The Arms of God
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Book Overview
Alice is making her daughter dinner when her mother Olivia, who left her at a day care center when she was four-years-old, appears at her door. Although Alice has managed to navigate an unforgiving foster care system to build a good life for herself, she has never really recovered from her mother's disappearance. Olivia's sudden reappearance is like a quiet, unexplained gift. Over the next couple of weeks Alice asks Olivia to dinner. Olivia is always dropped off by a friend and sits peacefully as Alice and her daughter talk over the meal. One afternoon Alice gets a call from the hospital telling her that Olivia is dead. The only identification the hospital could find was Alice's number with the word "daughter" written underneath it. She goes to pick up Olivia's things and finds the key to her apartment. It is here that the mystery of Olivia's past is slowly uncovered and Alice begins to understand how the power of hatred can hold a woman down and how the power of friendship can lift her up again.Not since her bestselling book The Friendship Cake has Hinton created characters who are so filled with heartache and fragile hope, that they will become a permanent part of the reader's life.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0312347952
ISBN13:9780312347956
Release Date:November 2005
Publisher:St. Martin's Press
Length:254 Pages
Weight:0.95 lbs.
Dimensions:0.9" x 5.8" x 8.6"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Wonderful, Rich and Layered
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
This book starts out one way and then goes in a totally different direction. We are transported back in time to the sometimes bitter, angry South and into the lives of sometimes hopeless characters. In every life their lies a tale of another life that is connected by a single strand. Yet this is a story about hope and breaking the cycle of abandonment and abuse. You'll think of the characters and story long after you put it down. This is my first book by this author, and now I'm excited to check out her other works.
beautiful crafted novel ~ a must read!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
This IS Lynne Hinton's best novel yet. It almost doesn't read like she wrote it only because it is so different than her other books. THE ARMS OF GOD is a lookback into time and threads the mother-daughter relationship into the present. The characters were heartfelt ~ it was a story most touching.
Beautiful artful prose
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
and a wonderful story as well. When Alice excavates the remainders of her dead mother's belongings, she discovers why she was abandoned at 4 years old and the terrible life her mother tried to leave behind. The writing is beautiful, the word choices are fantastic and the prose is artful and so full that you actually miss the characters after you read the final page. A must read!
Artful Story
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
I agree that this is by far Lynne Hinton's best novel to date. It is beautiful and inspiring. The writing is nothing less than art leaping from the pages. Long after the last page has been read, the characters will stay with you. I'd love to read a follow-up to this book!
Wonderful Novel!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
This is my favorite of all of Ms. Hinton's novels, and I've loved them all. In this story, which repeats some of the themes her other novels addressed (the importance of friendship, the mother-daughter relationship, the ongoing struggles of racism), the emotional depth keeps the reader engrossed to the very end. While it is a very sad story, in the end the novel satisfies our need for redemption and reconciliation. I read this more than a week ago and can't stop thinking about it. Lynne Hinton feeds my soul!
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