The Unforgivable [NOOK Book]

I read this book in less than two days. Hard to put down!

I adore books that makes me think, and love them when they make me feel something deep inside my heart. This novel does even more than that. It challenged my faith and my beliefs and made me wonder how I would act in a similar situation. How far am I willing to go to obey God's call for my life? It's a healthy question for all Christians to ask themselves. Are we willing to set the familiar aside and delve into the unknown, especially when it comes with insecurity? I loved how the author tied Christ's love into the whole story, and did so in a powerful, yet convincing manner.

Jesus was despised and rejected. The author took someone with a similar history to a Nazi and basically showed that yes, God loves even "those" people. He loved them enough to send Jesus to die for them too. While in theory this makes sense to people who follow Christ, but if coupled with someone who truly had a horrendous past like Carlos, then how do we see things? The Bible says all sin is equally repugnant to God. It's people that elevate some sins above others. But God's grace extends to us all. Now I won't say that there weren't things that were difficult to understand or to stomach in this story. I think the beauty of this book is that the author takes things that are vile and very difficult to understand and makes you think about them and how true forgiveness extends even that far.

The character Gen in this story was a strong woman in that she really heard from God and wanted to do what He wanted her to do. She wanted to follow God's path and His voice. So would she listen to man's pressure, or would she do what she knew God wanted her to do? I've felt that way at times with my writing. Should I buckle to pressure and not write what I know God wants me to write?

I personally admire people who write brave books like this one -- books that challenge spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. Books that expand our capacity for compassion and true Christian love. I can see how some readers may misconstrue the author's intent in this book. The heroine didn't think it was her love that would change Carlos, like many women believe when they hook up with a messed up man thinking he will change if he is really "loved." Gen believed God wanted to show His love to Carlos through her. That's a different perspective entirely. It comes with a lot of prayer. It's not for the weak Christian.

I loved how true-to-life the characters seemed as well as the strong spiritual thread in this story and how it was applied. Rather than spouting platitudes, the author showed through this novel how tough it can be to serve the Lord at times. What a wonderful story with a difficult, but rewarding message. Oh, and it's a bit edgy, too. That just gave it bonus points in my mind because the author addressed some ugly things in life that most Christians would rather ignore than deal with. I highly recommend it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Unforgivable.....Anyone can be forgiven!

Argentina's Dirty War is a very difficult subject to talk about, but this is what The Unforgivable by Tessa Stocktan is about. Genevieve meets this guy when she is in Buenos Aires at a craft show to see her quilts. He seems nice enough, but those she is staying with, and the people in the area hate him because of his background. He was involved in the horrible actions of the tortures and military atrocities that went on during the war and everyone hated him. Could God ever forgive him for what he had done? Or is this a sin too big for God to tackle? How will the people react if God does forgive this man Carlos?
I hadn't read a lot about this subject so I was shocked at some of the things that happened in this book. I felt the author researched information well and explained the conflict between the different sides pretty well as she told this story. Some of the scenes were difficult to read because she was explaining the horrible things that happened in the war.
Genevieve's attitude toward Carlos was because of the Cross. She knew God could forgive Carlos because He can and will forgive anyone who is truly sorry for their sins and turns their life over to God.
This was my first book by Tessa, and I will for sure be reading more of her work. She writes with love and conviction about what is on her heart, creating a cast of unique and believable characters as well as a unique story that is difficult to tell. I admire her willingness to write about the horrible actions that took place. And her picture of God's forgiveness to anyone who truly believes is very touching and heartwarming. I appreciate the truth of forgiveness so well brought out in this book.
I suggest that you go get a copy of this book and read it, you will learn a lot about the Dirty War of Argentina and also the love and forgiveness of our wonderful God.
I received this book free from the author to read and review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is one amazing book!

They say there are two sides to every coin, and the author explores sides to the human rights coin you might never have known existed. If it's thought-provoking you want, you've come to the right place.

Most of us who aren't from South America don't know much about Argentina's so-called Dirty War, unless we knew people who lived there in the 1970s and '80s. Though this story will introduce you to that horror, it's far more than a political tale. The novel is a graphic illustration of what the Gospel message is all about, and an exploration of how our lives will be changed once we take Christ's work of redemption seriously no matter what the political climate.

Personally, I'd prefer to see the story on a different stage than a romantic one. But the author manages to pull it off, portraying the characters in their multiple facets with a haunting believability. Exhibiting a comfortable familiarity with the subjects she touches upon, she spreads out for the hungry reader a veritable feast for thought.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Challenging story about unconditional love

The Unforgivable is a challenging book. It forces you to address what you believe and how you feel about other peoples sins. The Bible tells us all sin is equal and that none is greater or lesser than the other. Sin is sin. But I believe as human beings we have an invisible scale that we JUDGE sin on. "This sin is worse than this one. This one can never be forgiven. This one is for when you are really evil and should be damned to hell without a chance of forgiveness." We aren't the judge and shouldn't try to be. The Unforgivable touches on these very things. It makes you look at others and yourself differently. Yes, some sins are terrible and hard to forgive. But God loves us ALL. And HE wants us ALL to love one another and to forgive.


