The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

      This allegory tells the tale of Christian, a man who sets out from his home in the City of Destruction to find eternal life in the Celestial City. After reading a certain book, Christian realizes that his some town is going to be destroyed by fire from Heaven, but he can’t figure out how to save himself or his family or friends. This puts  a heavy burden on Christian’s back, that he can’t get off. He soon meets a man named Evangelist who tells Christian where he must go to be freed of his burden and points him on the road to the Celestial City. Along the way, Christian meets several characters. Some help him on his journey, while others hinder him. Some try to kill him! He also comes to some interesting places, including the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

This is a timeless classic that still touches the lives of many today, though it was written in the 1600′s. Every Christian will recognize the places and people along the main character’s journey. This book should be read by everyone, especially those who have been disillusioned into thinking that the Bible promises an easy road to Christians. The imagery of the burden on Christian’s back is beautiful. The presentation of fellowship along the journey is beautiful as well. The symbolism of the law through Moses is wonderful. I could go on and on. Truly a must read!

1) Overall Plot = 5
2) Characters = 5
3) Flow/Pace of the story = 5
4) Is the story easy to follow? = 5
5) Overall Enjoyability = 5

Average score of 5

Overall grade = A

This was book 16 in my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge.

This was book 2 in my Classics challenge.

Saturday Sharing 4/30/11

All you have to do is share what you are currently reading. Tell us the title, author, a brief summary (no spoilers), and your thoughts on it so far. That’s it.

The Pilgrim’s Progress
by John Bunyan

An allegory of the Christian life, the story follows Christian as he makes his way to find eternal life.

Loving it so far. It’s not as difficult to read as I was expecting, considering it was written in the 1600′s.

Dragons of the Valley by Donita K. Paul

The land of Chiril has not seen war for some time, but now the neighboring kingdom is at their door with the intent of destroying and taking over the peaceful land. A band of unlikely heroes are summoned to hide and protect Chiril’s greatest treasure. Accompanied by an eccentric wizard, and aided by a host of interesting characters, they must find a way to keep their kingdom from falling into the hands of the enemy. Their biggest challenge: The Grawl. A creature/man whose origin is cloaked in mystery, seeming to be more legend than reality.

After receiving this book, I discovered that it was the second book of a series. That made me hesitant, since I hadn’t read the first book, but I went into reading with that fact in mind. The first couple of chapters were a learning process for me since the various races of creatures weren’t explained in detail (this was most likely done in the first book – “The Vanishing Sculptor”). The Appendix in the back of the book came in handy, and I was thankful for it. With the first couple of chapters out of the way I was able to fall into the story. The novel seems to be geared a bit more toward younger readers, but is good reading for adults as well. What stood out most for me was the excellent characterization. Especially that of Lady Peg. At first, I thought the character would annoy me, but she became very entertaining. Her “confrontations” with Groddenmitersay are some of my favorite scenes. I also fell in love with the kimens.

I did find myself confused here and there by some things that were left unexplained or didn’t have enough detail. I suspect that is because it is the second novel in the series. I will most likely purchase “The Vanishing Sculptor” to try to fill in those gaps. Overall, Paul does an excellent job of portraying her fantasy world, and the story flows well.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

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This was book 3 in my 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge.