I’m a fan of Francine Rivers and historical fiction, so I couldn’t wait to listen to the audiobook of Bridge to Haven.
Usually, Rivers hooks me in the first chapter. This time, the numerous switches from scene to scene in the first few chapters made me slightly peevish. I longed to remain in a scene, to feel what the characters were feeling, touch their surroundings, and hear the noises—but Rivers kept switching characters. She is a masterful writer, so I considered that perhaps this stylistic approach might be intentional to mimic the sense of flight of the characters inside the novel. By the third chapter, I couldn’t stop listening and savored the more extended scenes.
I loved learning more about the Hollywood culture in 1957, especially eavesdropping during one of the numerous parties Lena Scott, the main character, attended. The gossip, strategy, and phoniness of many of the rising stars fascinated me.
Throughout the novel, I found myself questioning Pastor Ezekiel “Zeke” Freeman’s decision to give his adopted daughter, Lena, to a two-parent family. His decision propelled her into experiencing abandonment for the third time—first by her birth mother, then by her adopted mother, and finally, by her adopted dad. More than once, I thought that Zeke’s judgment was ungodly and at the root of Lena’s rebellion. Yet his actions only made me love and feel even more compassion for the prodigal daughter—swept out of the way by yet another parent.
Throughout the novel, not only did Rivers succeed in making me choose sides of a moral dilemma, but she also inflicted me with overwhelming mercy for Lena, who finally met the God of Psalm 27, giving him the director’s chair after her parents forsook her.
If you enjoyed Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers and grappling with moral intricacies, you might enjoy The Masterpiece, A Voice in the Wind: Mark of the Lion, Book 1, and Redeeming Love.
