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God rewards the faithful; Rachel is living proof of that—until the people she loves most let her down. Now she's done with God. Twenty-six-year-old Rachel Westing has been a faithful Christian her entire life. Then she learns her fiancé is cheating on her and her parents are getting a divorce. Where is God in all this? Wounded, bitter, and with her faith shattered, Rachel goes cross-country to live with her friend Daphne. Confident, fun-loving Daphne sets about to help Rachel reinvent herself, and for a while it's exciting. When another tragedy shakes her to the core, what little she has left unravels. Reinventing Rachel gives readers a true-to-life story that draws them in and keeps them biting their nails until the end.
Rachel's life is falling apart. Everyone she trusted has let her down. There have been many lies. But Rachel feels that the biggest lie has been from God himself. Her faith is so shaken that she decides to move to another state and become a roommate with Daphne, her childhood friend. Daphne has always lived life to the fullest. And that's what Rachel wants now. She feels like she's missed so much being the "good Christian girl" her whole life. Time to branch out. But turning her back on God doesn't end the tragedies in her life. And what will Rachel do now that she doesn't even have God to turn to?
Gah! This book made me feel squeamish from the start. I know that probably sounds lame, but I was so worried for Rachel! I lived the life she was about to embrace, and I would never want to go back to it, ever. So it was a bit hard to read about her setting out to live in the world. The story is engaging and very well-written. I felt Rachel's pain. I identified with some of her struggles. And I couldn't wait to see how the story would work out in the end. It was a great story. A tough story. A story with some heavy issues. But a very real and necessary one. If you're sick of church. If you're sick of trying to do everything right. If you can't stomach another day of trying to please God. Pick up this book. It just might answer your deepest frustrations.
5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 28, 2010
Reinventing Rachel by Alison Strobel is a thoughtful look at the fall of a staunch Christian re-evaluate her life and decide to run away from it all, including the Lord. Rachel Westing is one of those church members that if the doors are open, she's there. From her ministry with teenage girls, to her job at the local coffee shop, she's always looking for a way to evangelize those around her. When she discovers in rapid succession that her parents are divorcing, her father is bipolar, her mentor is going into rehab for prescription drug addiction, and her fiance has been cheating on her with her roommate, Rachel has had enough of California and the pain and moves in with her childhood friend Daphne in Chicago. Daphne has always lived life on her own terms, living for the moment and resisting Rachel's best attempts to save her soul. Rachel feels betrayed that God failed to fix her problems despite all of the work she'd done for him, so when she leaves California, she tries to leave God as well. Daphne's life of no strings attached and fun all the time is seductive to Rachel at first, but when Daphne starts acting strangely and the utilities are turned off for lack of payment, she begins to turn to alcohol to block out the fear and depression she's felt since leaving home. Strobel excels at writing sympathetic characters, even when they are doing unreasonable things, and she carefully keeps that tension alive here. Readers will like Rachel, even when she starts making terrible decisions and through her selfishness.SPOILERS: Strobel keeps her from becoming a victim, nor does she ever become shrill or unlikable. For Christians, the book will serve as a clarion call to ensure that the God we are worshiping is the true one, not a vengeful eye in the sky, nor does He require a checklist of duties to be done each day and in return He will keep us completely safe. Strobel has a firm grasp of who God really is, and she imparts that to readers without becoming too preachy or pedantic. Rachel's spiral into addiction and despair is often hard to read, but Strobel keeps the story interesting and the plot suspenseful. Strobel is an author to watch in the future, as she seems to be getting better and better.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In SoCal, twenty-six year old Rachel Westing believes strongly that God failed her. Pious and a volunteer, she diligently has followed the word of the Lord for over two decades only to find her personal life imploding. Her fiancé Patrick is cheating and her parents Karen and Owen are divorcing.
On top of all that, Rachel questions whether she can turn to her Christian counselor Barbara who is so addicted to prescription pills, her mate will not let her drive. Angry and doubting that God even exists, Rachel quits on the lord, her family, her fiancé and her job. She leaves town to stay with her non religious successful childhood friend Daphne in Chicago, thinking that at one time she thought she would save her BFF's soul, but now believes her pal might save her from her depression because God abandoned her.
The premise of a cradle Christian running from her devout roots to redesign herself under the tutelage of her secular friend leads to a fine character driven tale of faith. Rachel is terrific as she holds the inspiring story line together when she goes from true believer to doubting Thomas. Although the causes of her religious collapse seem minor compared to what happened to Job and others, inspirational fans will enjoy Reinventing Rachel.
Harriet Klausner
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 5, 2013
I enjoy reading Christian fiction but this book went above and beyond my expectations. I'll be closely following this author!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 12, 2013
This is the most thought provoking novel I have read in a long time. It challenges you to think about who you think God is and about your motivations in Christian service. All with an excellent, realistic storyline. I stayed up late just to findout what is going to happen because of one choice or another. I highly recommend this book for anybody who wants to be challenged in their Christian"ese" way of thinking.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 8, 2013
I get the message, and i appreciate the message. It spoke to me and i agree with it. However some of the scenarios are just not strong examples, or are a little far fetched. Rachel was a christian all her life until tragedy struck. Ok fine, Crap happens that throws you for a loop. But rachels crap didnt build up enough momentum in the book to make the following downword spiral seem possible. Her fall from grace was fast and extreme and i didt buy it. But like i said before, i get the point, life without God really is hard and ends up nowhere. That part i get, but the story that brimgs the point home is a little unbelievable
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 14, 2013
Such a similr feel to my life. This book validated lots of my feelings. Refreshing for me to read.
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Posted March 10, 2013
Not the best
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 8, 2013
The main characters experiences were somewhat unbelievable. Her fall from grace was slightly abrupt and unconvincing. I found myself exasperated at her (the main character) rather than cheering her on. Somewhat of a disappointment.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 25, 2013
Very good christian read.
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Posted January 22, 2013
Great christian read
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Overview
God rewards the faithful; Rachel is living proof of that—until the people she loves most let her down. Now she's done with God. Twenty-six-year-old Rachel Westing has been a faithful Christian her entire life. Then she learns her fiancé is cheating on her and her parents are getting a divorce. Where is God in all this? Wounded, bitter, and with her faith shattered, Rachel goes cross-country to live with her friend Daphne. Confident, fun-loving Daphne sets about to help Rachel reinvent herself, and for a while ...