to You be the glory, Lord, Lord Um, okay. On my fourth read of this story over the years, I don't view it with the same wide-eyed romantic wonder as I first did. The prose is average at best, the historical setting adequate. The stubbornness of Angel in refusing to accept Michael's love and her consequent running off was overdone and tiresome.
Michael himself often forces Angel to do his bidding, believing as he does that it's for her best, and so their relationship comes across as patronising and paternalistic at times. Some of his thoughts and reactions are not those of a Godly man.
Some of the tragedies that beset Angel's wretched life, seem gratuitous. Francine Rivers seemingly wanted to heap mankind's collective sin onto the head of this poor woman. Some of the scenes are unnecessarily explicit. The conclusion is way too neat with its fairy-tale ending. Yet Redeeming Love still holds up as an allegory of God's love for humankind.
Love, forgiveness and redemption. It is one of those rare novels that though based on a story from the Bible, manages to captivate an audience who may not claim any Christian beliefs. It can be at times depressing, heart-wrenching, horrifying and preachy.
Yet it is also uplifting, glorifying, hope-filled and romantic. Despite some reservations, Redeeming Love is still a worthy read for lovers of Christian fiction and for lovers of romance. Even if you don't end up loving it, it is so popular, so highly rated and reviewed that it's worth reading just the once.
Because despite its flaws for me it still manages to resonate with the ideal of true love and the romantic notions of love conquers all. Steam: 2. Hm, hard review to write! I appreciate the story of redemption Rivers set out to tell, but I didn't like how she went about it. The story was riveting at first, drawing me in, so that I read the first pages without even setting it aside. But I had to lay the book down to complete a task, and as I did it, I realized that I was feeling Truly, a great deal of the book is focused on sordid and dirty details.
Even after we are away from the subjects of child rape, human trafficking, auct Hm, hard review to write! Even after we are away from the subjects of child rape, human trafficking, auctioning of women, and seduction, it talks a great deal about nakedness and marital relations. I didn't like what I'd gotten into, frankly. I also didn't like how Michael tried to control her every thought and action in an attempt to hold onto her and not let her go. It wasn't a strict retelling of the story of Hosea, but I felt that choosing to give Michael the name of Hosea was too forced.
Yes, we have him losing her three times. We don't have her doing so because of wanting to return to the life she knew. Her situation is portrayed as very bad, and instead of having Michael a bright light of God still chasing her like the hound of Heaven, we have a very flawed man not fully understanding who she is past her protective walls, a man letting her run back into independence because he labors under a misconception of what she's gone to do.
This isn't an illustration of the redemptive side of marriage, where the man is to show what Christ is willing to do for the church Michael failed her at the end. He gave up on her and stayed on his farm in discouragement, instead of chasing after her and making sure she is safe.
The real, biblical Hosea kept after his wife, chasing her down and dragging her out of sin even when she made the choice to go back into it. Hosea was a picture of God reaching out to sinning Israel and dragging her back to a clean life.
Sarah's story is a powerful one. I felt that it often went too far into the descriptions of what she was feeling We didn't have to go down into the depths to feel how revolting her life was.
We didn't have to spend two chapters on her being sold at the age of eight and raped by a monster, over and over again, over the next number of years. So, in the end, it fails as an allegory; Michael doesn't chase after her quite as the real Hosea did; Sarah isn't wanting to return to a life of sensual fulfillment as Gomer was. Also, it tipped over the edge more than once into sensationalism, ending in being more like a soap opera than like a story focused only on the redemption of a soul and a lifestyle.
I welcome thoughtful comments I'm quite willing to explain my thoughts further, but don't want to spend too much time on the review. View all 43 comments. Jun 15, Amy Foxy Blogs rated it it was amazing Shelves: buddy-reads , books , stars , books , headphones , audible , stars. Still my all-time favorite book. I'm excited that next year there will be a movie of this book releasing. Re-reading it now!
March 14th, I finished and this book is still my all-time favorite book! Deserves more than 5 stars. Gomer is a prostitute and Hosea is a Godly man told to marry her. It's their struggle she finds it hard to turn away from the life she has always known and basically born into.
This is the ultimate love story! There were so many things I wanted to highlight throughout this book. One of my favorite lines was: "Hello, Sarah. I'm very pleased to meet you. The song Amazing Grace reminds me of this book: Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. Michael is definitely my book husband. He isn't someone you just date.
