James Russell Lingerfelt

This book has a LOT of hype surrounding it. It has been compared to works by classic authors like Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, and Nicholas Sparks. I would be very careful comparing big names like this to books simply because it can lead readers astray or paint authors in a light that doesn't truly reflect their work. In this case, all of the above are present, and it is disappointing to say the least. The fact that this book was compared to three authors that I love and adore (okay, Nicholas Sparks is more of a guilty pleasure) made me dislike it even more due to the misleading of this claim.

First, this book does have some potential. I think it needs a significant amount of work done to it, but the premise is interesting. If you enjoy memoir-type books with a touch of inspirational themes, then this might be worth picking up...if it goes through more editing.

I'm not exactly sure where C.S. Lewis or even Jane Austen could be remotely compared to this book. The writing was not as sophisticated or organized or delightfully exhausting. The plot was not as magical or carried the endearing undertones of societal expectations or restrictions. It is not comparable. In terms of comparing it to Nicholas Sparks, I would say it was more like a watered down version of Dear John (which may have been some of the inspiration for this book). When I look at the book as a whole, it's almost as if it's a collection of pieces taken from Sparks' books with some inspirational fiction sprinkled on top.

I felt like this book was really unorganized. Sometimes it was difficult to keep track of who was speaking or what was really going on at the moment. It seemed like the main goal was to promote missionary work overseas, but this was tainted by the overall tone of the book. The writing is not well done, the execution is poor, and the claim to fame is deceptive. Maybe it's all just a well thought-out marketing strategy.

See full Review @ The Indigo Quill

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity and William and Keats Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (mais)

MY GENERAL THOUGHTS: I held high hopes for The Mason Jar because I really looked forward to reading about the boy and his grandfather's relationship with the letters. But I was disappointed that Clayton only spoke about his grandfather in past tense and only little snippets at that. The writing was beautiful for The Mason Jar and it was very easy to follow, however, I found that it lacked in plot for my typical read. After reading some other reviews, I found that James is actually looking to turn this book into a movie, which would be fantastic as this story would be better as a Hallmark film.

QUESTIONABLE CONTENT: Because this book did not hold my attention through well over half of the story, I had other books that I needed to start in order to get a review up on time so I did not finish The Mason Jar. Therefore, I am unable to list all of the questionable content, other than were I read, which was just some kissing and some sexual comments/thoughts.

RATING AND RECOMMENDATION: I rate The Mason Jar 4 out 5 stars, because though this book was not for me, it was written beautifully and has great potential as a movie. However, I do not recommend it to many of my friends as they will not enjoy this book.

You can read this review, as well as others, at http://acceleratethejesusmovement.wordpress.com… (mais)

I really had high hopes for James Ligerfelt’s novel The Mason Jar. The promotional blurb raised expectations for the novel that, for me, never materialized. This is a book with good bones that needs, in my opinion, considerably more fleshing out. I wondered just what the difficulty was for me, until I read the author’s bio on his website. He has plans for The Mason Jar to be made into a movie. Reading that, it clicked with me that this novel reads like a novelization of a movie. As I said, there is a good framework to work with, but not enough plot and character development, especially motivation and background. It also could use closer editing — too many problems with word choice and continuity.

I know that this review seems harsh. I have labored over expressing my thoughts on The Mason Jar. But in the end, I feel that an honest opinion is called for. Please know that I seem to be in the minority in my opinions. This novel has more 5 star reviews on Amazon than negative reviews. I encourage you to check out the reviews published on Amazon as well as on LitFuse.

Audience: Adults.

(Thanks to LitFuse for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)… (mais)