The One Good Thing: A Novel (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
I received this from Goodreads Giveaways...I am a Christian, but don't often read Christian Fiction since I normally find them too preachy. This book, however, had a good balance of the preachy with quite a bit of real life thrown in. While I am well aware that there are no Nathan Steens in the real world, I think most everyone could learn a thing or two from him.I am donating this book to our church library in hopes that others love the story as much as I did! I picked up this read when it was a deal of the day back in February, but wanted something a little different than my usual romance, so I decided to try this one. It is my first read by this author, and not really considered a romance, but in a unusual way it was a love story of sorts. Nathan Steen was a average guy, a successful lawyer, with a loving wife and an athletic football star son, and a doting, smart yet a little awkward 13 year old daughter. He lives his life the way his was raised by his minister Father and nurturing Mother to treat people with kindness and to always remember the Golden Rule. Each and every day, Nathan made it his mission to perform 7 acts of kindness to his fellow man. On the way to his son's football game, he pays the ultimate price for his last act of kindness, and his family is devastated. But soon everything that they believed about Nathan is questioned, when some events from his past, comes barreling into the present, that has his family reeling while trying to make sense of it all. How do you reconcile the difference between the man you knew and loved, to the one that seemed to have a separate life you knew nothing of? That is the dilemma of the Steen Family, and the only person who can shed any light on the situation is Madeline Zuckerman, Nathans old school friend.This plot had me from the very start, I had to know what happened, and it didn't take me long to start putting things together before they were fully reviled. Nathan really was quite the young man, and not everyone could support a friend in the selfless way that he did. I often found myself frustrated with Madeline, especially as an adult; and I often thought that she was a bit selfish in the sacrifices that were made on her behalf. Sweet little Alice just would not give up, and so many things about her were reminiscent of the young Maddy, which I'm sure Nathan saw as well. This story was a nice change of pace for me, and it is one of those stories that makes you stop and think of the kindness you express to others, and how precious life is
What do You think about The One Good Thing: A Novel (2013)?
Excellent book. It reminds me to be thankful for my blessings and to pass it forward.
—gorod
Quick and easy read, but not long enough to develop all the characters
—jackmason159
Not good. Total beach read. Very predictable
—Arfan
