Christian Fiction Devourers discussion

Ok friends it's time to open up discussion for A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert. This group read will go until July 14th. As always please mark any spoiler comments with **SPOILER** or completely hide them using (some html is ok) up above to hide them.

Here is the Goodreads summary on A Broken Kind of Beautiful.

Fashion is a fickle industry, a frightening fact for twenty-four-year-old model Ivy Clark. Ten years in and she's learned a sacred truth -- appearance is everything. Nobody cares about her broken past as long as she looks beautiful for the camera. This is the only life Ivy knows -- so when it starts to unravel, she'll do anything to hold on. Even if that means moving to the quaint island town of Greenbrier, South Carolina, to be the new face of her stepmother's bridal wear line -- an irony too rich for words, since Ivy is far from the pure bride in white.


Ok- I'll open us up with our regular question- have you read anything else by Katie Ganshert and if so what, and did you enjoy it?

I loved this book - by far a favorite of the year!

to answer the first question, I have only read this one, but I definitely want to get to her other books.

I can't wait to see what everyone else thinks! :)

I just started this one yesterday and am loving it so far! This is my first Katie Ganshert book. I noticed her book Wishing on Willows was nominated for an INSPY. I checked it from the library and then realized in was the second book in the series.

I am fourth on the waiting list for my library's e-book version. Hopefully I'll be able to read it while this discussion is going on. So looking forward to this book!

Staci, I think you will love it!

Christine, hope you can get a the ecopy sooner rather than later! I think you will love it too!

Ordered it, but haven't received mine yet either. Hopefully it will be in the mail today. Can't wait to read it after all the good things that's been said.

I loved it! I really tried to wait til I could read it with the group, but it called out to me! Lol

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I absolutely loved it! This was my first book by Katie, and I'll definitely be reading more. (Just an FYI- Katie will be giving away a copy of her book on my blog next month. I'll post it here!)

I got it last week but haven't started it yet. I've read her other three books and I love her writing style.

This will be my first book by Katie Ganshert. I read one of the reviews for A Broken Kind of Beautiful (love the title, btw), and the book sounded awesome!

Just finished this one tonight. What I liked most about this novel is how unique it was. How many Christian Fiction books are there about fashion models? Perhaps, there are some, but I haven't run across them.

The novel was filled with strong, likeable and imperfect characters. My favorite...Marilyn. What a strong and faithful woman!

This was a beautiful story of redemption.

Beth wrote: "Staci, I think you will love it!

Christine, hope you can get a the ecopy sooner rather than later! I think you will love it too!"

Well, I'm up to third on the list - probably not likely I'll get it before the month is out, but still look forward to reading it!

I loved loved loved this book!!! Katie definitely has a way with words! hope everyone reading it is enjoying it! :)

I am almost finished with this one and I have to say there have been so many moments in this book that have really struck me as "wow, that is really good", and I can't wait to bring them up with you. I thought I'd pitch out a discussion question though to get your thoughts-

What did you think of the title of the book- A Broken Kind of Beautiful? And what do you think that means in the context of this story?

I thought the title was a perfect fit. Ivy was beautiful on the outside and broken on the inside.

Yeah, the library book came in a couple days ago! I am really enjoying it! Such a unique book for Christian fiction.

I think that we all view beauty differently,

Also I agree that Ivy was stunning on the outside, the broken part to me was more the spiritual aspect in her life.

Like Staci said, "Broken on the inside"- i think that fits but i wonder was there anything on the inside that wasn't broken? Because Ivy wasn't really a weak character.

I think Ivy's inside was mis-matched. On one hand, she use her looks to fill a void, to feel wanted and to get what she wanted. That gave her power over others and also over her inner-weakness and insecurities, but only for a short time. It was like the power was draining to her spirit because it wasn't something that came from faith in God or herself, but in her outward beauty.

I'm halfway through and agree that it's very good. Will comment further when I've finished.

****SPOILER COMMENTS


I would say that the title of the book aptly fits many situations that you find here- the most obvious of course is Ivy and her beautiful outside but very much broken inside. But I also feel you can apply it to Davis as well. In terms of the fact that his "beautiful" was the fact that he knew Christ but his broken element was that he "didn't live like it" as he was a guilt- ridden sort of fellow. (In fact when Ivy says that to him, for me, that was a very powerful part of the book- wow!)

Also Davis' sister was physically "broken" in terms of losing her eyesight but she was an amazing resilient character in terms of her faith and growth- and showed her beauty that way.

And lastly Marilyn- who I loved- what a strong lady and her faith and patience and love for Ivy was truly beautiful, but at the onset of the the novel we see the brokeness in her relationship with both Ivy and her now deceased husband. So anyway I thought the title of this novel fit a variety of situations here and I really enjoyed it.

I finished this book friday. I enjoyed it and i also think the title is appropriate for the book. For me it started out slow, but towards the middle i really got into it and couldn't but it down. Ivy in so many ways reminds me of my daughter such beauty on the outside but such brokenness on the inside. Still praying for my girl and i trust God will take care of her and draw her to himself. I even shed a few tears on this book. Thanks for choosing it as a book for the month.

Linda- it's always touching when we read something that makes us think of our own situation, that really shows us how a fictional story can really "ring true". Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

This is a cut above a lot of 'Christian' fiction, with a really convincing conversion and some really convincing growth in grace at its core. Yes, it's a HEA story, but none the worse for that. I'll be lending and recommending it for a long time.

It's so deserving that I wish with all my heart that I'd got my paws on it as a beta-reader. Then between us we could have eliminated examples of that Unholy Trinity, "different than", "as ... as" with the first "as" surplus to requirement, and "like" used as conjunction, and perhaps also the couple of definite typos that I found.

Cheryl wrote: "****SPOILER COMMENTS


I would say that the title of the book aptly fits many situations that you find here- the most obvious of course is Ivy and her beautiful outside but very much broken inside...."

I also loved Marilyn! What a woman of strong faith. She kept loving on Ivy, though she never knew if Ivy would return her love. She persevered in loving her and praying for her. What a great example of a woman of God!

Christine wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "****SPOILER COMMENTS


I would say that the title of the book aptly fits many situations that you find here- the most obvious of course is Ivy and her beautiful outside but very much..."

I respect Marilyn a lot. To stick with all her family, live her dream, and remain dedicated to God is very admirable. I found her to be the most inspirational so far. (I am about halfway through.)

I loved Marilyn! Some of her lines in the book brought me to tears! I have some of my faves written down, I'll have to find them.

Yes Marilyn was a lovely lady- what an example of someone who chose to obey God even when it must have been so difficult- to choose to love Ivy even though she was living breathing proof that her husband was unfaithful to her. I think it was a beautiful example of how God changed someone's heart and to me those are the true miracles.