Sunrise on the Battery by Beth Webb Hart ~ A Contemporary Fiction Review

Sunrise on the Battery by Beth Webb Hart




Sunrise on the Battery
Beth Webb Hart
Contemporary Fiction

Book description:

At last, Mary Lynn and Jackson Scoville are living the life they've dreamed of. Two self-described "small town bumpkins" from Round O, South Carolina, they made a small fortune selling the little gems of lowcountry real estate Jackson inherited and now they are living in the heart of Charleston, South Carolina, carefully working their way up the social ladder in hopes of meeting their ultimate goal: to give their three daughters the life they themselves never had.

But the long-forgotten God of Mary Lynn's childhood seems to be trying to get her attention in clear and unusual ways. So clear and strange she can no longer deny it. When Mary Lynn prays for Jackson to open his mind and heart to God, her prayers are answered beyond her wildest imaginings. Now Jackson's dramatic conversion (which includes street witnessing, giving away a lot of money, and inviting poor, desperate and marginalized people into their home) is threatening their social status as well as their family mission statement. Is she willing to go along with him?

What would it be like to go "all out" for God? Jackson, a sharp and focused Type A man, is unafraid and willing to go all the way. Mary Lynn has her doubts.


My thoughts:

I do believe I’ve found me a new favorite author! This is the first novel by Beth Webb Hart that I have read and I am impressed. I have been in love with the city of Charleston, SC for quite some time so that drew me to the book. The very real characters are what kept me reading.

This is a powerful story that is as old as time, yet told in a modern tale. We all struggle with balance in our lives and we see that come to life in these individuals. Mary Lynn longs for her family to join her in her Christian faith. But when that happens she realizes what she must give up and she struggles with it.

I thought Ms. Hart did a marvelous job of describing the true feelings that are involved in the situation. It’s easy to say I want to live for Christ, but doing it isn’t always a piece of cake. The Bible gives us examples of this over and over. Even the Pharisees struggled with this. They were righteous holy men that believed the Messiah was coming. Yet when the Messiah stood before them, they denied it was him. To follow him would mean giving up who they were and what they did. That is what this story is about. If Mary Lynn and Jackson go all in for God, who will they be? What will they be expected to give up for the cause of Christ?

As I was looking up some of Ms. Hart’s other work, I came across her last book, Love, Charleston. When I read the description I realized that there are some characters from that book that are background characters in Sunrise on the Battery. It seems to me that either book can be read as a stand-alone, but I’m definitely going back and reading the first one.



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1 comment:

  1. This is why I like book blogging -- I probably would not have heard about this book if it weren't for your blog, and it definitely sounds like something that both I and my mom would like. I am curious to see how the author resolves the story...

    Hope you have a wonderful New Year's weekend :)

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