Facing the Dawn
Facing the Dawn book cover

Facing the Dawn

Paperback – March 2, 2021

by
Price
$8.30
Format
Paperback
Pages
320
Publisher
Revell
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0800737290
Dimensions
5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
Weight
10.2 ounces

Description

"An emotional roller coaster of loss, faith, hope, and redemption. I couldn't stop reading." -- Debbie Macomber , #1 New York Times bestselling authorWhile her humanitarian husband Liam has been digging wells in Africa, Mara Jacobs has been struggling. She knows she's supposed to feel a warm glow that her husband is eight time zones away, caring for widows and orphans. But she is exhausted, working a demanding yet unrewarding job, trying to manage their three detention-prone and needy kids, failing at her to-repair list, and fading like a garment left too long in the sun.Then Liam's three-year absence turns into something more, changing everything and plunging her into a sunless grief. As Mara struggles to find her footing, she discovers that even when hope is tenuous, faith is fragile, and the future is unknown, we can be sure we are not forgotten .xa0.xa0. or unloved."Cynthia Ruchti writes with faith and heart, exploring life and love with sensitivity and an underlying sense of grace."-- Lisa Wingate , #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours and The Book of Lost Friends "Cynthia Ruchti outdoes herself in this gripping story about the resilience of the human heart."-- Suzanne Woods Fisher , bestselling author of On a Summer Tide Cynthia Ruchti is the award-winning author of more than 30 books, including the novels Miles from Where We Started , A Fragile Hope , Song of Silence , When the Morning Glory Blooms , and They Almost Always Come Home . Her books have been honored with more than 40 awards, including Romantic Times ' Inspirational Novel of the Year, two Selah Awards, and three Christian Retailing 's BEST Awards, and she has been a finalist for many others, including the Carol and the Christy. Former president of and current professional relations liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Cynthia lives in Wisconsin and can be found online at www.cynthiaruchti.com.

Features & Highlights

  • "Ruchti has a gift for taking characters through their grief and lifting them to a place higher than themselves . . . The message of hope in a situation that seems hopeless is especially needed now."--
  • Library Journal
  • starred review"An emotional roller coaster of loss, faith, hope, and redemption. I couldn't stop reading."
  • --
  • Debbie Macomber
  • , #1
  • New York Times
  • bestselling author***While her humanitarian husband Liam has been digging wells in Africa, Mara Jacobs has been struggling. She knows she's supposed to feel a warm glow that her husband is nine time zones away, caring for widows and orphans. But the reality is that she is exhausted, working a demanding yet unrewarding job, trying to manage their three detention-prone kids, failing at her to-repair list, and fading like a garment left too long in the sun.Then Liam's three-year absence turns into something more, changing everything and plunging her into a sunless grief. As Mara struggles to find her footing, she discovers that even when hope is tenuous, faith is fragile, and the future is unknown, we can be sure we are not forgotten . . . or unloved.With emotionally evocative prose that tackles tough topics with tenderness and hope, award-winning author Cynthia Ruchti invites you on a journey of the heart you won't soon forget."Ruchti delivers well-rounded, believable characters and has a sure hand at charting the ways they process complex emotions. This packs an emotional punch."--
  • Publishers Weekly
  • "Ruchti delves deeply into the ebb and flow of Mara's struggles and weaves in themes of guilt, betrayal, hope, and redemption."--
  • Booklist

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(230)
★★★★
25%
(96)
★★★
15%
(57)
★★
7%
(27)
★
-7%
(-27)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Hope in the Darkness!

"When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O, Lord have mercy on me."

Water. Mara Jacobs is not afraid of water . . . only what it represents. "Clean water took Liam's heart to Africa. Muddy water took his health. Lack of water took . . . . ". Yes, it took her husband away from her. Liam Jacobs dedicated his life to providing clean drinking water for those who needed it the most, deep in the heart of Uganda. Having served three of his four years under contract with Deep Wells, Inc. the news that Mara received was shocking. She wasn't prepared. The irony of it all. Hadn't she been the one continually assuring Liam that she was prepared . . . for anything, but this.

