The Awakening: A Novel of Discovery

This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read. Hunt's books have the power to really bless the reader. An amazing story that is anything but predictable, but not so complicated that the message/symbolism isn't perfectly clear. Sleeping Beauty being my favorite fairy tale as a child drew me to this book, but this book is more than that. Aurora's dreams will suck you in, her relationship with Philip is romantic most in the way that it follows no formula you have ever found in any other book. I strongly recommend this book, and any by Hunt, she is an incredible author who never sticks to a prescribed formula. Her books will lift you up, and carry you to a place you've never seen before. I loved this book!

The Awakening is a truly astounding work of art, all the more compelling as it arises from a genre, Christian literature, that has been a dim light in the field of literature, to say the least. I am reluctant to even write a review on this book as I feel completely handicapped in relating how much Angela Hunt means to me. Since becoming a Christian I became both lost and found; found in Christ, but lost in the world. Everything I had once loved, the literature, the art, movies, it all now lacked that God-spark and spirit. When I would reach for Christian fiction I was deflated by the lack of creativity, intelligence, percision of language, not to mention the ability to bridge my spirit. Books have always been my bridge to the world, my path to feeling connected and understood and so for the last 3 1/2 year I have been flailing as no contemporary Christian writer came even close to creating a connection in me. Then came Angela Hunt onto the shelves of my church library and what a blessing she is. She never cowers from asking a tough question that one of a weaker faith would fear to ask, let alone satisfyingly tackle. In The Awakening we have Aurora, the significance of the name not lost, trapped by lies built up as stakes supposedly to keep her safe. I related deeply to this woman who connects to the world through books, and is somewhat wary of the human heart. She is in want of nothing, rich, intelligent, attractive, but she is disconnected from the world, from her heart and from her soul and her mind is becoming unseamed as it knows she needs the truth to survive, but is Aurora strong enough to let the truth enter her world? Gently a neighbor helps Aurora see the light, the light of truth, of God, of her own being and she lifts those stakes of lies and realizes she is not alone, she is not helpless. I would recommend this book to anyone as a testimony to the power of Christ and as a testimony that there really is a contemporary Christian writer who knows her way around a pen. Thank you Angela Hunt.

What a captivating book! The story is intriguing and the characters are well written and well developed with realistic flaws and emotions. The heroine, Aurora, wasn't your typical beautiful princess/damsel in distress type that is found in so many other books. She was realistic and at times her actions frustrated me to no end, but that was what made the book so great. Ms. Hunt also does an excellent job of incorporating humor into the story. The book is a page-turner that never gets dull. Occasionally the dream sequences got a little unrealistic, however they were necessary to keep the story going.

In this book, Aurora's life spins out of control when her mother, suffering from dementia, dies. Aurora struggles with strange dreams, visions, and memories, and with agoraphobia. I thought all of the symbolism in this book was very interesting. The memory of Aurora's father telling Aurora's mother, that she wanted nothing to do with love because she wanted nothing to do with faithfulness, was interesting. That parallels our relationship with Christ, when sometimes, we aren't as faithful to Him, and we can't feel His love at times. I thought the book written within this book, I Know She Weeps was very interesting as well, about the love between father and daughter. I thought that strongly paralleled our relationship to Christ as well. The characters were great in this book. I loved Phil and his sense of humor when Aurora played "Walked Like An Egyptian" in the middle of the night as a way for Aurora to cope with her dreams. I loved how Phil was there for Aurora. I also got so aggravated at Clara for not letting Aurora be an adult. The characters were written so well. And the ending was great, as Aurora did find love. The book focused on a lot on love, but not in a "boyfriend/girlfriend" sort of way. I look forward to reading more books by Angela Hunt.

I'm a jaded reader, I admit, and one without a long attention span. Too easily I can put down even the most engaging of books. But there are some that pull me back every spare second I have. The Awakening was such a book. Angela Hunt has created a world within a world, guiding the reader through the life of an agoraphobic, and an appealing one at that. Ms. Hunt deals with faith issues with a light, yet authentic touch, which is highly appropriate considering the story itself is a parable telling of how much God loves us and wants to be with us. I find that Angela Hunt matures year by year, book by book. I thought about this story long after I turned the last page.