The Pearl

by Angela Elwell Hunt

She had the perfect life until the accident. Now science offers an opportunity to replace what she has lost--but at what cost?

Diana and Steve Sheldon had it all--successful careers, nice home, a lovely teenage daughter, an adorable five-year-old son. But when a freak accident ravages their happy family, Diana, a professional radio counselor, finds herself viewing the world through new eyes of grief--and accepting ideas and situations she would have considered unacceptable only a few weeks before.

When a research foundation offers to restore her loss through a medical marvel, Diana is convinced she has found the answer to her family's anguish. Determined to sacrifice anything that stands between her and healing for her broken heart, she proceeds along a dangerous course, never dreaming that healing might prove more destructive than hurt...

As timely as today's newspaper, The Pearl is an honest, heart-rending look at life and faith through a contemporary mother's eyes.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Contemporary, Inspirational, Faith, Adult

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2003

About the author

Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who have learned to expect the unexpected in novels from this versatile author. With nearly six million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 165 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to novels.

Now that her two children are grown, Angie and her husband live in Florida with Very Big Dogs (a direct result of watching Turner and Hooch and Sandlot too many times). This affinity for mastiffs has not been without its rewards--one of their dogs was featured on Live with Regis and Kelly as the second-largest canine in America. Their dog received this dubious honor after an all-expenses-paid trip to Manhattan for the dog and the Hunts, complete with VIP air travel and a stretch limo in which they toured New York City.

Afterward, the dog gave out pawtographs at the airport.

Angela admits to being fascinated by animals, medicine, psychology, unexplained phenomena, and “just about everything” except sports. Books, she says, have always shaped her life— in the fifth grade she learned how to flirt from reading Gone with the Wind.

Her books have won the coveted Christy Award, several Angel Awards from Excellence in Media, and the Gold and Silver Medallions from Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award. In 2007, her novel The Note was featured as a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel. Romantic Times Book Club presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006, and American Christian Fiction Writers bestowed the same award in 2019.

In 2006, Angela completed her Master of Biblical Studies in Theology degree and completed her second doctorate in 2015. When she’s not home reading or writing, Angie often travels to teach writing workshops at schools and writers’ conferences. And to talk about her dogs, of course.

Reviews

[Ingrid]

I applaud this author for consistantly writting "higher concept" books for christian readers. There's so much more to life than romance!

[Anne (In Search of Wonder) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I applaud the author for tackling a difficult subject such as this, but it came across a little dry and far-fetched for me. The issue of cloning itself, as well as the side issue of divorce, was well-handled in its theological and philosophical aspect, but the story part was not as compelling to me.

[Macey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one very much. The lead woman was too headstrong for my liking.

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.’ (Mt 13:45-46)

The title of Angela Hunt’s provocative book, The Pearl, refers to the above parable as well as the oyster’s ability to turn invasive irritation into exquisite creation. Dr. Diana Sheldon is a popular radio psychologist, who seems to have everything and be ‘on top of her game’ as the expression goes; she loves God, her husband, children, beautiful home, etc. Then an unfortunate accident turns her world upside down and Diana finds herself viewing everything differently—including and especially her relationship to God. Although we can see the doctor unable to take her own medicine, Diana cannot make sense of her own suffering and jumps at the opportunity to replace what she’s lost through cutting edge technologies. This of course reveals the weak places and ragged edges in the existing fabric of her life; the rest unravels at an increasingly rapid rate.

The Pearl deals with many current family issues including: parent/teenage relations, divorce and its effects, and the ethics of cloning and other new reproductive innovations. Includes a reading guide.

Thanks Patti for the recommendation! ☺

[EllieVreads · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was pulled into the story of a woman who suddenly loses her son until she decides to pursue cloning him. What crap. It was published in 2003, and I can't remember cloning being a deeply controversial topic nine years ago.

Sorely disappointed since I did enjoy another of this author's books earlier this summer. Don't know if I'll give any more of hers a try though, this one was that bad.

[Jeanne Modisett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love most of Angela Hunt’s books. However, this book was tedious. I finished it because I wanted to know what happened in the end, but getting there was a laborious journey.

