Book Review: The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers

The scarlet thread is a story about two women separated by time but who share the same experiences and learn the same lessons together. Sierra is the modern woman who is struggling with marital problems, while Mary Catherine McMurray is Sierra’s ancestor who was forced to take a trip down the Oregon trail. The story of Mary Catherine took place in the 19th century and was told through her diary, the entries of which I had a hard time reading at first, especially during the parts where Mary Catherine still didn’t know how to write or spell. But as his writing progressed, his spelling also improved, as did his character and his relationship with God. By reading Mary Catherine’s journal, Sierra was able to find answers to her problems, as well as find comfort in the fact that her struggles are the same as her ancestor’s.

I love that The scarlet thread it focuses on issues of marriage, of the little things that seem harmless at first but would eventually contribute to its destruction, like unresolved conflicts and lack of communication. I learned a lot from this book, especially about how to handle marital and family problems. There are some things that I find loose, like the friendship between Sierra and Marcia. I feel that a little emphasis should have been placed on their friendship and more character development for Marcia. Nonetheless, the story is still great and can make an impact on all receptive readers.

The scarlet thread it is a book that every Christian will greatly appreciate. Talk about how when we start to mend our relationship with God, our relationships with other people will also start to look good. We cannot repair broken relationships on our own because as humans we are always imperfect, but when we stay right with God, we eventually develop character that our fellow humans will find differently in a restorative way. Now, I don’t want to sound preachy here, but these are the lessons I learned while reading this book. However, I must say that Sierra’s redemption / conversion story was a bit rushed compared to Mary Catherine’s. But then again, there have been real life conversion stories that are as fast as Sierra’s. Who can question God’s work, anyway?

All said Francine rivers He is still one of my favorite authors and this is a book that I highly recommend to everyone, including non-Christians who want to know more about the Christian God.

4 stars.