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The Mending String
All is not well in the home of successful pastor and parenting expert Clayton Loverage, who has found that none of his proven techniques work on his youngest daughter, Ellen. Ellen and her father live in hostility and silence that is broken only after Ellen starts trespassing regularly in her English teacher's home. Power hungry church members and menacing criminals threaten to unravel the delicate bond redeveloping between Clayton and his daughter. A suspenseful, yet sweet story about what it takes to mend a relationship gone wrong.
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 24, 2017
This was an usual book. It was about family but the father and youngest daughter end up living at home for most of it. Their relationship is not good but it grows closer. It shows how circumstances change in our lives, that friends and family are so important. It was an easy to read book that was hard to put down.
September 9, 2017
I really loved this book! A good story!
June 19, 2019
A pretty good book, took a while to figure out the resolution.
March 29, 2020
Great story with lots of ways to relate and learn and grow.
March 1, 2024
I really liked this book, which was different! Lots of twists and turns, family issues and church strife, but some good resolution and insight.
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April 1, 2024Read January 2007
September 22, 2009
Can you say "legalism"? I have to be careful or I could fall for the legalistic trap myself, causing me and others to shy away from God instead of drawing closer to Him.
So far, this is a really great book. I feel the frustration of both Ellie, the daughter and Clayton, her father. She was expected to behave almost like a soldier in her father's "army." Having meals prepared and ready for him at exactly the same designated times every day. Setting the table with the silverware just so. On the other hand, he tried to extract a decent conversation out of her as she replied almost in monosyllable words. He'd scold her for using his recliner when she couldn't understand why she couldn't sit in it to read when he wasn't home. He saw that as an act of disobedience. When she ran upstairs so he wouldn't catch her in his chair, he called it deceit. He pointed out all her sins. I can see both their points of view. When he said he would call animal control when the dog of a neighbor who wasn't home got loose, she went out to bring the dog home, protecting the neighborhood children from a possible attack from the Rottweiler. He challenged her repeatedly throughout the week, accusing her of making him look bad in front of the officer, a man in his church.
Though retaining its exciting pace throughout most of the book, it failed to keep its edge to the end. I was looking for a real resolution to the rift between Clay and Ellie while at the same time, a resolution in the father's self-imposed regulations in his relationship with Father God. He learned to spend time with Ellie and that in part, moved him in the right direction in his relationship with her, however, it is not mentioned how or whether he affected changes in his rigid expectations of her and of himself.
The story didn't wrap up tightly enough. Otherwise, it is worth the read.
So far, this is a really great book. I feel the frustration of both Ellie, the daughter and Clayton, her father. She was expected to behave almost like a soldier in her father's "army." Having meals prepared and ready for him at exactly the same designated times every day. Setting the table with the silverware just so. On the other hand, he tried to extract a decent conversation out of her as she replied almost in monosyllable words. He'd scold her for using his recliner when she couldn't understand why she couldn't sit in it to read when he wasn't home. He saw that as an act of disobedience. When she ran upstairs so he wouldn't catch her in his chair, he called it deceit. He pointed out all her sins. I can see both their points of view. When he said he would call animal control when the dog of a neighbor who wasn't home got loose, she went out to bring the dog home, protecting the neighborhood children from a possible attack from the Rottweiler. He challenged her repeatedly throughout the week, accusing her of making him look bad in front of the officer, a man in his church.
Though retaining its exciting pace throughout most of the book, it failed to keep its edge to the end. I was looking for a real resolution to the rift between Clay and Ellie while at the same time, a resolution in the father's self-imposed regulations in his relationship with Father God. He learned to spend time with Ellie and that in part, moved him in the right direction in his relationship with her, however, it is not mentioned how or whether he affected changes in his rigid expectations of her and of himself.
The story didn't wrap up tightly enough. Otherwise, it is worth the read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2007
Bit by bit, the secrets simmering beneath the surface of the lives of the families in Springdale Illinois come to light in this story. There is the Pastor of Springdale church, Clayton Loverage, and his rebellious teenaged daughter Ellen. What begins as a quest to escape from her oppresive father turns out for Ellen to be a journey full of unexpected discoveries. Why does her neighbor have a picture of her father on her nightstand? That's also what Jack Brandt, the local police chief and meddling church member would like to know. [return]The tension in this story takes a while to build up, but once the reader is sucked into knowing the Loverage's and their problems they will want to read on and to find the answers to how they got that way. The author is great at creating complex characters who aren't purely good or bad.
July 28, 2013
This was one of the most satisfying fiction books I've read. The characters were easy to relate to, the plot interested me from the beginning when the main character was sneaking into her next-door neighbor's house to read books from her library, to the exciting "chase scene" in the dark forest(bad guys with rape on their minds vs. the heroine). The author kept me reading by tying up at least two loose ends from each of his five main characters within the last 20 pages.
Good solid writing, nothing sordid to wade through to capture the story. The author is a master at picturesque writing. Sadly, I believe this was his only book before he died.
Good solid writing, nothing sordid to wade through to capture the story. The author is a master at picturesque writing. Sadly, I believe this was his only book before he died.
October 27, 2010
Hmm, maybe more like a 2.5 out of 5 stars, but since it is Christian I'll round up to a three. This was a random grab out of the YA section of the library. Not sure why it is YA...could have been in the adult section just as easily as the main characters are both a father and a daughter. Kind of like how Amish fiction could easily fit into either category. Some interesting plot events, a quick read, nothing too thrilling or deterring.
August 22, 2013
This is a reread for me and I enjoyed it as much as the first time. I was sorry to hear that the author has no other books. I really liked the story of Ellie and her father. Ms. Merkle was a bit weird. I also liked Osvaldo and his mother. One of my favorite parts was the rock fishing.
March 13, 2012
Interesting and really different...and refreshing as a result. A bit feminist and overly denominational, but its all relevant to the story; its what makes it.
February 16, 2013
Great story...
February 23, 2016
I liked it... I liked being challenged to look at the same situation from several different perspectives, even though some parts were very stereotypical.
September 28, 2020
Sweet story filled with religious story of redemption. Pretty unrealistic
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews