Book Review - Her Restless Heart by Barbara Cameron

I'm currently reading "Her Restless Heart: A Woman's Longing for Love and Acceptance" by Barbara Cameron.  It is a very unique combination of a novel and a Bible study.  It is NOT written in book club format - where an author adds questions to the end of the chapter or the back of the book to kick off personal reflection and group discussion.  It's different than anything I've seen and it's part of Abingdon Press' new "Faith and Fiction Bible Study series".

Cameron uses excerpts from her book, "Her Restless Heart" to set the stage for studying scripture.  She includes enough of the excerpts that a reader won't at all feel lost without reading the novel (I haven't read the novel yet), but enough of the excerpts that readers will understand the setting and identify with the character struggles.

Each of the 6 studies are designed to last one week.  There are 5 personal studies within each section.  The studies are a very nice balance of novel excerpts, scriptures, challenging questions, exhortations, prayers, and Bible study.  The daily work is simple, thought-provoking, and inspiring.  It's NOT overwhelming and exhausting.  At the end of each week, Cameron talks about Amish living in relation to the study - it's a fascinating piece of cultural history.

The topics include:  longing, wounds, insecurity, reluctance, romanticism, and having a satisfied heart - issues that almost every woman struggles with during their lives.

I would recommend this book to any woman age 18-88.  It can be done alone or with a small group of women.  I hope Cameron will write more studies like this!

I received this book from Abingdon Press in exchange for my honest review.