**This review was originally posted at: http://majesticgoldenrose.weebly.com/blog/ten-thousand-charms-by-allison-pittmanTitle: Ten Thousand CharmsAuthor: Allison PittmanPublication Date: March 24th 2009Rating: 4.5 Stars (between “It Was Pretty Good” and “Absolutely Amazing”)(view spoiler)[Synopsis: Unfit for Love?Pregnant—by a man who will never know or care. Gloria, born into a life of prostitution, sees only one solution: get rid of the child. But then she meets John William MacGregan, a miner, left with a newborn daughter and no one to care for her when his wife died during childbirth. So John and Gloria strike a deal. Gloria will care for Kate, and John will eventually raise her son. There is no offer of, nor seeking for, a hand in marriage. When John leaves the mines to seek his fortune in the new Oregon Territory , Gloria, Kate, and baby Danny must go with him. Yanked away from a life of prostitution, Gloria must finally face the pain that has always plagued her, and her longings for a home, a family, and a life free from shame. Ten Thousand Charms is a beautiful tale of an empty heart floundering…and falling straight into the arms of Christ.My Review: When reading the above synopsis, ones initial reaction is that the book has a peculiar or perverted nature; in fact, while the characters have pasts and struggles atypical to most Christian fiction, the nature of the book is quite the contrary. Based on his violent boxing past, when MacGregan first meets Gloria, he can only see a lost woman in need of care. Coincidentally, I found in the first pages that I pitied Gloria, too. Gloria, a woman that was so hurt emotionally that she saw herself as scum from the beginning. Because of this, messages that MacGregan sends to her about being lovable she hastily rejects- after all, she is illiterate, can’t cook, and has no interest in the weight of having to raise a family. To her her only value is in Virginia City, where she can bring in $1000 in a night in a dark room hidden in a dark alley. With this in mind, as I read on I began to feel the frustration of that Gloria must have also felt in the face of the choices she would have to make. Just as chapter after chapter I found myself drawn into pages of the book and eager to wait for growth. As an illustration of this, by the time that Danny and Kate were even two months old and MacGregan wants to move west, it was great progress that she is able to choose for herself that she wants to go along, and in similar fashion that by the time that the children are starting to eat soft foods and they reach a significant fort trading post, I am pleased that she chooses not to go back to Virginia City. What I am trying to lead up to is that its important to understand that the story is touching in ways that differ from your everyday Oregon Train story. For one thing, when I first was reflecting on the story, I decided that I could not recommend it to anyone who has been abused, because it touches the pain of rape and neglect and broken relationships. Soon though, I changed my opinion: In the end, it is those who have been made stronger by trial who will connect with the main character, Gloria, deeply; they will know that there is a happy ending because of the love of God and enjoy celebrating the healing that Gloria finds. As I read, something that was especially enjoyable about the book, was familiar hymn and scripture snippets that foreshadow a chapters contents. From “Come Ye Sinners” by Joseph Yart, Chapter 22 begins with the following:I will rise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in His arms;In the arms of my dear Savior, O there are ten thousand charms. I liked trying to guess what would happen next with these clues and you will too. Similarly, making it a more worthwhile read than a basic 3 or 4 star book, there were several scenes in which the author weaves small details into the text that are later referenced throughout the pages of the book, such as this from page 82:“By the way, France doesnt have a king.”Gloria stared, puzzled. “You said you couldnt marry the King of France any more than you could name Danny’s Father. Well from what Ive heard, France doesnt have a king right now, so I guess youre no worse off than any other woman. See you at dawn on Saturday.”All in all, I read it easily in an afternoon and can easily rate this book to be a solid 4.5 Stars.I can recommend it to everyone and anyone, and specifically to those that are into historical fiction and/or struggling with new beginnings after tragedy. If you are interested, you can read a sample of the book here as well as purchase the book from Amazon in both Paperback and the Kindle Edition.Paperback: http://amzn.to/1ygt6K6Kindle Edition: http://amzn.to/1yVVIftAllison Pittman is the author of For Time and Eternity, Stealing Home, the Crossroads of Grace series, and her nonfiction debut, Saturdays With Stella. A high-school English teacher, she serves as director of the theater arts group at her church. She is also the co-president of a dynamic Christian writers group in the San Antonio, Texas area, where she makes her home with her husband and their