When You Wish Upon A Star

by Nancy Marie

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A Review by Natasha:

The major theme of this book is spousal abuse. There are of course, several other themes that are lightly touched upon that help make up the meat of the story. The author introduces the plight of the Native American, terrorism, violence, and insanity as well as the way in which our social institutions are failing to treat those in need as fellow human beings. The story involves the plight of a young woman called Paige. She has been a victim of verbal abuse from the time she was a young girl. She has always been branded as a whore and made to feel absolutely worthless. Years of living with an abusive yet wealthy husband, does little to change the broken view she has of herself. Then we meet a lovely woman named Carol Anne who runs the shelter. Her gentle way of dealing with the women in the shelter is in sharp contrast to the gruff and impatient social worker who is responsible for helping the women with financial assistance. While Carol Anne is a strong character, she seems very real to this reader. The same cannot be said for our protagonist, Paige. While I give credence to the lioness-like protective instincts of most mothers, I simply do not believe the massive amount of emotional change that took place in our main character's psyche in such a short period of time. I do applaud Nancy Marie for choosing such timely issues to introduce to her story. However, I feel that she has sacrificed in depth discussions of many important issues to simple propel her story forward. This story would have been greatly improved by the use of fewer themes and better character development. Issues of trust as well as the consequences of a lifetime of abuse, both of the mother and the children, should have been presented in greater detail. Frankly, the story was both pat and highly unbelievable. I give this book two stars!

~ Natasha

For a different perspective, checkout this review by Tracy:

I really enjoyed this book by Nancy Marie. It is set in familiar territory outside of Estes Park, Colorado. Having recently moved from Loveland, Colorado, almost a year ago, I thoroughly enjoyed picturing the familiar landscape around Estes Park, a small community nestled in the rough mountain terrain of the edge of the Rocky Mountains.

I have to say that this is the best book I've read yet published by AmErica House Publishers. I was hooked by the first chapter and wanted to keep reading even though I was forced to put it down from time to time to enter back into the "real" world of dealing with toddlers. The subject matter is also another one that hit close to home with me as my family has experienced first hand the abuse suffered by a loved one at the hand of her husband. My grandmother eventually left my abusive grandfather and went into hiding for many months to escape physical and verbal abuse and what she feared most, the threat of death. I can understand the strength needed and risks involved in leaving someone who has abused you for years and to venture out into the world on your own.

The main character in this book was a very realistic and well-developed example of such a person. Shaped by years of negative influence from her parents, and then the shocking realization that her new husband isn't what he presented before marriage, Paige endures years of abuse at the hands of her husband until she decides enough is enough and finds the strength to pack up her daughters and venture out across the country searching for a place she can call home and someone to love her as she is. Her demented and furious husband, Justin, tries to track her movement across the country in order to hunt her down like an animal and make her pay. He wants her to pay not only for whatever perceived slights she has made against him, but also for his first wife who escaped shortly after the birth of their first son, and whom he has been unable to find since then. Justin carries the rage and fury towards both of these women and is determined to find vengeance on Paige.

While her Justin hunts her, Paige and her two young daughters have found somewhere to call home. Somewhere they are finally able to relax in and learn they don't have to live in fear. Paige finds a Godly man in Lance and discovers she has feelings for him that she never knew existed and had never before experienced in her relationship with Justin. Can she learn to ignore the voices of her parents and their opinion of her as a "loose woman" and learn to trust God to provide for her a Godly man to take care of her and her children? Can she learn that she is worthy of a loving relationship free from abuse? You'll have to read this great book to find out what happens to Paige, Lance, and her daughters! Will Justin rest until she is dead?

I thought this story had good, strong writing in it. There is a good attempt at turning out some original writing and making descriptions very meaningful with imagery. One example comes during a love scene during which Lance and Paige kiss:

"Her butterfly escaped. Freed from a lifetime imprisonment in a cocoon of fear and pain, her heart soared on wings made of promises yet to be fulfilled. Time stopped, and she lost herself in his kiss. Surrendering to a need older than time, she metamorphosed into a woman with a woman's needs and desires. A thrill of pleasure tingled through her and a sensuousness she didn't know she possessed demanded fulfillment." (c) pg. 140, When You Wish Upon A Star

The imagery of the butterfly released from it's cocoon is a powerful symbolic image for Paige's release from her husband's bonds of control, submission, fear and pain. It's a beautiful description and couldn't have been written better than this.