He is someone you marry. View all 47 comments. Aug 16, Lilith rated it did not like it. There are many things, good and bad, that could be said about this book, but I have only one thing to say. Forced sex is rape. Every time. When her brother in law drives her through the wilderness and commands her to have sex with him or he will abandon her there, he is using physical and emotional force.
That is pure rape. What makes me sick is that she has to "find forgiveness" for this, that he never repents, that the book never recognizes rape for what it is. Especially after all the rape and There are many things, good and bad, that could be said about this book, but I have only one thing to say.
Especially after all the rape and systematic sexual abuse this woman grew up with. This sounds like rape in the real world, where the victim is blamed and the real sin goes unnoticed and unaddressed.
It's time to wake up and call it what it is. It also deeply disturbs me that so many people read this book and do not see this sickness. View all 17 comments. Dec 16, Karen rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites. It had cleansed her, never casting blame.
But that had been only the beginning. It was loving him in return that had brought her up out of the darkness. So much to say about this book. The emotions incited were overwhelming. My chest still hurts from the feelings I have. And when I do, it is more often out of sorrow and pain.
But this book made me cry out of sheer joy. It chokes me up still to think about it. Very inspiring read. This story follows the life of a girl who has believed from her earliest memories that she was a mistake. Not meant to be born. A burden to everyone she encountered. And as she grew up, her beliefs were reinforced time and time again. She lost any hope she had of love and happiness in her life.
And she knew deep down to the bottom of her soul that those things were not meant for her. They looked into her angel eyes and were lost. Enduring the ship alone to get there was enough to take her sanity.
The freedom she thought she would find upon her arrival had quickly turned into a fight to survive. Penniless and alone, she was quickly drawn right back into the life she had tried so hard to escape. There was no freedom. There was no happiness. Not for her. Not ever. But then something happened. And his name was Michael Hosea.
Now this was a man who was told by God, that he should marry Angel and deliver her from her bondage. The more he tried to convince her, the more convinced she was of his insincerity. What was it about this man that got to her? She preferred the numbness to this stirring of emotion. Hope was torment. Hope was an enemy. And this man was a thorn in her side.
She was the blackest night, and he the starlight piercing it, creating an unfolding pattern in her life. This book was a struggle for one woman to overcome the power of her own self worth. And in a way, it proved that although food and water are needed to nourish our bodies, they may not be as important to our survival as faith and hope and trust.
She stared at those aristocratic hands, hands without calluses, pale and manicured. Beautifully shaped hands that were capable of unspeakable cruelty. They were callused and rough. His hands had looked so cruel and yet been so gentle. His touch had healed her body and opened her heart. I will say though that this one will go straight to my favorites list. I will leave you with a few quotes, and photos, and my updates photos as well.
I cannot recommend this one enough. View all 37 comments. Dec 30, Arlene rated it it was amazing Shelves: read , romance , favorites , historical-fiction , adult , top-ten-of-all-time , christian-lit. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers has undeniably earned a coveted spot on my top bookshelf of classically flawless stories. This is a book that I will probably find myself reading over and over again until it simply falls apart at the seams. Such a beautiful love story that I could not separate myself from both mentally and emotionally.
I think I must have sighed a hundred times from heartbreak and angst for these characters and forget about keeping track of my facial expressions, but I treasured every moment irregardless of what people around me must have witnessed. But before I move on let me explain my reading preferences. I pick up books for fictional journeys, normally young adult, paranormal, and dystopian. Okay, so keeping that in mind, I still picked up this book and I was wowed… Not in a spiritual sense mind you. I saw it from more of an emotional perspective rather than a spiritual sense.
So if I missed the mark… oh well… it was mine to miss. Overall, this book does a masterful job of blending love and betrayal, hope and despair, self-destruction and ultimate redemption.
I fell in love with these characters as Michael and Angel experienced a turbulent journey towards trust, hope, love and ultimate faith. He was such a gentle and trusting soul and just an all around, too good to be true person. His faith in God and his belief in his purpose as dictated by a higher being were heartfelt and poignant.
