Monday, September 1, 2014

Making Marion by Beth Moran




The book opens with the main character, Marion, showing up at a campsite where a job falls into her lap. The owner (no stranger to hard times), must have seen something in Marion that spoke of her need for a place to belong.  The Peace and Pigs campsite doesn't seem like a likely place to find healing but Marion blossoms under the love and care of several key people working around the campsite.

Marion is on a hunt to solve a mystery and Sherwood Forest plays into it (no Robin Hood but someone darn close). Armed with a photograph and her share of grief, she's hoping to answer some questions about her late father.  Unfortunately, his death is not the only thing that shadowed her childhood. Little by little, the reader discovers that Marion's got a lot of hurt buried in her past.

Although touching on some pretty troubling topics of abuse (both verbal and sexual), the story doesn't dwell there. I think for those who may have struggled with self-worth or had a rough childhood, the book could offer a glimpse of how small changes can make a difference in their outlook on the past as well as their level of hope for the future.  As a reader, I felt like I was watching a flower budding before my eyes. Marion slowly tackled some of her deepest insecurities and found that she was capable of more than she ever dreamed. And even capable of having a few dreams come true through it all.

I was a little disappointed in a couple of situations portrayed humorously that I considered immodest; not sure if it's just a difference in how modesty is defined in the UK versus America but there were some spots that I wish had been left out. Aside from those instances, I have to say that overall, it was a sweet story that had some really profound messages about forgiveness and family.  A light but filling read.

You can purchase the book directly from Kregel Publications for $14.99.

Disclaimer: I received Making Marion for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

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