I felt, however, that there were times when the writing became a little too flowery and the description took on a life of its own. It's difficult to explain what I mean and is a minor point. An example can perhaps be found in the above quote from the book. There is a very fine line between too much and just enough of a description and I imagine a writer agonizes over the same thing when writing such descriptions. I hesitated over the above quote a couple times wondering if it had indeed crossed the line into "too much." I have reserved judgment because it doesn't happen often in this book.

Another issue that caught my attention, because it has been discussed on our discussion boards a little and I definitely think it applies to this story too, is the descriptive sexual scenes. Some might argue that the author is depicting real sexual tensions and struggles between a Christian couple who are trying to remain honorable before God and wait to have sexual intimacy until marriage. This is true life, is it not? The fact that the couple does not give in to sexual longings but waits until they are married to have them fulfilled is a victory and shows the benefits of such actions on the relationship. I agree with all of this. However, I am still uncomfortable with some of the more "graphic" scenes included in these Christian books. An example of one of several that made me uncomfortable in this book is here:

"She walked slightly ahead of him as the hostess led them to their table. He inhaled the fragrance of the perfume that followed her like a dawn mist from a flower-covered field. Lavender and spice clung to her. It teased him in the same way the thin chiffon of her gown promised more than it gave, revealing all and nothing. The scent and the gown hugged her body and wrapped her in clouds of mystery - wonders of the flesh and heart that waited to be discovered and explored. His passions rose, unbidden, and his mind tried to probe her hidden secrets." (c) Pg. 242, When You Wish Upon A Star

Just how pure and righteous is a man when he is trying to "probe her hidden secrets" with his mind? I find that description far too graphic and unneeded in the descriptions of their attractions for each other. The Bible says that a man commits adultery when he looks at another woman lustfully. I am just beginning to come to an understanding of what exactly "lustfully" is and I'd have to say it applies to the above description of Lance's thoughts toward Paige. That being said, the question is whether or not that needs to be included in order to portray their sexual struggles accurately and realistically or should we be holding to a higher standard for sexual purity and not mention sinful thoughts of characters in Christian Fiction? Would the book be less without these descriptions? No, I think not. I was very aware that they found one another attractive and don't need to have it spelled out to me in a way that leads me to visualize just what he may be "probing."

I would love to hear what other readers think about on these topics! Drop me an e-mail or add your comments on our discussion boards.

Finally, comments about the plot. The plot was fast paced and kept me interested throughout the book. A couple of times I wondered why something was happening at that point in the book as it felt a little contrived and later realized the events in the plot were often there to provide motivations for other characters. For example, the girls going missing at separate times seemed contrived, but it points directly to Lance's motivations and feelings about losing his first family in a flash flood years before. Knowing that, the scenes become more fluid. They also foreshadow the fear that Justin is going to reappear at any moment to wreak havoc on their lives and could very well kidnap the kids to get back at Paige. One last niggling thought about unlikely events was when Paige was able to overcome her fear of horses (having seen her own brother thrown from his horse and die etc.), leap upon Lance's Stallion (whom he left in the stable because he was too skittish for such a rough trip into the mountains after Justin), and crash through the barn and out into the mountain wilderness. Give me a break but that little scene was a little too far fetched for me to believe. Maybe it's my own fear of horses that makes me more unlikely to accept that scenario, but it would have been more believable for me if she took a more reliable horse for her first ride to conquer her fears and rescue her daughters. Maybe it's just the practical side of me overshadowing the romantic side as I read this part of the story.

Well, after reading this lengthy review you are probably wondering what my overall opinion of this novel is?

I thought it was a great, solidly written, suspenseful, with realistically portrayed characters and a definite theme of God's care and provision for His children as well as the redemptive love towards the prodigal son. It was a really easy book to get into and it swept you along from one suspenseful event to another. What more could you ask for in a Christian suspense novel? I definitely recommend this book as a good read. I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed in getting to know Nancy Marie's work. As for me, I would love to see what she has written in children's literature next.