The Penny

A great novel!

I was happily amazed by The Penny. The story was fresh and exciting, and it kept me entertained, and the struggles that Jenny faces are real, and written in such a way that they seem real, even to the reader. This book is a perfect example of how the little things can always make a big difference. I highly recommend it!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

a reviewer

In 1955 St. Louis their father has abused mama, fourteen year old Jenny Blake and her older sister almost eighteen Jean for years. However, all that time, the siblings had each other for comfort, but now Jean is moving out and Jenny not only knows she will miss her, but fears she will not be able to cope as the solo target of their violent dad. While walking to the movie theater, Jenny sees a penny buried in the ground. Although she knows a penny buys little more than gum or candy at Woolworth¿s and to remove it from the asphalt will not be easy, Jenny stops to retrieve it anyway. This seemingly innocuous action starting with the Pevery Diary truck driver abruptly hitting his brakes not to run over Jenny, which lead to bottles flying everywhere, which leads to the ¿Attack of the Killer Shards¿, which with a few sidebars ultimately led to the mysterious Miss Shaw, owner of Shaw Jewelry, mentoring the owner of the lucky penny. --- Known for her inspirational non fiction, Joyce Meyer and popular fiction writer Deborah Bedford provide readers with an entertaining historical that emphasizes the idea little things matter in a big way. That penny incident leads to a friendship between the two females as each has secrets that shame them. Although the obvious dark journey to redemption to include forgiveness seems genuine, the attainment appears abrupt and forced especially as so much has gone on before. Still, with a nod to the butterfly effect of chaos theory, THE PENNY is an interesting character study that focuses on little things mean a lot when it comes to people. --- Harriet Klausne

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great Book. The Penny! I love Joyce Meyers and watch her program every morning. She is a wonderful person and makes the Gospel relate to woman mostly in every day life.

Held my interest from begiining to end. I just loved the Penny.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Touching and Heartfelt...

In the beginning I was a little curious on if I wanted to continue to read this book due to the abuse the little girls had gone through. However, the ending is so powerful and it really shows how God is always there in the midst of our troubles and will provide comfort no matter what ther circumstance.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A book to make the heart cry

This very moving story of a young, abused girl was told from the perspective of the same girl, grown up. It also speaks to the issues of integration and black/white relationships. Very moving and thought provoking.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Faith, Forgiveness, Hope, and The Belief In Others

Jenny Blake's dad beats her, her older sister, and her mom. He sexually abuses Jenny and her sister. When the sister tells her mom, the mom asks her husband and he denies it. The matter is close. When the mom walks in on her husband having sex with her daughter, she leaves the room without saying a word. The daughter and the husband are aware of the mother's presence. Both girls hate their dad and resent their mom for not protecting them. Jenny gets a job in Miss Shaw jewelry store and learns she was abused as a child by her mentally ill mom. They share their secrets and Jenny learns she is not alone and learns to forgive herself. She also learns that she is a worthwhile person. The author does a great job in winding the abuse around faith, forgiveness, hope, and the belief in others.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent

A great read

Find a Penny pick it up...

what a remarkable story, all because of a penny. Helps you believe in humanity again

Highly recommend

It was a good read from beginning to end. It didn't end like I thought it was going to end, which is what made it a good book.

Highly Recommended

I loved this book. It was as though I was right there in the story. I could see the penny. I was on the airplane traveling for work and reading the book when I looked down and saw a penny and now I always pick up pennies.

Definate read!!!

How can we pass faith along in the everyday? The Penny was a great book about faith and redemption in each day and with each person we come across. I would recommend this to everyone as a great read!

The Penny

An easy read. You become engrossed in the characters and the story. Now, every time I see a penny I pick it up because you never know....

A Surprisingly Good, In-depth Read

What might seem to be light reading at first glance turns into a deep discovery of human nature and how we all interact with one another. The characters develop quickly into reminders of those in your own childhood. The authors spin a wonderful tale of childhood innocence along with the heartbreaks of adulthood. This would be a great story for a book club as the discussions would flow effortlessly!

Sweet and inspirational

Out of the damaged Jenny's life comes illumination. Very sweet yet disturbing story.

This is a wonderful story

I loved this audio book.

What a touching story of friendship, love and spirtual growth.

loved it

read this book in a few days. great story. thought provoking

What a book ~ Captivating

This is a must read!! I normally read books rather slowly however I couldn't put this one down. In this book, you'll experience the pain with Jenny but that girl is a fighter, more than that, she allows the love of Christ to keep her you'll feel it too. Hope there¿s another book on the way. Forget about whether the characters represents a real person, be like Jenny, open your mind and heart and allow God¿s love to overtake you.

St. Louisans object to 'The Penny' as 'Historical' Fiction

Although 'The Penny' is a good story which is VERY loosely based on Joyce Meyer's own personal story, it is a shame that Joyce took so many liberties which could potentially deceive the reader. St. Louisans undoubtedly recognize 'Shaw Jewelers' as a St. Louis institution. Mrs. Shaw of the real Shaw Jewelers, or anyone from the Shaw family, never knew Joyce Meyer. Joyce has a brother, David Hutchison, who is several years younger than Joyce, and Joyce has always maintained that he was not abused by her father. Yet, one of the premises of the book is that 'Jenny' doesn't know how she will cope when her older sister moves out. It is a decent book, I just wish Joyce had not so heavily represented the book as based on true events, as there are many half-truths that we St. Louisans are keenly aware of in the book. It is certainly a fiction book, and it has its merits. However, she should represent the book with integrity and for what it is- purely and entirely a fictional story. I'm sure the actual Mrs. Shaw and the Shaw family would prefer to not have their family name used as a marketing ploy, rather than having a deceptive, non-existent relationship represented as though the family actually had an association with Joyce Meyer. Furthermore, as a Christian, I particularly find these deceptive liberties that were taken in 'The Penny' as inappropriate. I would have had no problem with these liberties if the book had been marketed as PURE fiction, rather than 'based on a true story.' As a minister, Joyce Meyer should have exercised more wisdom in how the book was represented to the public, so that a good message would not be overshadowed to the St. Louis community by the obvious, blatant, and somewhat deceptive liberties that were taken.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

I purchased The Penny two days ago and just finished it. It is a book that you just cannot put down. Anyone that has ever been abused can relate to this story. You will relish in the joy when the main character realizes that God loves her, regardless of how dirty she has been made to feel. 'God can take what is meant for bad and turn it into something good. I would recommend this book to everyone. You will cry, but you feel good when you see the power of the Lord work in the life of these abused children and the healing that He brings to their hearts and lives.

One of the best books I've ever read

I normally only read non-fiction, but since I greatly respect Joyce Meyer, I decided to give this book a try. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down! It is an absolutely, amazing story. I highly recommend this book to everyone.