This is a tremendously sobering book;For many American Christians, putting God first simply means occasionally forgoing some form of pleasure or recreation for the sake of a healthy, happy God-relationship.Jesus said, 'He that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.'In The Beloved Daughter by Alana Terry this horror - the horror of being willing to sacrifice one's own child for the sake of God - is shown through the eyes of a young North Korean girl, as the consequences of her father's faith affect and mold her throughout her life.Never has a book forced me to more honestly consider the true ramifications of Jesus' words. This book makes you wrestle with them in all their terrible strength.The writing is great, and the characters are VERY believable. They have flaws, they make mistakes - sometimes BIG mistakes. Nothing is glossed over, and no punches are pulled, although everything is written tastefully. This is a difficult balance, and the author does an excellent job portraying the horrors without offending the reader.I don't know a great deal about North Korea, but not once in the entire novel was the 'spell' broken. I did not notice anything that might clue the reader in to the fact that they were reading fiction, nor did I notice anything that would spoil the authenticity of the book. And I am VERY picky about such things - I cringe every time the word 'Stoically' is used in fantasy literature, for instance, since it conjures up (to me at least) the idea of ancient Greek philosophical schools.The Beloved Daughter is a great book that will make you think. It was timely for me to be reading this book at Easter time. The girl -Chang-Cha, grows up in detention in North Korea and is subjected to horrendous tortures, because of her faith. But it is really her father's faith. As a result of the oppression and then the tortures, she develops doubts, and even though she is helped by faithful Christians and manages to escape from North Korea, she falls into deep depression, accusing others for it. I don't know whether this is based on a true story, but it has many twists and turns that are unexpected. In the end, God's will appears to have prevailed - and she is led to a situation where she must face the danger by herself to rescue her childhood hero, who was her father's friend, and also her dear friend's son.There is a scene where a North Korean prison guard eventually finds Jesus and realises that there is nothing we can do to appease the Lord as we are all sinful, but it is the love for the Lord that saves us. Is it harder to recognise this when our life is easy?
What do You think about The Beloved Daughter (2013)?
this heart warming book made me cry as she was led through the ups and downs of Christianity.
—carlamoos
Powerful story--hard to read at times because of the subject matter.
—niffer
Stand up for what you believe in even if it means standing alone.
—wendy30592
