Saturday, November 19, 2016

Book Review: Crossing the Waters by Leslie Leyland Fields

When I read what this book was about I was immediately hooked on the idea. An Alaskan fisherwoman talks about life fishing in Alaska and Jesus. Sweet!



I loved it right away, then found myself a little disappointed because I was expecting to read more about Alaska life in general… but then I got swept up again because, gosh, such a great book!

Leslie Leyland Fields and her husband live on a small island in Kodiak Alaska where they, along with their children (some whom have left home but still sometimes come back to help) and crew spend many long, hard days fishing out on the ocean. When I first backed off it was because I found all the fishing details boring, but then they grew on me. What a life! It’s a life of long days and hard work, and there’s actually quite a lot to it.

She was able to paint a picture, using that information, of what it was like for the disciples when Jesus came to them while fishing.

It was a really poignant picture she painted and I found myself completely devouring the second half of the book to understand Jesus in this small way that I had never understood before… but then the second half provided all kinds of details about the fishing life I found myself really drawn to any ways.

I felt my heart catch in my throat when she talked about several different accidents and incidents that come with the territory of living in the bush... definitely my kind of adventure story!



Any ways. This book was not what I was for some reason expecting, but it wound up being much more than that. I loved the depiction of her life and I loved getting to know Jesus in a new way. I think it’s really easy to feel like, well, I’ve read the whole Bible so I know all there is to know about Jesus. Maybe it’s true these weren’t new-to-me stories, but that was also maybe the best part. You know how sometimes in a movie a character will see a kiss and walk away, only to miss their beloved smacking the offender and expressing their deep devotion for their love? Or a character will appear to be ignored and left out, only to later show up to discover that their loved ones have in fact been planning a surprise party? I feel like that character right now. Yes, I know the stories. But now I’ve just been given a glimpse at a different angle, at a side I never understood before, and it feels kind of magical.


*I received a free copy of this book through Tyndale House in exchange for my honest review.

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