Wilderness

by Karen Ball

Mady Donovan and Jason Tiber have little in common-or so they think. When they find themselves lost together in the wilderness of Washington's North Cascades, they realize they share one disturbing similarity: anger with the God they each believe has betrayed them. Together they discover the reality of faith in a broken world-and of God's sufficiency in even the most desperate circumstances. Wilderness is a breathtaking story of adventure and romance that will help readers find their bearings in Christ.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Romance, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 1999

About the author

Karen's latest full-length novel, What Lies Within, has been nominated as the Best Inspirational Novel of the Year. Readers regularly call Karen's writing powerful, uplifting, and fun. She writes from her home in Oregon, where she lives with her husband, Don, and their two "kids": Dasha, a mischievous 4-month-old Siberian husky, and Dakota, an Aussie-Terrier mix that should have been named Psycho.

Next to working with words, Karen's greatest joys are playing with her dogs, laughing, savoring nature and wildlife, and finding wonder in everyday life.

Reviews

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I definitely remember this book and remember loving it the first seven or eight times I read it years ago (I may be exaggerating but I'm not sure), this book also employed significant and often gag-worthy tropes of Christian Romance.

This book did not survive round two of the purge from my personal collection.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I debated between 2 and 3 stars - wish I could give it a 2.5.
Pros: It kept me turning the pages; I wanted to know what happened next.
Cons: Cheesy. Christian romance cliche cheesy. Some of the dialogue was unrealistic...as were some of the plot points.

[Debbie Krupar]

Did not enjoy this author. Would not read another book by her

[Saralyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I debated between three and four stars, but ended up on three because although I enjoyed the book and got a lot out of it, I don't think I would ever pick it up again. I'm not sure what made me pick up the book. I started it because I didn't feel like reading any of the other books I had around, but quickly found a lot to appreciate about the book. I liked Karen Ball's characters and how they relate with the Lord. There's a lot of great insights into how we all have a "calling from the Lord" and how He uses our personality, gifts and talents to fulfill His purposes. It's a bit sappy, but that's to be expected. It wasn't hokey, like I kind of expected at first. I came away with a renewed sense of commitment.

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The main thing I love about it, is how the author managed to make me laugh over and over again at the antics of Mady and Jason. I love Mady's personality. She is so unlike me, but the things she does are hilarious. I also loved Jason, who is so unlike Mady as well, but slowly realizes his love for her. He run away from his past, and thought it would help, but it didn't. Mady showed him that through her life and love. Mady was searching for a meaning, and she found it with Jason. The author showed their developing attraction for each other really well, and when I finished the book, I realized that they had only known each other for, how long? Three weeks? The author showed the time passing really well. I 5 star for this book!

[Selah Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The main thing I love about it, is how the author managed to make me laugh over and over again at the antics of Mady and Jason. I love Mady's personality. She is so unlike me, but the things she does are hilarious. I also loved Jason, who is so unlike Mady as well, but slowly realizes his love for her. He run away from his past, and thought it would help, but it didn't. Mady showed him that through her life and love. Mady was searching for a meaning, and she found it with Jason. The author showed their developing attraction for each other really well, and when I finished the book, I realized that they had only known each other for, how long? Three weeks? The author showed the time passing really well. I 5 star for this book!

[Dawn Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I could so identify with the heroine's struggle to realize how much she really needs someone besides herself, and recognition of the fact that she's been too reliant on herself while telling herself she wasn't. Her completely klutziness lends hilarity to the story that is so believable, particularly to someone who is accident-prone. The hero's struggle to reconnect with his faith is something I could understand, having been there in the past myself. Even when he's acting like a jerk, I couldn't help but adore him.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book so impressed me!As a pastor's daughter, I hope every aspiring minister reads this book. The truth of the work being great because of the calling and not because of the size of the congregation.

This book rates in my top twenty reads in my life because of the unique message wrapped in a great story.

[Meighan Kouvelas · Rating 3 out of 5]

cool