[Laura B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am glad I didn't come across this book until now, and am also thankful I didn't read it before now having had lost a baby of my own 12 years ago. I don't think I could have handled it before. AEH did an amazing job of expressing how it feels to have lost a child, the overwhelming pain and despair and most importantly asking God "Why?" and never receiving an answer. Also, the way AEH wrote the grieving process for the other family members, each in their own way, was handled very well. AEH wrote with sensitivity and empathy about the loss of a child, and it made me wonder if she lost one herself.

I also appreciated how AEH shifted viewpoints from the other family members, and having the mother's POV in first person was especially fitting for completely understanding her mindset on processing the grief and all that encompasses, and her fall into an illogical and irrational decisions. I do not want to give away what happens throughout the story, but everything that did happen was "natural" in that nothing was forced, or far-fetched.

Even saying all that, I do think the ending was a little too neat and tidy because of the subject matter of this novel, but it was satisfying.

I highly recommend this book, but be prepared for the heart-wrenching grieving.

[Samantha Stephenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a frustrating book for me!! This book hit one of my bigger pain points as someone who lost a sibling tragically and attends support groups for it and that pain point is grieving parents who completely lose sight of any remaining children they have and put everything into obsessing about their child who died. Maybe a grieving mother would relate to this more, I’m not sure, but as a grieving sibling it was hard to read. I do see the reality of this happening with some families (though not in the specific way that this book talks about). I will say it touched on a lot of really good points and it honestly laid out a family dynamic after loss fairly well, or at least one common direction it can go - including the forgotten mourners (any remaining siblings). I really did like the ending and I like the strong convictions throughout the book. I just didn’t like the main character very much at all which made it hard to read even though I wanted to see the story through.

[CindyHunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life is Precious!!!

We should never take our days or our families for granted, as life can change in an instant!!! Only God knows the number of our days.I had just finished reading The Truth teller, and loved the story of Hunter and was ready to hear about Scott Daniel when all of a sudden his life is in God's hands. I cried, I was heart broken, angry frustrated and relieved when finally trusting in God's will took hold.
Always trust in God's will not our will!!!

[Lora Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pearl is full of the unexpected. I found myself lost in the emotions of the characters. Having faced unexpected loss myself, I was captivated by the expressions of emotions so different from mine, and yet just as genuine and understandable. At the same time, the author alerted me to a world I didn't know existed. In order to not spoil the plot for you, I'll not explain. You will have to read the book to experience it.

[Katie Aalders · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not know what I was getting into when I picked this book up from a bin in a used book store I frequent. In all honesty I did not see the stamp in the top corner. This is the first boon I’ve ever read based on Women of Faith. All I can give is my unbiased opinion of the depth of a novel.
However, this is a true to the depth book of a woman’s soul. Yet, I have issues with the main character.
But, the issues within the book speak to every aspect of a woman’s soul.

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think maybe it's because of the subject matter, I didn't care a lot for the story. This is a well written book and I typically love this author's work, so I'm sure it's because I couldn't relate, that the book was just "all right" to me. Cloning is too far out there for my thought-process to enjoy.

I definitely plan to continue to read more novels by this author.

[Janelle Hammonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book to push myself out of my comfort zone. I was pleasantly surprised by the story and the way it was handled as it follows the story of a woman forced to reassess her life long religious beliefs after the untimely death of her young son, which upturn her family’s life and her career.

[Gina Pickering Hutchison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling, sad, sweet tale of family, loss, forgiveness, and the final submission of ego. When 5 year old Scotty is killed in an accident, his Mom thinks he's gone, but is he? Can she get him back in some form? But at what cost?

[Lauri Gentry · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting look at the lengths one woman will go through to heal from the loss of her son. Heartbreaking at times and thought provoking. Will she go to the extremes or learn to let go and allow God to heal her broken heart before she destroys her family.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stopped reading - just couldn't get through it! Moved slowly and just couldn't keep my attention. Focus is around dealing with a death of a child and how far one would go to reproduce a clone of that beloved child if it was possible and all of the issues involved. Just not my thing.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this author, and I did enjoy the story line of the family, but the fact that the crux of the book is about cloning definitely dated the book. The fact that cloning never really became an issue in the US makes it kind of irrelevant in my opinion. But it still was a good read. :)

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

unputdownable and thought provoking. also has insights into grief

[Slay All Day · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trash. Propaganda. I've been bamboozled, swindled, and tricked. I would like to give this book no stars but at counts as unrated.

