Breathing On Her Own
Breathing On Her Own book cover

Breathing On Her Own

Paperback – October 31, 2019

Price
$15.24
Format
Paperback
Pages
256
Publisher
Emerald House Group, Incorporated
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1620207338
Dimensions
5.5 x 0.58 x 8.5 inches
Weight
10.5 ounces

Description

"Lean, not florid, genuine, not sappy, reflective, not preachy, familiar, not clichéd, satisfying, not contrived: what more could one ask of a contemporary novel from a first-time novelist? Readers of Breathing on Her Own will enjoy a story that feels close to home, in the tradition of writers like Anne Tyler. We know the people in this story. They are friends, neighbors, family, even ourselves. I expect that when readers finish this book, they will ask Dr. Waters when they can read her next one. That's certainly my question." --Jon Weatherly Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost Johnson University "Entertaining, challenging, and realistic. Breathing on Her Own brings us face-to-face with what we really believe through the eyes of one woman's journey with hope and resilient faith as the backbone of the story." --Drew Waters Actor, Director, Producer; Star of The Ultimate Life and The Redemption of Henry Meyers as well as recurring roles on Saturday Night Lights and NCIS "I was hooked from the beginning! Waters takes us on a journey of faith and doubt which had me asking questions like, 'How would I react?' and 'Would I trust God during these tough times?' Let this real-life drama pull you in and pull you closer to God!" --Andy Lynch WTLW TV host of 'Faith and Friends' and Sports Director of WOSN "Rebecca Waters nailed it in this well-written novel about family and life changing tragedy. She takes her protagonist, Molly, through the pain that comes when life kicks you in the gut, in both a realistic and insightful way. Giving Molly permission to question her God and her faith gives the reader permission to do the same. This can bring a great deal of comfort to people who are struggling through the challenges that inevitably come into every life. In Breathing on Her Own, as in real life, God holds up to the questioning and that is the message that Ms. Waters handles so well." --Robin Prince Monroe Author of Devotions for the Brokenhearted and the Comforting Little Hearts series "A must read. Edge of your seat drama, Breathing on Her Own is as brilliant as it is captivating. Rebecca Waters has the ability to paint an accurate picture of her delightful characters in this poignant yet heart warming story that deals with real life issues." --R. A. Giggie Author of Stella's Plea

Features & Highlights

  • An icy road and a sharp turn leave one woman dead, another clinging to life.
  • Molly Tipton looks forward to a peaceful retirement, but her life suddenly spirals out of control when her oldest daughter is involved in a terrible accident.
  • While two families grieve, details emerge that shake Molly to her core. As she prepares her daughter for what lies ahead, Molly discovers her oldest child is not the only one injured and forced to deal with past mistakes.
  • If it’s true that time heals all wounds, what are we to do with our scars?
  • Praise for
  • Breathing on Her Own
  • “Lean, not florid, genuine, not sappy, reflective, not preachy, familiar, not clichéd, satisfying, not contrived: what more could one ask of a contemporary novel from a first-time novelist? Readers of
  • Breathing on Her Own
  • will enjoy a story that feels close to home, in the tradition of writers like Anne Tyler. We know the people in this story. They are friends, neighbors, family, even ourselves. I expect that when readers finish this book, they will ask Dr. Waters when they can read her next one. That’s certainly my question.”
  • —Jon Weatherly
  • Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost Johnson University
  • “Entertaining, challenging, and realistic.
  • Breathing on Her Own
  • brings us face-to-face with what we really believe through the eyes of one woman’s journey with hope and resilient faith as the backbone of the story.”
  • —Drew Waters
  • Actor, Director, Producer; Star of
  • The Ultimate Life
  • and
  • The Redemption of Henry Meyers
  • as well as recurring roles on
  • Saturday Night Lights
  • and
  • NCIS
  • “I was hooked from the beginning! Waters takes us on a journey of faith and doubt which had me asking questions like, ‘How would I react?’ and ‘Would I trust God during these tough times?’ Let this real-life drama pull you in and pull you closer to God!”
  • —Andy Lynch
  • WTLW TV host of ‘Faith and Friends’ and Sports Director of WOSN
  • “Rebecca Waters nailed it in this well-written novel about family and life changing tragedy. She takes her protagonist, Molly, through the pain that comes when life kicks you in the gut, in both a realistic and insightful way. Giving Molly permission to question her God and her faith gives the reader permission to do the same. This can bring a great deal of comfort to people who are struggling through the challenges that inevitably come into every life. In
  • Breathing on Her Own
  • , as in real life, God holds up to the questioning and that is the message that Ms. Waters handles so well.”
  • —Robin Prince Monroe
  • Author of
  • Devotions for the Brokenhearted
  • and the
  • Comforting Little Hearts
  • series
  • “A must read. Edge of your seat drama,
  • Breathing on Her Own
  • is as brilliant as it is captivating. Rebecca Waters has the ability to paint an accurate picture of her delightful characters in this poignant yet heart warming story that deals with real life issues.”
  • —R. A. Giggie
  • Author of
  • Stella’s Plea

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(132)
★★★★
25%
(110)
★★★
15%
(66)
★★
7%
(31)
23%
(100)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Faith Among the Ruins

Thank you in advance to JustRead and the publisher for providing a complimentary copy to review. All words are my own in this review and a positive review was not required.

This is the first book I’ve read by Rebecca Walters and this is also her “debut” book. This heart-wrenching novel was first published in 2014, and was re-published in October 2019.

The cover depicts the “what should’ve been” in the book – an older couple with grown adult children – looking forward to retirement in sunny Florida. And, that drew me in, along with the blurb for the book.

After their oldest daughter has a life-altering accident; the couple, their son-in-law, and grandchildren face changes in their lives finding “normal” again. Molly doesn’t believe that they’ll ever find it. Challenge after challenge comes their way – Laney’s recovery, legal issues, housing issues. Even dealing with the past. Yet, their faith in God and by using prayer gets them through the challenges.

“Breathing on her Own” is a clean; Christian read with what some might describe as heavy themes of faith, redemption, and forgiveness. God is very much present in the book. It is told entirely from Molly’s POV in third person form.

Waters’ writing is realistic, vivid, and at times overwhelming. She carefully crafts an emotional roller-coaster ride that is hard to put down. The story is very engaging and realistic. Anyone who has been a victim of DUI or in a car accident in general, might have some triggering effects. Waters’ doesn’t shy away from the topic as to the emotional effects; the legal effects tended to only skim the surface. The physical effects were also introduced, and realistically portrayed.

There will be some who might find the heavy Christian themes a bit off-putting. I did not. The way the book is written, the reader might find themselves questioning their own faith and wondering about the choices they make.

The only issue I had was some transitions of time in the story – some were rushed, and others needed to “move on”. Other than that I found it to be well-written with a natural flow. It was an easy to read novel, and very easy to get lost in. There were times I couldn’t put it down.

The characters were realistic in their circumstances. Molly was the mother who tended more to blame someone else than accept her daughter’s responsibility, and even Laney skated by with not being able to remember. Molly’s faith tended to waver back and forth despite what she was trying to tell her daughter. Laney’s “come to Jesus” moment was a bit too quick for the situation.

There were minor issues that did tended to be distracting – a potential criminal and civil legal issue were introduced and dismissed quickly, and Molly’s lack of judgment when it came to a “letter” her daughter wanted to mail after the accident.

Overall, this was one of those books that evoked emotional reactions, but left me feeling hopeful at the end – God is there and will be there. Not in the way we want, in the way he thinks we need. I did enjoy it quite a bit though.

Recommended for those who enjoy Christian and faith-based reads.