three boys. Her website is: http://www.allisonpittman.com/. (hide spoiler)]
Synopsis of the book:A woman with no future. A man with no hope. A God who knows the key to their deepest need lies in each other? Wyoming Territories, 1860. Gloria is in trouble. A mining camp is a merciless place when you're young, pregnant--and a prostitute. No matter. Life will not defeat her. John William McGregan is in despair. His beloved wife died in childbirth. And while John is a resourceful man, raising an infant daughter on his own seems impossible. Thrown together by a seemingly cruel fate, Gloria and John William make a pact: She will nurse his daughter; he will raise her son. Neither asks for marriage. They are joined by necessity, nothing more. But after a move to the new Oregon territory, facing John William's faith day after day, and receiving an older woman's motherly mentoring, Gloria longs for something more. For the love she's been denied all her life. If only that life hadn't made her unfit, not only for John William--but for God. Then tragedy strikes--making even the resolute John William question his faith. Terrified, Gloria turns to the One she has never been able to trust. But can even God save what now means more to Gloria than life itself: her newfound family? My review:Ten Thousands Charms was such an emotionally gripping story that I had trouble putting it down. But even when I had to work and do other things, I was still thinking about the story. I know so many women like Gloria who have been so hurt that they are emotionally dead inside and when someone offers them hope, they are terrified. I could totally see that struggle in Gloria and it was a beautiful thing to watch how God slowly wooed her to Himself through the love of believers. And while no one in this story was even close to perfect, they were totally believeable and likeable characters. John William was heroic in so many ways even with the flaws he carried with him. And Gloria was such a good mother to the babies. It was impossible not to grow to love her as she cared for the children and learned how to take care of herself and her "family," which was the one thing she never believed she would experience in her lifetime. My eyes filled with tears every time Gloria took a tiny step in faith. There were so many things she learned, and the reader learns along with her as she learns to trust. The author also does a fantastic job writing the male point of view and the intense emotions John and Gloria both felt, both positive and negative. I highly recommend this story because it nurtures both the heart and the spirit, and because I loved, loved, loved it!Ten Thousand Charms was published by Multnomah and released in 2006.
What do You think about Ten Thousand Charms (2006)?
I wasn't going to write a review until the read the first review, which I completely disagreed with. I loved this book and I thought the ending was perfect. Pittman does an excellent job of building up both main characters and you empathize with them no matter who you are. She does such a great job conveying Christ's sacrificial love for us and the story is both heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time. I also do not like to compare authors or books because each author is unique and each book has a new and different story to tell.
—Amanda
I absolutely could not put this down! Fun-loving characters, gripping story line and a wonderful message of God's love! The hero in this story is so "real". I love to read books where the hero is the perfect gentlemen, has amazing self-control and who never gives up on his woman but that's more fantasy than realistic. This guy is not the most good-looking man she has ever laid eyes on, nor does he always say the right thing. He is just a "real" guy trying to get through life. I will be looking for more books by Allison Pittman.
—Emilee
Ten Thousands Charms portrays the story of Gloria, a woman with a shameful past, and John William, a devout widower with his own ugly secrets. It's 1860 in Wyoming Territory. Gloria arrives in a small mining town alone and pregnant. She has no idea who the father is because she was forced into a life of prostitution at a very young age. While Gloria has no intention of keeping the fatherless child, her friend refuses to help her get rid of the baby. When a miner loses his wife in childbirth, Gloria finds a rare opportunity in front of her. By nursing John William's daughter, Gloria will leave her own son with him to raise when the babies have been weaned. The unlikely pair set off for Oregon determined to part paths as soon as possible. But after days on the trail with a man so different from all the ones she's ever known, Gloria's resolve begins to weaken. In Oregon, they find provision with a widow who welcomes them to take over her farm. Gloria wonders what would it be like to leave her trade behind and be part of a real family. Yet, can a soiled dove like herself ever become clean enough to forget such a life? If you've read Redeeming Love by Francince Rivers, this book has similar themes on grace and forgiveness. A very engaging and heartfelt read.
—Audrey