This is a book about faith and trust in what God is leading you to do and how He wants you to love those that are unforgivable in the worlds eyes. We live in a world of sin and pain. War and violence are everywhere. I recommend you read this book and allow it to open your heart to the love only God can show you.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Forgiveness drives The Unforgivable

Is anything unforgivable? That is the treatise and theme of Tessa Stockton's début novel about Argentina's Dirty War. Wow, talk about a difficult subject about a very difficult time in the modern era. Yet, the questions Ms. Stockton asks are timeless and important for today. Is there really something that is unforgivable? What about torture and military atrocities. What drove people to such actions, and what do those actions portend for the perpetrators and their victims? To what lengths should a society go to punish such actions and are they ever justified? These are just a few of the topics The Unforgivable touches.

Genevieve came to Buenos Aires to sell her quilts; she couldn't imagine she would come into contact with the most notorious military war criminal of Argentina's Dirty War. She couldn't imagine her new found friends were victims and friends of victims. Genevieve couldn't imagine that she would fall in love with that war criminal or what that might lead to-forgiveness perhaps?

That forgiveness for Genevieve takes on the sign of the Cross. Where her Argentinean friends see only an evil man, Genevieve sees a broken person who needs the love of Christ and her love. She has no idea what that love might cost her.

Ms. Stockton brings us a strong Christian romance novel that crosses borders and causes us to reflect on the events of the day. Just how much can and should we forgive? How can we forgive such evil? Genevieve's answer lies in faith.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Unforgivable is Unforgettable

For a first publication by an author, Tessa Stockton is outstanding. The book kept me glued to it until the very end. The characters are well-described and the plot keeps moving.

At first, I couldn't see how anyone would fall in love with Carlos, "the monster." By the time the book ended, I was saying, "yes" to Genvieve. The way Genvieve's friends were handled in this writing is amazing. It gave a good insight to the good and the bad. To be able to forgive is the main theme.

This was a very good book. I enjoyed every minute reading it. I look forward to many more from Ms. Stockton.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Recommended

This is one you won't soon forget-maybe ever forget.

Ms. Stockton has selected a major league topic for her debut novel. It's the one element of the Lord's Prayer Jesus considered worthy of commentary in Matthew 6. It's arguably the single-most difficult commandment the Christian has to deal with, and concept for the non-Christian to deal with. It's an issue that's inextricably enmeshed with other equally difficult problems of the heart, like, oh say, pride. Guessed it yet? Yup.

It's forgiveness. But wait a sec.

Ms. Stockton didn't tackle this heady issue on only one plane, which would be challenging enough. Oh, no. She laid before her readers forgiveness in its purest multifaceted form: intra-personal, inter-personal and multi-personal. How she goes about it is the joy of the ride.

Our heroine, Genevieve, is at a quilting convention and trade show in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with her best friend, Sally, and her new friend, Paloma, an Argentinean craftswoman. A chance encounter at a restaurant with a man, Carlos, sends her heart into palpitations and her friends into shock. The problem: Carlos is one of Argentina's most notorious figures, an ex-military officer blamed for horrible atrocities committed during the Dirty War of the late 70s and early 80s. Chastised for her foolishness by Sally, and harangued for insensitivity by Paloma, whose family suffered personally at the hands of men like Carlos, Genevieve still can't shake what she perceives behind the eyes of this gentleman with a very ungentle history. But she begins to spend more time with him, despite the protestations of her closest friends.

What unfolds is an emotional and spiritual rollercoaster ride for Genevieve, who doesn't dismiss the evidence against the man with whom she's falling in love, or excuse his past, but deals with them at the level on which God is leading her. For she believes God has brought them together. Through her exposure to this enigmatic man of sorrows, Genevieve not only gains a historical lesson in Argentina's Dirty War, but an even more valuable spiritual lesson in what it means to forgive against the backdrop of the seemingly unforgivable.

Ms. Stockton strikes a chord with an intensity few writers have dared to. Many have written about forgiveness; Tessa writes forgiveness. If this story doesn't make you evaluate your response to what is perhaps Christ's toughest commandment, then either you're ready for sainthood or your conscience has abandoned you.

This review is based upon an advance copy Ms. Stockton was kind enough to provide me. I guarantee you, though, having already read the story will not stop me from buying my own copy of the book the minute it comes out. Bravo to Ms. Stockton on a strong debut in the first installment of her "Wounds of South America" series.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Edgy and Riveting

Despite impassioned pleas from friends, American born and bred Genevieve struggles to come to terms with the most heinous accusations that surround the man who has captured her heart, Carlos Cornella. Carlos bears the brunt of his nation's residual anger following years of war and unspeakable tortures conducted in the name of political welfare. Years later, the question remains, who was right? And who should pay for these criminal acts?

Meanwhile, Genevieve is caught in the middle of a divided country when she finds her heart and her God call her to forgive the Unforgivable. Can she do it? Love Carlos when God calls her to even though every human voice warns her against such foolishness?

Tessa Stockton's debut novel, The Unforgivable is a novel filled with political intrigue taken to the brink of heartbreak in in a way that makes redemption and forgiveness possible. Well written and riveting, you'll find this edgy story hard to put down.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.