As for Angel, for all of the mistakes and sins she committed, I still held a soft spot for her and cared for her character deeply, and that never wavered. My heart broke when her back-story was revealed, and I read about how she was betrayed, destroyed and used. No matter how awful her choices were and how badly they hurt Michael, I still wanted to come to her defenses. What an emotional ride! Another thing I want to share about this book.
There is a part in the story, right after Angel betrays and abandons Michael and not for the first or last time that he takes her to an unknown destination. He ultimately leads them to the crest of a mountain and he points to the moon… yes, that ball of cheese in the sky, and he holds her tightly. After resisting him for some time, she finally stops to look at the beauty around her as the hours pass, the moon descends and the sun begins to set.
Noooo, not the Barry Manilow version… more like the Jason Castro rendition. Absolutely worth it! View all 24 comments. Mar 24, Eastofoz rated it liked it Recommends it for: Readers looking for frontier inspirational romance or a retelling of the Book of Hosea. Shelves: fiction. There was one very brief disgusting scene but given the situation and the period I thought that was misleading to brand it PG There is virtually no physical intimacy in this book, apart from the odd kiss, and any sex is glossed over leaving you wondering if they had sex or not.
You get these one liners about horrific beatings, great sex on a very spiritual level but no detail. Emotional, spiritual and physical intimacy make for better rounded characters I think and I felt short changed not to get all that. The hero and the heroine are very well-drawn. He gets kicked in the teeth so many times but he still keeps coming back for more.
He reminded me of poor Job at times. She has heaven in hand and she keeps throwing it away. It was difficult to believe all this love at first sight and God speaking to these people in mysterious ways. Angel has been through hell and back why have her leave her haven incessantly?
So two stars for romance, four for the retelling of the Book of Hosea for me. FYI: If devout believers who see God in everything as well as true faith being the only way to find happiness in life bother you, you may want to pass on this book. View all 26 comments. Instagram Twitter Facebook Amazon Pinterest I am not religious, so my review of this inspirational romance will be coming from the perspective of a secular reader.
Francine Rivers is a name that gets bandied around a lot, not just in the christian fiction groups, but also in the historical romance groups in general. I was curious to Instagram Twitter Facebook Amazon Pinterest I am not religious, so my review of this inspirational romance will be coming from the perspective of a secular reader.
I was curious to see what she was like. As soon as I began reading this book, I literally had two people message me to inform me that this book allegedly takes two forms: the version and the version. I apparently have the version, which was edited to remove swear words and explicit love scenes to make it religion-friendly, which is definitely the case in my version. All sex scenes are very much fade-to-black, or in the case of one scene, ends with the hero and heroine soaring towards heaven - metaphorically, I'd imagine.
Unless I somehow picked up a paranromal romance book without actually catching on. Over the years she has become bitter and cold; it's her only defense against her growing despair at sleeping with men she doesn't like in a prison gilded by the gold dust of the Californian mining town she's settled in.
On one of her walks, Michael Hosea sees Angel and hears God tell him that this is the woman he is destined to marry. When he finds out what she is, he throws a mini-hissy before pulling up his britches and delivering Angel the news.
She is not amused, and rebuffs him multiple times. When he marries her, she's actually unconscious from a beating. Much of the book is Angel learning to deal with her guilt and self-hatred. Her bitterness is exceptionally well done, and the pain she feels is warranted. The epilogue of this book is straight out of a bodice ripper, and the more I found out about her backstory - neglect, abuse, rape, assault, incest, probably PTSD - the more I sympathized with her.
No matter how frustrated I felt with her as a character, I always felt that her actions were in line with her character. It takes a long time before she's able to trust Michael, and when she does, it happens in stages.
She trusts him with her body and her well-being long before she's willing to let him have her heart. This story is apparently a retelling of a bible story about two people named Gomer and Hosea. I have not read the original story, so I'm not sure how accurate or true the retelling is.
I will say that the story manages to stand on its own fairly well and I was engaged for the majority of the book. It was in the last quarter where I feel it begins to fail a bit, as God appears to drive Angel away from Michael because she views Michael as a god instead of Him Then one of Angel's friends tells her that she has a prayer box to remind her not to be self-sufficient, but to rely on God instead, and that whenever there's something she wants to do something about she just writes a note and puts it in the box I didn't mind the way God's voice was written in this book, however, and I thought it was clever how what I assume was the devil took the voice of Angel's abuser.
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