When the last thing you want is the one thing you need, you've got to have a little faith Now, years later, when infertility prevents her from giving her ambitious attorney husband a family, she finds h When the last thing you want is the one thing you need, you've got to have a little faith Now, years later, when infertility prevents her from giving her ambitious attorney husband a family, she finds herself on the brink of divorce, unemployed, and living with her right-wing, born-again Christian parents in her suburban New Jersey hometown.
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Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of Can I Get an Amen? May 24, Cousin rated it it was amazing. I wasn't sure about the title or the cover - but now that I've read the book I get it.
It's pretty smart, pretty funny, definitely quirky, and I liked the characters and the plot enough that it made me stay up WAY too late. My kids were late for school because I overslept, and then even later because I was reading it at every red light!
I actually didn't want to like this book because I have a little bias against reading books that deal with religion. But a friend whose reading tastes I resp OK. But a friend whose reading tastes I respect had reccomended it, so I gave it a go.
It really deals with morality and spirituality, rather than religion, per se. When "church style religion" actually shows up in the book, it's sometimes to show how flawed it can be. That's not to say that it totally dogs church-y religion, just shows its fair share of flaws.
I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say that the one plot theme I thought I saw coming, did in fact come. But I didn't mind because it was such a satisfying idea, that if it hadn't happened that way I would have put the book down. The ending might have been my favorite part of the book.
Once in a while, there's a last sentence that so perfectly ties up a book, that it just sings and resounds in my brain and sticks there forever.
One book that had a last line like that was "Mudbound" by Hillary Jordan. This was another. This last line pretty much sums up my entire existence. What a surpise to know that there are kindred spirits out there, people that think the way I do, and that one of them wrote a book about it.
May 02, Matty rated it it was amazing. It's wickedly funny, a little dark, and by the end I was unutterably moved. It's very cinematic, and seems destined to be adapted into a movie or TV show. Don't miss this fantastic debut Jul 13, Carolyn E rated it it was amazing. I understand this is Healy's debut novel, and I loved it.
I don't want to say too much about it because I don't want to give away the story. But it is a wonderful story about family relationships and some seriously flawed characters. Kat's story is particularly poignant, and I could certainly sympathize with her. But I could also see her mother's side of the story because of her strong religious beliefs and her Kat's mother's previ I have just finished reading Can I Get An Amen?
But I could also see her mother's side of the story because of her strong religious beliefs and her Kat's mother's previous history. Unfortunately, Kat's mother most definitely added to Kat's pain and suffering by the way in which she grossly mishandled Kat's situation. This is not the kind of story I usually read, but I noticed the good reviews it has gotten, and the title of the book intrigued me.
Also, the book has a wonderful cover. I am looking forward to Healy's next novel, "God Save the Queen," which will be available in the summer of It might also be fun to have a sequel to "Can I Get an Amen? Shelves: first-reads , giveaway. I won this book from a Goodreads Givaway and am so happy that I did. Ellen Carlisle has had her share of crosses to bear. She is unable to have children, her husband has left her, she has lost her job and she finds herself living at home with her parents.
Her mother, the daughter of a preacher, believes prayer is the answer to Ellen's problems, which only makes Ellen roll her eyes and shake her head. She finds herself spending her days shopping and her nights bar-hopping, hoping to find the answe I won this book from a Goodreads Givaway and am so happy that I did.
She finds herself spending her days shopping and her nights bar-hopping, hoping to find the answer to her mother's prayers in the bottom of a glass. One night she does, when she meets courageous, handsome Mark, but problems soon arise. Between going through a divorce, dealing with her over-zealous mother, problems her parents are facing and a new job that brings back old rivalries, Ellen is brought to a breaking point that she is sure prayer cannot fix.
While some dyed-in-wool Christians may find it hard to digest, the rest of us nod our heads and smile because we've all known people in our lives who are exactly like the characters in this book. Sarah Healy has done an excellent job with this debut novel of creating flawed but likable characters who we want to root for even when they have hit rock bottom. I enjoyed this novel and look forward to Ms.
Healy's next novel. Mar 23, Sheryl rated it it was amazing. Sarah Healy's first novel was difficult to put down. Ellen was endearing and although I didn't grow up in a born-again family, I could relate to some of her ways of coping. She's a mess at times and the novel plays out in unexpected directions. Really funny and at times, quite poignant. Looking forward to Sarah Healy's next book! Apr 14, Jacqueline J rated it liked it Shelves: book-club , christian-fiction , bad-marriage.
This was better than I expected. I liked that even though Christianity and religion was woven through this, it wasn't preachy. I did find it predictable and in fact I lost half of my interest as soon as I guessed that the cool new love interest that the heroine ran into was going to turn out to be a preacher.
I felt like there were a couple of missing scenes that should have been included at the end to make the whole thing more satisfying. For example such a big big deal had been made out of the This was better than I expected. For example such a big big deal had been made out of the fact that the heroine's mother was someone who used constant attendance at several churches as a crutch and that the heroine had no patience with her fanaticism I felt that this issue should have been discussed between the heroine and the hero.
I also felt that the scene where the heroine apologizes to the hero for turning away from him when he admitted that he was a preacher was short changed. There needed to be a lot more discussion between someone who was so anti established religion and someone who led a church when they were considering marriage.
Still it was a fairly interesting read. Mar 02, Anna rated it it was amazing Shelves: general-fiction. This book was incredibly compelling. I didn't expect to like it, but as it turned out, I couldn't put it down. It's a funny and frank look at family relationships and faith. The main character, Ellen, gets left by her husband and loses her job, so she has to move back home with her parents.
