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The Watermark
“I wanted to tell her the truth. I wanted to finally tell her everything. But the door slammed shut as it rightfully should have before I could be brave enough to do a thing.”
Sheridan Blake believes he has made one mistake that is beyond the reach of God’s forgiveness. Even after seven years of hopelessness, Sheridan still struggles to make something out of his life. When Genevie Dayton interrupts his self-imposed isolation, Sheridan dates to hope for a second chance.
Sheridan Blake believes he has made one mistake that is beyond the reach of God’s forgiveness. Even after seven years of hopelessness, Sheridan still struggles to make something out of his life. When Genevie Dayton interrupts his self-imposed isolation, Sheridan dates to hope for a second chance.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2001
2 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Travis Thrasher
72 books419 followersNew York Times bestselling author Travis Thrasher has written over 75 books, from fiction in a variety of genres to memoirs and children’s books. He has collaborated with filmmakers, musicians, athletes, comedians and pastors. Travis lives with his wife and three daughters in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 9, 2024
Some reviewers on Goodreads said this book was life-changing…I found it dull. By the time I got to the big reveal and the part about forgiveness, I had already lost interest and was just plodding through to the end.
August 5, 2018
Thrasher is and always will be one of my favorite authors. With that being said though, this novella was not my favorite.
I thought it was quite predictable. 1) It's not difficult to guess what the accident is referring too. 2) The "beating up" of Sheridan couldn't possibly have been by the person Sheridan assumed. Although I know Thrasher tried hard to point it in that direction.
There were good parts too though. I think Gen provided a sense of hope and a witty perspective that sometimes this novella needed. I also appreciated that no animals were hurt in the making of this novella (although I wasn't sure there for a minute). I also believe that truly this was a story of forgiveness, as the subtitle leads us to believe, and that in itself is a powerful message to portray. Furthermore, I loved the term watermark and how that was incorporated into the story.
I thought it was quite predictable. 1) It's not difficult to guess what the accident is referring too. 2) The "beating up" of Sheridan couldn't possibly have been by the person Sheridan assumed. Although I know Thrasher tried hard to point it in that direction.
There were good parts too though. I think Gen provided a sense of hope and a witty perspective that sometimes this novella needed. I also appreciated that no animals were hurt in the making of this novella (although I wasn't sure there for a minute). I also believe that truly this was a story of forgiveness, as the subtitle leads us to believe, and that in itself is a powerful message to portray. Furthermore, I loved the term watermark and how that was incorporated into the story.
May 2, 2018
The Watermark
I first read this when I was a teenager, so somewhere around a decade ago, probably, and I loved it. Rereading it, I still adore Sheridan and Genevie and the story that plays out between them of love and forgiveness and figuring out what comes next.
I first read this when I was a teenager, so somewhere around a decade ago, probably, and I loved it. Rereading it, I still adore Sheridan and Genevie and the story that plays out between them of love and forgiveness and figuring out what comes next.
May 14, 2018
This was my second time to read this book. Although it is somewhat predictable, it is a beautiful story about forgiveness and second chances. Most of all it's about the unconditional love of God.
January 2, 2015
Picked this up at the library. The subtitle actually is what caught my eye: "a tender story of forgiveness and hope." I also liked this quote from the book: "Watermark: a mark impressed on paper that is visible only when the paper is held up to the light." So much describes the hidden work that God often does in our hearts!
As soon as I started reading, I got hooked. Which is something as I haven't been reading a whole lot of books lately. I miss the enjoyment of just getting lost in a book. I like how the writing is light and easy and how the theme is on redemption, something that I'm appreciating in my own life, having gone through various difficult things and some major and minor failures as well. Anyway, reading the prologue alone just did something to my cold religious heart... it melted and I found myself tearing up at the message of the age old Gospel. I'm looking forward to reading more!
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Finished the book. It's a story of a young musician named Sheridan Blake who makes a devastating mistake and is haunted by this past that he can no longer run away from. The woman that he meets and falls in love with, Genevie Liu, along with God and the various situations that come up, help him to open up like a flower and deal with the past no matter how painful it is.
The plot is a little slow like some other readers had reviewed, but I liked it. I liked the character interaction and the dialogue. The story line was all right, although I thought it was a bit cliche and could have had a more interesting twist at the end, but still well told. I do look forward to reading more from Travis Thrasher.
