Violette Between

by Alison Strobel

"A beautifully wrought tale full of characters that live and breathe. This surprising story from Strobel, a bold and engaging storyteller, left me sighing with pleasure and wanting more. She's not to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578567947
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: WaterBrook
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.8" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Compelling Reading That Is Not Teachy or Preachy

Violette Between hits me. It is a story about people whose spouses died. I'm one of those. Those of us who have lost our mates at an unexpectedly early age (Is there ever an age that is not too young?) have peculiar scars. Reading this novel brings thoughts to mind that I had forgotten, and it heals emotional damage I didn't realize I had. Alison Strobel portrays the pain so well that one would think she had lived through it. The scene of the closet that needs to be cleaned out is one that all bereaved will benefit from because it allows the reader to step outside and look in by seeing how others manage similar problems. If you are one of these wounded warriors, you must read this book. Others will love it too for the good story and the well-crafted approach. She does a masterful job of showing what could be going on in the mind of a person in a coma. I wonder whether she has experienced this condition. Violette, the main character, is an artist. Strobel portrays the technical aspects of art so well that I wonder whether she is an artist. This book keeps me turning the pages with its tension in the people's minds, anxiety about what will happen, and switching back and forth between two... or three...people's stories. The use of flashbacks makes the novel a challenging piece of writing that the reader can enjoy following. The flashbacks require the reader to pay attention. They are skillfully done, but the novel cannot be read effectively if the reader is thinking about something else. As a Southerner accustomed to reading William Faulkner and Eudora Welty, I have learned to enjoy flashbacks. More than one story line is being told at once to lead to the conclusion. A special feature is the use of a doppelganger to help move the story along. It would spoil the story to explain too much about this clever feature. Violette Between is an interactive book. Alison Strobel, with the help of the character who is a clinical psychologist, pulls out emotions out of our emotional closets and forces us to deal with them. I especially love the explanation that it is okay - not disloyal and not unhealthy - to love the person who is dead and to love someone who is alive at the same time. It is okay to have feelings connected to that person who has moved on to heaven, but it is a waste of a good life to remain frozen in the past. Every person in this situation must decide whether to move from the position between the past and the present. One of the helpful aspects of the book is the illustration of the steps that we all go through as we cope with grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Keeping this model in mind, Alison develops the plot with plausible events. This novel can help the reader examine his own relationship with the Lord and find the peace that passes understanding. The supernatural aspects of the story are presented in a believable manner. One little problem I see in the book has to do

This book was excellent!

I thought this book was absolutely excellent! The story was great and it really dealt with some issues that Christians face today in a Christ-like way. It didn't condone practices that go against the Bible, but did discuss how Christians should deal with them. Overall, Alison is an excellent author, and I look forward to seeing more of her work!

Intriguing questions, terrific characters, excellent book

Violette Between by Alison Strobel is the story of a woman given the chance to relive her past and the choice whether to stay within it or move forward to the future. Violette has suffered the loss of her beloved husband Saul, and her new relationship with Christian is rocky, so her choice is not an easy one. Strobel puts forth an intriguing question and handles it remarkably well. The narration switches between Violette and Christian, and the technique works well to convey the depth of emotion within each character. Strobel also stays true to Christian fiction, working in conversion experiences for both characters that seem natural. The theme of trusting God in all things is a hard lesson to learn, but a vital one.

SHE KEEPS GETTING BETTER!

Alison gave us WORLDS COLLIDE - a good read. And now this project which shows how Ms. Strobel is maturing as a writer. A poignant, moving contemporary story that captures relationships and their ups & downs. Highly recommend this fine story and its author. I now anxiously await what else comes from her keyboard!

powerful character study

Violette was once a highly regarded artist who lived life with élan and loved her Saul with her soul. When Saul suddenly died, Violette died too. She stopped painting and lost her gusto for life. Violette meets psychiatrist Christian, a widow, who still mourns the loss of his wife though several years have passed. Still he and Violette begin seeing one another and help each other return to the world of the living. However, tragedy strikes again. Christian finds Violette crumbled on the floor near a ladder in his waiting room, which she was painting to look like a New York rooftop restaurant. While she resides in a coma with no other physical injuries, he holds her hand and tells her he loves her and needs to come back. Meanwhile Violette is on a different journey to a place where she meets Saul. Will she choose to remain with her beloved first love or go back to her second love? VIOLETTE BETWEEN is a powerful character study of a nice woman who has finally rebounded from the trauma of the death of a beloved with a new love (though she will always cherish her Saul) only to have tragedy strike again. The story line follows Violette as she is in an in between station either heading to an afterlife with Saul or coming back to this life with Christian. Alison Strobel provides a poignant tale that Christian readers will appreciate as heaven sounds like a complex place when one considers eternal relationships. Harriet Klausner