Bridge to Haven

Francine Rivers

Summary:

1951

To those who matter in Hollywood, Lena Scott is the hottest rising star to hit the silver screen since Marilyn Monroe. Few know her real name is Abra. Even fewer know the price she’s paid to finally feel like she’s somebody.

To Pastor Ezekiel Freeman, Abra will always be the little girl who stole his heart the night he found her, a wailing newborn abandoned under a bridge on the outskirts of Haven. Zeke and his son, Joshua – Abra’s closest friend – watch her grow into an exotic beauty. But Zeke knows the circumstances surrounding Abra’s birth have etched scars deep in her heart, scars that leave her vulnerable to a fast-talking charmer who lures her to Tinseltown. Hollywood feels like a million miles from Haven, and naive Abra quickly learns what’s expected of an ambitious girl with stars in her eyes. She discovers too late that fame comes at a devastating price.

She’s burned every bridge to get exactly what she thought she wanted. Now all she wants is a way back home.

In One Word: Touching

Plot:

First of all, let me just say, I had very high expectations of this book after hearing it compared to ‘Redeeming Love’ several times. However, the story was just a tad too similar to RL for me, in the sense that the plotline is almost exactly the same. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the book. The story was a little predictable and while I did feel for the characters it wasn’t the emotional rollercoaster I’ve come to expect when reading Rivers’ novels. The story and setting was interesting enough, but too many of the characters’ struggles and problems have been adressed in previous novels by this author. I did like the ‘doing anything to become famous’ plotline, since I don’t think Francine has written something about that before.

Characters:

I liked the main character, Abra, very much, but I felt like it was too easy to sympathise with her. Her character makes bad choices, but it almost feels like the author is trying to justify this by making her past really traumatic and hard. I do think there’s positive and negative aspects to this, as I’m sure some readers will relate more to this type of story than others, but I felt like Abra couldn’t just make mistakes because she’s human and everyone does, but it always had to be about something that’s happened to her in the past. I really loved Joshua, though, and I loved the chemistry and connection between him and Abra. Francine is exceptionally good at making her characters work well together. I also liked Pastor Zeke, who’s a good man, but not perfect in any way. Overall the main characters were well-handled as always, relatable and likable, but I felt like there was a little too much explanation and rationalising for Abra’s choices.

Who should read this:

12+, mainly for sexual content and violence. As this is Christian fiction there is no curse words in this novel, however Francine has never been one to shy away from difficult or controversial topics, so I would advise caution for younger readers. If you enjoy novels by Rivers, or Karen Kingsbury you should enjoy this one, but if you want to read something profound I’d suggest either Francine’s ‘Mark of the Lion’ trilogy or ‘Redeeming Love’. If you want a relaxing, engaging, easy-to-read book with some emotional parts I’d definitely suggest this one.

My rating:

I enjoyed this book, I never once wanted to put it down. However, I was expecting something a little more. 4/5

Quote:

You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.