While looking for some Christian fiction I came across these two books. To be honest, I had a hard time finding information about the series and the author. Soon enough I figured out that the real name of the author is Isabella McDonald Alden, and that there are four more books in the series. I probably won't read them though, so scroll down to find out why!
Ester Ried
The actions in the book happen in America in the middle of the 20th century (just my guess). The story tells us about Ester - the oldest sister of a big family, her mother's main helper, a girl that calls herself a Christian. Reading further, we realize that the Bible calls this kind of Christians "lukewarm" because for them religion is just a formality. Ester's life, actions, and attitudes don't really correspond with biblical teaching.
Throughout the book, the girl realizes it herself and changes her worldview and her behavior regarding faith. Ester is not the only character in the book - we also read about other lukewarm Christians. Ester Ried is a book about the mistakes that we make in our Christian lives that deprive us of joy in the Lord and upset Jesus.
Pros and Cons
The book shows good examples of the Christian lifestyle. People with different circumstances and different characters face similar problems and try to solve them. I would say that their problems are pretty relevant in the modern world. Also, the author doesn't make us wonder what people do wrong or what they're thinking about: she explains their thoughts and mistakes in detail so that we can learn from them.
On the other hand, the book is not perfect. Just like many old Christian stories, this one is based on a lot of drama like death or fatal diseases. Even though this may be our reality, I think this is not the only thing that can bring suffering to Christians. Another thing is, I would say that things happen too quickly in the book. This makes it quick and easy to read, but I prefer more detailed stories. Also, Ester Ried can seem pretty primitive - I would say it was written for younger teenagers.
Julia Ried
You can consider this book the sequel to Ester Ried since it talks about Ester‘s younger sister. But the stories are barely connected so you can also read Julia Ried without any reference to the first book.
The book tells us about Christians’ misconceptions and real relationships with God. One of the main ideas of the story is that it’s sinful to judge, another one is that our own efforts can help us reach neither righteousness nor joy. A big part of the discussion is dedicated to social inequality, and it shows that it’s all in our heads.
Pros and Cons
This book is more consistent and more detailed than the first one. It shows the main character’s internal struggles, all her thoughts, pushing her to different sides. Also in this story, we can see different types of Christians that we can relate to. One more thing is different church issues that are still relevant (such as the question if a woman can participate in a service). Both books focus on evangelism and saving people's souls, which is also a good thing.
The disadvantages of the book may seem completely opposite to the ones I mentioned in the first one. The plot was dragged out (it seemed that Julia "just couldn’t get it" for the longest time). The ending was unrealistic - every single person in the story accepted Jesus which rarely happens in real life. Also, the description of Christians that the author gives seems idealized, though it’s acceptable in fiction. One thing stayed the same: death is used as God’s main tool.
My Rating - 7
Maybe I’m being harsh on books, but trust me, I know what a good book is. So I would rate these with 7 stars. If you look at them from a teenager’s point of view though, I would recommend reading these stories at the beginning of your Christian path.
Commentaires