Plunged into the depth of colorless days and endless nights, Mara struggles to find her footing; goodness, even getting out of bed takes more energy that she can manage to find or admit. Her three teen children, typically challenging her sanity with their usual pushbacks against her authority(while making it perfectly clear that she is not the "fun" parent), are now reeling from the news that has rocked their world to the core. As if hitting rock bottom isn't enough, the unthinkable occurs, and Mara finds herself being sucked further into oblivion, her already delicate soul suffering relentless waves of hopelessness and despair.

When life becomes absolutely silent, God's still small voice faithfully carries His message; "guard the dawn". With the help of her forever friend Ashlee, and a surprising new acquaintance Sol, Mara begins the agonizing journey towards the light of life.

What a tough and tender approach to loss.

I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.
7 people found this helpful
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Great characters

Facing the dawn

Facing the dawn was a book with amazing characters. Mara’s husband has been away in Africa for three years. Mara has been basically a single mother to her three children during that time. Mara has so much to deal with. More than anyone can imagine. My favorite character is Mara daughter Chelsea. She helped Mara a lot and was so wise for her young age. I also loved Mara good friend Ashlee. How encouraging she was. Facing the dawn is a great book to read for overcoming loss.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher through Celebrate Lit and the author. This book review is my own opinion.
3 people found this helpful
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Tough, hopeful, humor.

I had no idea what to expect, and this book was not at all what I expected. I could not put it down! It was so good, and difficult as the characters face some really hard things. In Facing the Dawn, author Cynthia Ruchti explores grief in a very real way. The readers have a close-up view of devastation & hope, fear & faith, and beautiful forever friends.

I got a kick out of the snarky and funny mostly-in-her-head comments by Mara Jacobs.

"Was there such a thing as respite care for parents? And if so, where did she sign up?"
"Sometimes a parent is called upon to express a hopeful attitude not necessarily aligned with reality."
"The adventure of loving is like riding a bike on gravel and shorts and flip-flops. Pain is inevitable."
"What kind of mental/emotionally unstable/ early onset test was this? "
"I can't know the end of my story, God. And I have to be okay with that, don't I? "

The characters are so genuine, and the author has a beautiful way of elevating them out of their grief into something better. I appreciated both the humor and the "realness" of the story. I highly recommend Facing the Dawn.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and net galley for allowing me to read an early copy. All opinions are my own.
3 people found this helpful
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Christian fiction at its finest

Christian fiction at it's finest, this book tells the story of Mara, a woman who has gone through more than enough as a wife and parent, enduring trials that seem to be more than she, or anyone, could possibly expect to handle. Despite the somberness, however, this book is cleverly written throughout so that you will find yourself smiling, if not outright laughing, at a turn of phrase or an impossible situation Mara finds herself in. Still, this is a lesson in learning how to cope when you think you can't, and resilience despite overwhelming odds. At it's core, it's about friendship and relationships and not being afraid to lean on each other even when you want to give in or give up. I can see this book being used as a road map to health after events that by all rights should cripple you, especially as it applies to faith and acceptance. Thank you to Cynthia Ruchti for my advance reader's copy. It was a pleasure to read this book with all of it's funny bantering back and forth even though it was quite painful at times. If that doesn't seem to make sense, or if it sounds like mixed messaging, here's my simple advice. Read it. It will all fall into place, and you will be glad you did.
3 people found this helpful
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Hope and Forgiveness

WARNING! Do not think you can start the book and put it down and pick the book back up. Facing the Dawn will pull you in till the end, yes tears and all. The book was tough to read at times, but reminds me that life is not about me, but others, just like Ashlee always thinking about Mara. That God has us right where we belong even if we think differently. Hope, love, mercy, forgiveness, loss and faith is what we all deal with just like Mara and her family deal with. We are all servants and should not be afraid to step up and help others.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest opinion. All opinions are my own.
3 people found this helpful
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Intriguing Read

