Reinventing Leona—A Review
Well, Reinventing Leona , a first novel by Lynne Gentry and published by Tyndale House, certainly has tension—from the first pages right until the end. The story centers around Leona Harper, a pastor's wife who becomes his widow in the first few pages of the book when her husband suffers a heart attack in the pulpit. Gentry, a pastor's wife herself, knows the behind-the-scenes realities of life in the manse. But in that reality lies a barb that pierces the storyline. Reinventing Leona has a cynical tone to it that grates sometimes more than just a little. With a very few notable exceptions, the congregation of Mt. Hope Community Church is not made up of too many nice people. That not-niceness seems to prevail over the occasional splashes of Christianity. For the most part the characters are well-developed. I can "see" these people. But what bothers me is the cynicism about them. I understand that Christians aren't perfect—after spending as many years in min...