Saved Folk in the House

by Sonnie Beverly

Told in three parts, a Southern family and their friends grapple with the joys and disappointments of life as a direct result of being raised in a home with strong Christian values.

Genres: Fiction

365 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saved Folk in the House takes an intriguing look at the lives of three women with roots in a small Virginia city. Each is trying to live her life in the best way she knows how.

Zakia Wilkes might have made some mistakes in her life, but now things are looking up. She's married to Jay, with a new baby in the house and a wonderful career - everything's picture perfect. But there's a void, and Zakia finds just the thing to fill it in her new church and a relationship with Jesus. Zakia jumps into church activities full speed, but doesn't realize she's leaving her family behind until it's too late.

Nikki Riley moves into a new apartment and develops a connection with a much younger man. Can she trust that God will show her the right direction? LaKisha Mitchell is living with her grandmother since her mother is in jail. She wants to do what's popular, although she knows that the popular choice might not be the right one. Will LaKisha follow the direction given from men and women who have already walked the difficult road, or will she follow her own path?

It's fascinating to watch these women's lives intertwine with each other through the years. The characters are realistic and every reader will be able to relate to someone or some situation in the story. Zakia experiences trials, yet her reliance on God and the way she listens closely to what He is saying through her prayers gets her through. It is refreshing to have a character suffer consequences due to an over-commitment to church. This is a huge issue these days that the author handled with a fresh perspective and grace.

This novel is an excellent example of African-American fiction. It tells a good story, but doesn't get too bogged down with details. I found it compulsively readable, mostly because the characters are so well-defined. My one complaint is that the ending comes from out of nowhere. The final event is not even alluded to earlier, and caught me so off-guard I had to re-read it to see if I had understood correctly. Other than that, Saved Folk in the House is a wonderful book for those who enjoy Christian novels.

[Cindy Wissmiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I liked it but then I got pretty bored. It seemed to be just a recollection of daily life with no point going anywhere. Not a strong plot.
The cultural significance was interesting but did not hold my attention enough to want to finish the book.

[Cheryl D. Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Godly Needs

The entire book had a Godly focus. It made clear the need to depend on your spiritual higher power. It was family and relationship orientated. This gave you a view of a variety of relationships and how the characters depended on God.

[Shannan Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of three different women, but connected in some way by their village and how their lives changes and their growth in their lives and faith.

[OOSA · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Neighborhood,
A strong woman along with her brother Zachary raised Zakia in a single parent home. Zachary and his gang, the Execs, were always at her house giving her lessons in life. The lessons that they teach her will help her with her challenges in college, but once she graduates nothing that they taught her could prepare her for what is in store.

Both her parents raised Nikki in a Christian home. She finds love with her husband and they have 3 children, but her husband has a problem that she has been dealing with and has decided that her and her children need a change of pace. How will she handle the new changes that she has decided to make?

Lakeshia, as a young girl, has to leave the only home that she knows. She and her brother must live with their grandmother. This is added stress to their grandmother because she didn't do a good job with her own children and she wants to do a better job with her grandchildren. Will she be able to?

This was really a VERY good book. Every person that reads this book will be able to relate in one way of another. This book also shows how powerful PRAYER is and what a good influence it is on young children.

Reviewed by: Carmen

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm only on chapter 5 of this book and I know I'm not going to finish it. I'm only reading it right now because I'm at my kids' soccer practice with nothing else to read in the car. The writing is not my style at all. The characters are not developed, there is emphasis on events that bear no relevance to the story itself and too many surprises. Like when the author lets us know Zakia is pregnant...we didn't even know she was having sex! The author took the time to detail Malik pursuing Zakia, she should have let us know they were having sex too! Doesn't have to be in detail but at least a mention... I like to read books that allow me to get "close" to the characters. This book doesn't do that, unfortunately.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been on my bookshelf forever. I had to blow the dust off (lol). I am sorry it took me so long to read this book. I recommend this book for Christian readers. It really helps you understand "walking by faith and not by sight." These characters are saved and helping others get saved. Even their children are saved and helping other unsaved children see the light. This is really a good Christian book. I will be checking out other books by this author, Sonnie Beverly. I rate this book 10 although the scale only allows you 5 stars.

[Stanjay Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book started off ok but then it started getting confusing. The storyline started to be all over the place. The writing was amateur to me and I really dislike when people put way too many characters in one book. Unnecessary characters who really didn't need to be there. It's distracting! The only really good part of the books were the little Christian nuggets of faith, hope and love. But other than that, it was ok. 3 stars...now I'm wondering if that's a little generous.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the stories but it felt like 3 short stories instead of stories building upon one another. It didn't seem to flow from one to the other smoothly. The first part of the book was my favorite, followed by part 2. Part 3 was just okay. The aspect of religion or being "saved" seemed really subtle and not overbearing which made the book a light, enjoyable read and not too "preachy".

[Sheila Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Saved Folk in the House 2yrs ago. I remember feeling a sense of awe towards the end when the rapture came and taken all those that were saved to heaven. Even cousin Rae, with all of her illegal acts that ended her in jail was saved, because she accepted Jesus as her Savior.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read

[Starlita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learn about the important of balance in ones life.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow at first but the ending is nice.

[Marla Bernard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just getting started today.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read but way too many characters to keep up with in the story. Had to reread several parts to figure out who was who and sometimes I just let it go.

[Lorraine]

Can't say I was crazy about it.