She commences behaving in a very un-Christian way, and her mother harps on her mercilessly. It turns out there's a lot more going on in the Carlisle family than meets the eye. Not far into the book, Ellen mee This book was incredibly compelling. Not far into the book, Ellen meets Mark, and he, for the most part, is what kept me reading obsessively.
There was something strange about Mark, and I couldn't stop until I knew what it was. Trust me, it was worth it. May 09, Dawn rated it it was amazing. Loved this book. This author has a straight-forward voice and writing style and her character development was awesome. The layers of complexity of the family and life issues that were presented kept my interest and the climax brought tears to my eyes.
It has been a long time since I sat engrossed in a book rather than doing the myriad other things I should have been doing. Looking forward to reading more from this author. May 24, Sheila rated it it was amazing.
When I'm reading a novel I really want to care about the characters and I want to feel the story is believable. The main character is Ellen who moves home after an unsuccessful marriage. Ellen is a modern woman in with her Christian fundamental parents. The plot thickens.. I think the book was cleverly written with twists and turns I didn't predict. I hope this author continues with more novels with characters I want to spend my time with. Jan 01, Bobbe rated it it was amazing.
Sarah Healy was the first author I have read who represented an evangelical Christian home without obvious mockery. As a Christian, I have grown over the years in my own thinking about how I raised my children. If I could go back in time, I would do things differently. I loved that Ellen Carlisle was challenged, in this book, not to reject faith, but to seek her own--as I think we all are.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading Healy's next one. Jun 05, Annie rated it it was amazing. I loved this book. I didn't know exactly what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised. I think we can all relate to Ellen in one way or another. This book was very well written, descriptive and I felt like I was watching it on the big screen as I was reading it.
I read it in 4 days and it would have been sooner if I didn't have 3 kids to take care of. Don't miss this one!! Jun 30, Monika rated it it was ok.
This book really got my hopes up. All the tension and the crap this woman was going through kept building up and up, and just when it seems like things will turn out, they hastily throw another curve ball and wrap it up in 3 pages.
All in all, very disappointing. Sep 11, Louise Behrendt Miller rated it it was ok. The literary equivalent of Cheetos. View 2 comments.
Jul 24, Annie Hause rated it it was amazing. A refreshingly honest and modern story on faith, love, and family. May 04, Rachel Travers rated it liked it.
Great summer pool read! Jul 15, Laura Garvey rated it it was ok. Kinda over the whole women need a man in their life to feel whole. It also shows men in a horrible light, which im also over as well. Mar 24, Beth Peterson rated it it was amazing. Witty, funny and emotional. I loved it! Sep 30, Mark rated it it was amazing. I loved this book, not because I'm from New Jersey. Jun 14, Laura rated it really liked it.
The title made me a bit wary, but the description pulled me in. Ellen Carlisle grew up in a born again Christian family, but as an adult she threw off her Christianity. She is troubled t Can I Get an Amen? She is troubled that none of her three children embrace her faith and this causes many conflicts in their relationships. Ellen is understandably devastated and moves back home to New Jersey to live with her parents while trying to sort out her life. Once home, Ellen discovers that her parents have their own set of problems to deal with and that going to church is mandatory.
She deals with life by bar hoping and meeting random guys. She also is thrown together with a nemesis from the past and meets a wonderful new guy. I really, really enjoyed this novel. I thought the characters were all very well written and relatable. The novel is not trying to force Christianity on anyone, but it talks about people who view Christianity as a major part of their live and the conflict it can cause when other people in their family do not view it in the same way.
The novel was funny, touching, and kept me interested until the end. I guessed the major plot twist, but I still wanted to see how Ellen would deal with it. Overall, Can I Get an Amen? Is a funny, relatable, and touching family dramedy that will keep you riveted until the end. If you would like a chance to read this novel, clink on this link and leave a comment on a great guest blog by Sarah Healy for a chance to win the novel.
I recieved a review copy of this book from Penguin Books. Nov 23, Cassandra rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorite-book-shelf. Then I ran across the book again on Amazon's website and decided to give it a try. I was hooked from the first couple of pages. This book has got to be one of the few best reads I've had in a long time.
Every time I picked up this book it felt like I was being taken on a refreshing journey; a quick escape into Ellen's life as she constantly searched for her identity of self and spirituality. I love the way Sarah Healy opens up with Ellen's husband asking, no declaring, a divorce.
His reason, fertility issues. However, all throughout the book I wondered was there more to his motive of wanting a divorce than that.
Nothing about believing in God comes easy for her and most of what she knows or experiences repels her like bug spray. She also struggles with the details of day-to-day living.
Her health is less than desired. Her relationships are complicated. Her work life is tedious. Her romantic life alternates between whimsically encouraging and deeply depressing. It's as if Sarah Healy decided to cut open a vein and spill the angst and hope of women everywhere on to the pages of her book. One can only hope there will be many more. One thing I didn't like was a snide comment made about "blacks selling crack on side of road".
Although it fit perfectly in context and the character was being sarcastic in his dialogue, comments like these serve only to perpetuate ugly, negative stereotypes. Granted, the whole book takes on stereotypes about conservative Christians in similar fashion, but this particular comment felt as though it could have easily been replaced with something else that would have made the point just as effectively.
When the last thing you want is the one thing you need, you've got to have a little faith Growing up, Ellen Carlisle was a Christian: she went to Jesus camp, downed stale Nilla wafers at Sunday school, and never, ever played with Ouija boards. Now, years later, when infertility prevents her from giving her ambitious attorney husband a family, she finds herself on the brink of divorce, unemployed, and living with her right-wing, Born Again Christian parents in her suburban New Jersey hometown.
There the schools are private, the past is public, and blessings come in lump sums. Registered users may leave comments. Log in or register now! November 11th, On Top Shelf Sandra Brown.
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