[Dar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and disturbing story.

[Truff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you read a book that really talks to you at a time when you need it.

I really enjoyed this book. and got the message.

[Jacoleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting topic....cloning? Plays with a thin line. Emotions

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will be honest, when I hit the cloning part of the but I almost ditched the book. But stuck with it and in the end all turned out ok.

[Brenda Selner · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a couple of times this book strained fictional belief and a couple of times when the theology was iffy.

[Laura Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read if you’ve ever experienced moments in life that you just can’t understand Gods plan.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book to be depressing.

[Madelynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. It will help parents who have lost a child. Included in the book are God’s promises.

[Valerie (Val's Vicinity) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tragedy strikes....five year old Scott dies in an accident, and his shocked family is left grief-stricken. Steve Sheldon knows that his son is now in heaven, and although Steve is heart-broken and often breaks down, he holds to the belief that this was God's will. His wife Diana, host of the Dr. Diana Sheldon radio show, can't accept Scott's death or believe that God had anything to do with it. She and her husband Steve were supposed to be unable to have children of their own, but God gave them a miracle in Scott, and now Diana absolutely cannot accept that God would take their miracle-child who He gave to them only 5 years before.

Several weeks after Scott's death, Diana receives a strange phone call. The caller is with a medical organization in France, and he tells her that new medical technology can allow Diana to bare another baby -- a baby exactly like Scott. A clone. This baby wouldn't actually be Scott, but would be more like "Scott's identical twin separated by time". At first Diana thinks it's absurd, but the more she thinks about it, the more it makes complete sense to her. She latches onto the idea, and even though her husband Steve doesn't support it at all, she can't let it go. Just how far will she go in pursuing this baby??

At 320 pages, The Pearl might be a bit on the long side, but overall this was a fairly entertaining book, and the cloning issue was presented in a realistic and believable way. Once or twice the medical terms for the development stages of a baby seemed a bit much, but not in a gross way. (More like it briefly seemed like a medical book instead of a fiction book. This might've just been me, though.) While I couldn't identify at all with Diana's "need" to clone her son, it was still interesting to see the lengths she was willing to go to.

If the storyline sounds interesting and appeals to you, then I definitely recommend that you read it. It really gives you some things to think about that stick with you even after you've finished the book.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book deals with the death of the long-awaited child, and the lengths that we will go to to not grieve. To not go through the loss and feel the pain. Period it also deals with the subject of human cloning from a strong Christian worldview. I do think it gets a little preachy in parts, by that I mean it comes on a little too strong whereas I think she could've got her point across in a different way. By letting the character speak versus coming across like a lecture in places. This is only the second book that I have read by this author and I thought the first book was much better written than this one. Though there are some really good quotes in this book especially about grieving

My favorite quote"You know much about oysters, Tom?”

“I know I don’t like to eat ’em.”

“Me, either. But you should also know that oysters are one of God’s most wonderful creations. When a grain of sand enters their shell, they don’t even try to eject the irritation. Instead they embrace it, pull it close, and surround it with their very essence. In time, their ability to wrap beauty around trouble results in a pearl.”

I clicked the next button, which sent a stream of soft music over the airwaves. “That’s what you need to do with your son, Tom. When he irritates you, embrace him, pull him close, and tell him you love him more than anything. In time, my friend, you’ll have a pearl.”"
[...]

Excerpt From: "The Pearl" by Angela Hunt. Scribd.
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Read this book on Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/doc/170417165

[Nora St Laurent · Rating 5 out of 5]

She had the perfect life until the accident.
Diana and Steve Sheldon had it all - successful careers, nice home, a lovely teenage daughter, an adorable five-year old son. But when a freak accident ravages their happy family. Diana a professional radio counselor, finds herself viewing the world through new eyes of grief - and accepting ideas and situations she would have considered unacceptable only a few weeks ago.

This story is very powerful and thought provoking. With the ever evolving changes the Science and medical procedures bring to our lives things we never thought possible are now possible. With these improvements bring moral and judgments problems we never dreamed would occur. Angela Hunt once again pens an story that could be ripped from today’s headlines. This author is an amazing story teller and makes me think about our world a little differently. This is a must read!! It’s also a great book club pick. You’ll have so much to talk about with this rich and moving story!

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com