This is the first novel I have read by Cynthia Ruchti. Facing the Dawn is unlike any book I have read lately. Lately I have been reading a lot of suspense and romantic Christian fiction novels but this one falls into a category all its own. If I had to put this book into a category, then it might be called real life is messy and not always easy fiction. The author does an exceptional job of handling difficult situations in this novel; however, some of these difficult situations may trigger some people when reading this novel. You may find yourself feeling the emotions that the main character, Mara Jacobs, is feeling and losing yourself in the story. I do believe that if you can handle reading about some of the harder events that can occur in life then you will appreciate this novel. While it is not my typical type of read, it is really well done. I would recommend this book to the others.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in order to give an honest review.
3 people found this helpful
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Ugh! Who wants to read about someone who gripes all the time?

"Facing the Dawn." The cover and title of this book really intrigued me - a very unique, lovely, and tranquil scene. But unfortunately, the adage "don't judge a book by it's cover" applies very much to this novel. From the synopsis I could tell it was a probably a little sad, but I was hoping for so much more than this story has to give.
Mara has a hard life trying to raise three teens almost all on her own, but the disrespectful and smart-aleck way she thinks and talks to God is completely uncalled for and unacceptable. Also, the extreme sarcasm with others (and God) really grated on me. I use a little here and there when dealing with some people, but it was used way too much in this book. And while Liam was trying to do a good thing in the mission field, you don't all but abandon your family to go do "God's work". You go together, or you don't go at all. While others may relate well to this novel, it simply hit all the wrong notes for me, and the "Christian" theme is very shallow and empty.
I received this book free from Revell. The thoughts above are my own, and I was not required to give a positive review.
2 people found this helpful
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Helped me understand how others process grief

I really appreciate novels with a compelling plot that keeps me turning the pages populated by characters who are complicated and unpredictable. Cynthia Ruchti's novels never disappoint. We all process grief differently, and Mara's journey might not look like yours or mine. That's exactly why we need works of fiction that speak truth about the human condition. Life and relationships are never tidy, and Ruchti doesn't attempt to manipulate them into a formulaic happy ending. Instead we find honesty and hope and faith between the covers of Facing the Dawn, and this reader is grateful for it. Ruchti is an incredibly talented writer.
1 people found this helpful
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Mercy Falling in Brand New Ways

Just when Mara had decided life couldn’t get any more complicated, it did.

What, exactly, do you do when all your self-salvation strategies have failed and the problems you are facing exceed anything you’ve ever imagined? Cynthia Ruchti had my undivided attention as she wove the story of Mara’s gradual discovery of the fine line between sacred and scared. Accompanied by her optimistic and supportive friend Ashlee, Mara learns to say, “I am strong, but I am not self-sufficient.”
In Facing the Dawn, readers become witnesses to the beautiful unfolding of purpose in a troubled family and in a broken woman’s own spiritual formation. With her face to the rising sun, Mara experiences the mercy of God as it falls on her in brand new and unexpected ways.

Many thanks to Revell for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which is, of course, offered freely and with honesty.
1 people found this helpful
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Challenges

I was excited to read another book by this author because I have enjoyed the other books. Facing the Dawn by Cynthia Ruchti is a stand alone novel. Mara is a facing the world by herself and trying to make it through the rough times while facing the dawn of a new day.
I knew nothing about the book when I started so I wanted to figure it out as I read it. At first I was trying to figure out the home dynamic with Mara struggling to be a single parent even though she had a husband who was away for a four year well digging mission in another country. Mara was falling apart because she had no one to help her with the house or the kids. She was trying to work while managing the house and her family and everything was falling apart including her. She was trying to stay positive but it was very hard. Then it got even more hard because she got the call that her husband was killed and she wasn't sure what she was going to do to get through. She was home from work but that meant that she wasn't getting paid and she was loosing hope. I knew that I couldn't put this book down at this point because I was totally connected to Mara and hoping that she pulls through and doesn't fall apart. I know that this story is going to have lots of ups and downs so I was ready to keep going and find out what the next challenge was going to be. I hope that you check out this book and relate to trying to make it through to the next challenge.

*I received a copy of the book for my review but all opinions here are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.
1 people found this helpful

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