True Believers, by Linda Dorrell

Reviewed by Jen Nofziger

" . . . this great story lands in a heap on the pages."

I really don't want to write the review for this book.  

When I was given the chance to contribute to WoW Connect! by doing two of my favorite things (reading and telling people what I think), I had hoped to avoid being put in this spot.  Actually, if I hadn't put off doing this until the last minute (another one of my favorite things - so I guess this opportunity really combines three of  my favorite things), I would read another book and try again.  Let me tell you a little about the book, then I will explain my dilemma.

True Believers by Linda Dorrell tells a classic, heartwarming story.  A story of redemption, forgiveness, of how everyone is flawed and everyone can find healing - all sorts of good stuff.  Everyone enjoys an interesting story full of these sorts of things, right?  No problem yet.

The story takes place in South Carolina in the 1950s.  Peggy Nickles is a 36 year old single woman who has inherited a fortune from her parents.  With part of her inheritance, Miss Peggy buys some property which comes with a house, an old broken down church and a cemetery that she is inexplicably drawn to.  She approaches a local African American  pastor, whose flock has no building in which to meet, and makes him an offer he knows is the answer to his prayers.  If the pastor, Otha Lee, will fix up the church on her property, he can have it, free and clear.  Then along comes Joseph, the mysterious stranger to town, who answers Miss Peggy's ad for a handy man to help Otha Lee with the church.  All sorts of complications arise, intertwining racial issues, family histories, individual stories, and personal struggles.

As I said at the beginning, I'm not really chomping at the bit to write this review.  Here's the thing:  I know that someone pours out her heart and her soul, everything in her, not to mention countless hours, in order to put the story that is growing inside her to the page.  That is how books come to be.  Knowing that, I feel bad that I didn't like the book.  Let me rephrase that, I don't feel bad that I didn't like the book, because that happens sometimes and, well, I didn't like the book.  I feel bad telling people that I didn't like the book. 

One problem I had reading True Believers (and this is one of my personal "issues," so it may not apply to you) is that I don't want to know how the book is going to end before I get to the end.   With all the "coincidences" and other things that happened, I just couldn't help but know how the story would end. That being said, one of my favorite parts of the book was a surprise I did not see coming at all.  I actually gasped out loud when I read it, and if anyone had been around they would have had to wonder why I was asking my book, "really?"! 

There are great characters with interesting personal narratives and fascinating stories in this book. With so many characters and stories and twists and turns in a 200 page book, however, I found myself wanting for more development of some of the story lines.  It was like the author had a beautiful, wonderful story to share, but couldn't get it out fast enough, and this great story lands in a heap on the pages.

This may be hard to believe, but I don't want to discourage someone from reading (and hopefully enjoying) True Believers because there's a good chance you might connect with it in a way that I didn't.  In fact, as I did some research, I found only flattering reviews, so it could just be me.  I would encourage you to read it, so that you can tell me how I missed the point. Please, if you have read this book, I would love to hear/read what you thought.

True Believers is available in the Fiction section of the SGC Resource Center or can be purchased here.