Monday, May 24, 2010

Captivating Review

The next book I reviewed for Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze website was “Captivating” by John and Stasi Eldredge. This book is the female counterpart to the popular, “Wild at Heart” book for men. Upon first seeing the book, I was pleased with the aesthetic quality. It was a hardcover with a picture on the front, accompanied by a transparent dust cover. It was appealing, and would gain my attention among other books. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the book, and while it didn’t completely disappoint me, it also didn’t leave me feeling like I gained a lot of new knowledge. The book discuses the essence and heart of a woman, what hurts and wounds women may have received along life’s path, how we can find healing, and a variety of other topics. It also has an appendix at the back with several prayers, including the prayer for salvation. Although I found some parts of the book to hold new concepts, much of the information seemed like material that I had heard many times before. At roughly 230 pages, it is fairly long, and some of the information seemed repetitive. A few parts of the book that I really liked discussed God’s Word and how we can apply it specifically to our lives as women. I also liked the overall theme of realizing who we are in Christ, and focusing our attention on becoming the woman that He would have us to be. Overall, I can’t recommend this book, but I think it had several points that were worthwhile.