A Brother Beloved

by Francena H. Arnold

Joyce Matthews raised her beloved younger brother, Gene, after the death of both their parents. Much to Joyce's dismay, however, a year in military service behind the iron curtain seems to have completely changed his personality. This haunting drama includes Joyce's cry for help and God's faithful answer.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian

253 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1957

About the author

FRANCENA H. ARNOLD was a schoolteacher, talented storyteller, mother of four children, and author of ten novels. Her first, Not My Will, was originally written "just for the eyes of the family" and has since sold more than 500,000 copies. Her other novels include Then Am I Strong, Three Shall Be One, Brother Beloved, Straight Down Crook Lane, The Road Winds On, Fruit for Tomorrow, and Light in My Window. Raised in rural Illinois, Francena lived with her husband, Frank, in the Chicago area. (Biographical detail courtesy of Moody Publishers)

Reviews

[Hannah Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the ending of this book kept it from being any lower than three stars, but honestly Joyce frustrated me most of the way through. She is the big sister of Gene and she worried too much and babies him too much and she tries to control everything and it just drive me crazy. Gene on the other hand I really liked. I understood him so much better then Joyce.I

The other hard thing was that certain false understandings of God and the Bible weren't cleared up until near the end and that was hard for me. I was almost afraid it wouldn't be cleared up at all. It also had one statement that I didn't find Biblical and that wasn't ever cleared up.

[Angie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really had no idea where this story was going when I started it, and even though Joyce, our viewpoint character, was likable for the most part, I still found myself hoping that she'd get her mindset changed on at least a couple of important points. As frustrated as she was with him, I really loved and sympathized with Gene from the outset, and I really wanted to knock Joyce upside the head a couple times for his sake. That said, I did very much love the bond that they had and the way that she really did want what was best for him, even though she stayed blind to certain very obvious aspects of that for much too long.

I loved the Fulton family and the way they just enfolded the siblings, especially the relationship between Matt and Gene. Oh, and I adored the dialogue, especially from the boys--it felt so authentic to the characters and so perfect for the period in a way that would be hard to emulate for a modern writer. The boys especially just felt so perfectly real, and I adored their banter!

One thing I realized pretty early on and didn't have my suspicions contradicted on was that it was written in a time when much less was known about mental health. It grated on me a bit to have everyone (including himself) write off Gene's struggles as his own stubbornness when it was pretty clear there was some serious depression and post-traumatic stress at work. Oddly enough, those things were written well enough to practically scream off the page, but since the psychiatrists had said his mind was perfectly healthy, that was it. Grrr... I can't really fault the author or the characters for being a product of their time, but I just really wanted to shake--I'm not sure what. Maybe the fifties. (:

As promised, there was a good spiritual message, even though I was a little concerned by some of Joyce's early comments and attitudes. It took some time to get to the truth of things and past some of the shallow misconceptions, but we did get there, which I was very happy with.

The story itself took plenty of turns that I didn't see coming, though thankfully not some of the ones I was braced for, and totally knocked me off my feet near the end with a twist so out of left field that...I'd made a throwaway comment in a much earlier chapter ("wait, don't tell me they were x") and then promptly forgotten all about it. But here's the thing. Even though I immediately saw how it was all going to work out, and even though I knew everyone was going to be all right, I cried buckets during that scene. Literally sobbed actual tears because I *felt* the wrench right along with them as everything got sorted out. Wow. Really, really good storytelling there. And it comes away with the 5-stars-even-though-I-cried award, which you know is high praise from me. ;)

[Jan Ackerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my three favorites of grandma's (the others being "Not My Will" and "Three Shall be One").

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know how many times I’ve read this book. Or parts of it, or skimmed it. The characters are delightful and real, the setting is well done, the plot, . . . well, I won’t give any spoilers, but it is so good!
Joyce, Gene, Herb, and Matt all have unique personalities, different situations they are facing, and yet two are learning what faith and prayer really are, and all face challenges that would test anyone’s faith. I love the Christian aspects of this book. There were times to laugh, and times I wanted to help, and times I wanted to just hug a character.
This is one of my favorites by this author

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was the first Francena Arnold book I read as a teen, and I remembered loving it. Rereading it, I really enjoyed it. The main thing I didn't like was I found the middle of the book drug a little, as the protagonist was a bit of a brat. (She does recognize this at the end.) However, I felt there the climax and conclusion were better placed in this book than some of the others, and, as a result, the conclusion was much more satisfying.

[Benjamin Tramm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

This book looks back at an older time and shows that those times were complicated,too. It's worth your time. It's good a good Gospel message,too.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The example of how a healthy family interacts, falls, keeps on working at it. Identical to our fellowship with the Father. You can't not love all this author's warm books! Love shines through. Something we need more than ever in today's world!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one I picked off the shelf as it looked to be an easy read, and that is what I need these days with life being so hectic. It was interesting; I would've found it especially so about 20 years ago. (My, I am getting old.) Some of it seemed too unrealistic.