I received this ARC from Publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu Published by Macmillan on June 2nd, 2015
Pages: 336
Source: ARC from Publisher
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Rachel Walker is devoted to God. She prays every day, attends Calvary Christian Church with her family, helps care for her five younger siblings, dresses modestly, and prepares herself to be a wife and mother who serves the Lord with joy. But Rachel is curious about the world her family has turned away from, and increasingly finds that neither the church nor her homeschool education has the answers she craves. Rachel has always found solace in her beliefs, but now she can’t shake the feeling that her devotion might destroy her soul.
My Thoughts:
I admit, I’ve never watched the Duggar’s show. However, you cannot be online as often as I am without hearing about it (especially now.) Of course the idea of such a large family fascinated me. How do they do simple daily task like making enough food or washing clothes? I didn’t actually know what the “quiverfull” movement was until I heard about Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu but, taken with the media coverage of the Duggar family, I knew I was interested!
“Fascinated” is honestly an understatement for how I felt about this book. I was captured from the get-go. I wanted to know more about Rachel as a character, the beliefs of her family/church, and how she starts to form her own opinions. What I think was so incredibly well done was the way this books showcases one girls need to leave the movement and stand on her own while still being respectful of the religion as a whole. Mathieu addresses issues that are problematic but doesn’t just bash the religion.
I can only imagine how much research went in to the writing of this book. I’ve read some of what Jennifer Mathieu has shared about her research and the women she talked to. It is so clear when reading this book that it’s not just what the author imagines it might be like. Gah! It is just so well done.
A truly engrossing read. Rachel is a character that will long stay with me. Highly recommended.
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I love it when religion is handled in a balanced manner – that can be really hard to do!