"Mark well this road in life; it can never be traveled again. The imprints you've made are all that remain." -p.239
"You don't have to go out and try to save the world. Maybe all you need to do is show some love to a guy you can probably easily identify with." -p.195
"No matter what you've done, what mistakes you've made, what you can't go back and change, you still belong to Jesus, and he will never abandon you. He's marked you for life, and that mark will never leave you." -p.
As soon as I started reading, I got hooked. Which is something as I haven't been reading a whole lot of books lately. I miss the enjoyment of just getting lost in a book. I like how the writing is light and easy and how the theme is on redemption, something that I'm appreciating in my own life, having gone through various difficult things and some major and minor failures as well. Anyway, reading the prologue alone just did something to my cold religious heart... it melted and I found myself tearing up at the message of the age old Gospel. I'm looking forward to reading more!
-----------------
Finished the book. It's a story of a young musician named Sheridan Blake who makes a devastating mistake and is haunted by this past that he can no longer run away from. The woman that he meets and falls in love with, Genevie Liu, along with God and the various situations that come up, help him to open up like a flower and deal with the past no matter how painful it is.
The plot is a little slow like some other readers had reviewed, but I liked it. I liked the character interaction and the dialogue. The story line was all right, although I thought it was a bit cliche and could have had a more interesting twist at the end, but still well told. I do look forward to reading more from Travis Thrasher.
"Mark well this road in life; it can never be traveled again. The imprints you've made are all that remain." -p.239
"You don't have to go out and try to save the world. Maybe all you need to do is show some love to a guy you can probably easily identify with." -p.195
"No matter what you've done, what mistakes you've made, what you can't go back and change, you still belong to Jesus, and he will never abandon you. He's marked you for life, and that mark will never leave you." -p.
July 6, 2009
This was a lightweight, fairly entertaining book. The plot line isn't too interesting, and is fairly predictable. I also don't think the author did a great job developing the characters.
I was hoping for a more interesting plot line, as I read another book by this author that was really interesting. However, if you want a quick, easy-to-read romance, that is inspirational and encouraging, I suggest this book.
I was hoping for a more interesting plot line, as I read another book by this author that was really interesting. However, if you want a quick, easy-to-read romance, that is inspirational and encouraging, I suggest this book.
October 10, 2012
This was a very wonderful book of hope and forgiveness. I had a hard time getting into it b/c it was told from the male character's point of view, but after the first few chapters I was all in ;). Very very good read that will be great for, well everyone. We have all dealt with doing things that we are not proud of and feel that we do not deserve forgiveness. This book will help you to see God's forgiveness in a new light.
February 17, 2013
We have all had our moments when we have felt like we could not move past a mistake we made. There is hope and this book helps us to remember that. Travis Thrasher has a unique writing style that always ends with a twist and a good lesson. Thrasher's character in this book, Sheridan Blake, struggles to live a new life as he is continuously confronted with his own dark past. Can he ever be forgiven for the horrible mistake he has made? Can the people in his life accept him for what he has done?
January 27, 2011
This book was alright. It wasn't something I just HAD to finish as soon as I started it. Being a Christian, I liked the message in it, but sadly, it was way too predictable in it's story. I felt the writing was like a high school student though. The book is about a man who has made a life-altering choice in the past and doesn't know how to get past it or get back to God.
July 19, 2015
I really liked this book! I randomly picked it up at the library and I'm not disappointed. It definitely has that good feeling to it. I feel better about myself. Refreshed. I would recommend this book if you need a bit of a pick me up. :)
June 16, 2009
This was an absolutely awesome book. I loved how it had a good message to it.
August 6, 2016
This was a different type of read from Admission & Second Thief but still enjoyable and worth reading.
July 7, 2012
Delightful, inspirational and motivating. A lovely tale that was perfect for lazy day summer reading. I will look forward to more by this author.
August 24, 2013
An easy read. The "big" accident that was the focal point of the book was easily guessed.
February 5, 2016
A good little book on forgiveness, hope, and love. A good love story, too!
March 23, 2021
Was a good short read, better than I expected but I thought that the conflict that happened was going to be different like the secret the character was hiding.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews