In "Wings of Glass", author Gina Holmes offers a look at domestic violence which is intense, unflinching, at times quite brutal, but is ultimately healing (see my review)

 

Wings of Glass

From the best-selling author of Crossing Oceans comes a heartrending yet uplifting story of friendship and redemption. On the cusp of adulthood, eighteen-year-old Penny Carson is swept off her feet by a handsome farmhand with a confident swagger. Though Trent Taylor seems like Prince Charming and offers an escape from her one-stop-sign town, Penny’s happily-ever-after lasts no longer than their breakneck courtship. Before the ink even dries on their marriage certificate, he hits her for the first time. It isn’t the last, yet the bruises that can’t be seen are the most painful of all.

When Trent is injured in a welding accident and his paycheck stops, he has no choice but to finally allow Penny to take a job cleaning houses. Here she meets two women from very different worlds who will teach her to live and laugh again, and lend her their backbones just long enough for her to find her own.

MY REVIEW: The Devil Incarnate came into young Penny Carson' life in the form of charismatic, good-looking Trent Taylor, a farmhand who dared to talk back to her overbearing father. With seductive promises, Trent stole Penny away from her home and family, luring her with his possessiveness, which at first made her feel wanted. It didn't take long at all for the twisted man behind the handsome face to begin his cycle of abuse--expectation of forgiveness--abuse. In "Wings of Glass", author Gina Holmes offers a look at domestic violence which is intense, unflinching, at times quite brutal, but is ultimately healing. The subject of abuse is one that many people turn away from because it makes them uncomfortable. Almost all of us know someone who is an abuse victim. We ourselves may be that victim. Abuse taints and tortures not only the immediate victim, but also others in the surrounding vicinity. Its effects are endless. Ripples upon ripples on the sea of life. When Trent is blinded in a work accident, Penny eventually finds work cleaning houses through a "church lady", Callie Mae. The woman who trains her, Fatimah, is a Sudanese refugee. The three women would at first seem very different, but they form a genuine friendship with a thread of shared painful memories. When Trent regains his eyesight, he also regains the vicious edge to his personality, which had been somewhat lessened by his loss of vision. Penny's pregnancy adds to the tension of the situation, even though at times Trent seems pleased about becoming a father. The abuse he suffered in his own childhood has taken a terrible toll, though, and he cannot stop the demon inside which makes him do awful things to Penny and other people. When the scope of the violence increases beyond their own home, and eventually includes the loss of a life, Penny must rely on the life lessons and friendship she has received from Callie Mae and Fatimah to sustain her own life and the life of her young son, Manny. I would like to commend Gina Holmes for choosing to write about abuse and its lasting, widespread effects–not just on the victim, but on those who care for the victim. All of us, whether we realize it or not, know someone who has been abused at some point in their life. The first reaction to abuse is denial. It’s a subject which makes people uncomfortable, and the victims often linger in a very painful silence. Writing about it may encourage someone who is a victim to seek help. Acknowledgement is not only a first step, it’s a giant leap! Recommended.

Book Copy Gratis Tyndale House Publishers   


PRAISE FOR "WINGS OF GLASS":

"Wings of Glass is a powerful, can't-put-down novel, so real that it reads like a memoir."
Liz Curtis Higgs, New York Times bestselling author of Mine Is the Night

"Wings of Glass proves Gina Holmes's mettle as an author. This a solid novel, for Holmes has deftly handled a story about domestic violence that is both heart-wrenching and endearing at the same time." Southern Literary Review

"Wings of Glass a not only good read, it could be an important one. Book clubs, especially, should consider adding Wings of Glass to their schedule since the discussion could potentially be life-changing for an abused (or abusive) group member." Crosswalk.com

"WINGS OF GLASS deserves the highest praise. For a storyline that is gripping, with several unexpected turns. For characters who dance off the pages and into your heart. And for bringing awareness to an issue that isn't typically addressed in Christian fiction." Bookreporter.com

"Gina Holmes ’ stunning literary talent glistens like crystal in Wings of Glass. With subtle brilliance, she takes us into the very heart of what makes us hungry to love and be loved. Simply stellar!” Susan Meissner, Author of A Sound Among the Trees 


Gina Holmes


 


Gina Holmes is the founder of Novel Rocket.com. Her debut, Crossing Oceans, was a Christy and Gold Medallion finalist and winner of the Carol Award, INSPY, and RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice, as well as being a CBA, ECPA, Amazon and PW Religion bestseller. Her sophomore novel, Dry as Rain, released in 2011 and was also named a Christy Award finalist. Her upcoming novel, Wings of Glass, releases Feb 15, 2013. She holds degrees in science and nursing and currently resides with her family in southern Virginia. She works too hard, laughs too loud, and longs to see others heal from their past and discover their God-given purpose. To learn more about her, visit www.ginaholmes.com.