Tuesday, January 17, 2012

'The Search Committee" by Tim Owens


When I saw this book was an award winner for the Christian Writers' Guild, I was expecting to be severely impressed. However, I was not. Let me explain why. First of all, there are several character stories occurring simultaneously, and the literary techniques used are great. What was missing for me, though, was that wow factor. At several times in my reading, I was bored. So how did this book win an award? I think it comes down to audience. I am a young adult woman in school. Most of the characters were older (some senior citizens) going thru marriage problems and deaths of spouses/older family members. The closest characters I could relate to were two young men, and that was a stretch. Also, there was a sort of Southern nostalgia seeping thru the pages both thru visualization and colloquialism. I do think that older audiences--maybe men more so than women--will greatly prize this book. It is about a team of parishioners looking for a new pastor for their church. Some of the sermons included were great.

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