Hidden Gifts

by Rick Hamlin

When Roger Kimmelman, a nationally popular vocalist, returns to his hometown for a Christmas concert at First Church, he comes to the realization how little his great success has given him, and wonders if it's too late to find a life of meaning instead of empty success. Original.

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Sometimes I think I must be nuts because for me writing is a way to relax. Sure, I get anxious about it and I'm pretty critical of what I write, wondering if I can ever fix it. But then, when the words come and I'm in a grove, I'm not going to be critical of anything. Until the next morning!

Reviews

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

As Christian fiction writing goes, this wasn't my favorite. The story had some interesting parts to it and I think there were some good character scenes that built up some complexity... but it wasn't super consistent. In between the good moments there were strange emotional reactions and non-concluded character development.

And the narrative voice kept bouncing around to different perspectives, which is fine, but sometimes it would change perspective in the same scene without any breaks, and that's not something I'm a fan of. And the writing felt a bit "telling not showing" when it came to the narrative.

But I liked the scenes with the letter writing, and I thought the storyline with Lurlene was not bad. Just overall it wasn't my style of book.

[Sheila Eddings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the end of the story begun in Mixed Blessings. Well written and paced.

[Kimberly Aiello (Camacho) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly...it kind of bored me.