Book Review: The Masterpiece

Two decades ago, I read The Atonement Child. It was stunning. I remember Francine Rivers as a fine writer. When I went to look up the publication date, I noticed she has since written a whole slew of books! I knew she wrote Biblical historical fiction, and that doesn't really draw me in, so I hadn't picked up another title. Now, I see she has written plenty of contemporary novels. I will have to remedy this oversight.

The Masterpiece weaves the stories of two traumatized children, Grace and Bobby Ray, who meet as adults and confront the difficulties of relationship. Bobby Ray Dean, who is now an artist going by the name Roman Valasco, is running from a tough childhood in and out of many foster homes. Grace bears horrible memories of the tragic loss of her parents and struggles with guilt over a failed marriage. You couldn't find two more unlikely individuals for a romance. Roman is coarse, closed-off, and casual. Grace is straight-laced, efficient, and committed to Christ. The first day she works for Roman as a personal assistant, Grace almost quits.

Although this was clearly a "Christian" novel, the story took precedence over the message (my biggest beef with Christian fiction - so focused on proselytizing that the story suffers). It waxed a bit "preachy" at the end, but by then, I was so caught up in the characters and their lives it didn't feel intrusive or offensive. Although I can see this turned into a movie, I doubt it would garner much attention from the secular world. Still, I was glad for another clean audio book to fill my treadmill time.