Andrew Klavan is a multi-faceted individual.\u00a0 He is an acclaimed suspense novelist whose stories have been adapted into movies starring Clint Eastwood and Michael Douglas.\u00a0 Since the 2001 terror attack he\u2019s produced a series of web based videos that allow him to advocate for conservative views on a range of topics.\u00a0 It was in this capacity I first noticed him.\u00a0 In my opinion Klavan is one of the brightest and funniest people on the conservative side of the fence.\u00a0 I\u2019ve read several of his novels and found them equally engaging. \u00a0 He is undoubtedly a gifted and entertaining writer. \u00a0But the full title of his present work, \u201cThe Great Good Thing (A Secular Jew Comes to Faith in Christ),\u201d made me stop and consider whether the traits that resonated with me in his other work would translate well in an autobiographical story of religious awakening.<\/p>\n
Well, I\u2019m glad to say they do.\u00a0 I won\u2019t specify my own religious beliefs but I do come from a background where upbringing has steeped me in the Christian world.\u00a0 And my feelings are very sympathetic to religious people.\u00a0 We\u2019ll leave me at that.\u00a0 Of added attraction is that Mr. Klavan and I are of about the same age and both grew up in the New York City area.\u00a0 The world he speaks of is extremely familiar to me.\u00a0 All these factors made the material comfortable for me.<\/p>\n
So, now you know I liked it.\u00a0 Will you?\u00a0 Let\u2019s review what this book is and isn\u2019t.\u00a0 It\u2019s not an in-depth story of every facet of his life.\u00a0 We do not find out all the technical details of how he honed his writing style.\u00a0 We will not hear anecdotes of his acquaintanceships with famous actors and writers.\u00a0 We don\u2019t hear details of his other conversion, from a liberal to a conservative.\u00a0 What we will hear is the personal history from early childhood right up to fairly recent years that impacted and informed his spiritual journey.\u00a0 His family life and his education, much as they are with most men, are the arenas where his search for meaning and truth began.\u00a0 His circumstances are unique but the questions are universal and timeless.\u00a0 Unless this is the subject matter you are looking for, you shouldn\u2019t read this book or this review.<\/p>\n
Okay, if you\u2019re still there, let\u2019s move on to what I\u2019d like to say about \u201cThe Great Good Thing.\u201d\u00a0 I found it to be an interesting read. Klavan is writing about some extremely difficult, sometimes depressing events in his life.\u00a0 But the writing is never slow.\u00a0 The story propels itself along.\u00a0 The emotions represented run the gamut from comical to desperate but the writing style is never over-wrought which is especially unusual when describing religious experiences.\u00a0 I would describe the effect as lyrical.\u00a0 And this I attribute to the combination of the experience the author is describing along with his very great talents as a writer.\u00a0 If I were to compare this book it would be to C.S. Lewis\u2019 \u201cSurprised by Joy.\u201d\u00a0 Both books describe the journey of an intelligent witty author from atheism to faith. \u00a0Both books include a measure of humor and pain.\u00a0 Both books are well written.\u00a0 Both men reveal themselves down to their very souls.\u00a0 I found the book inspirational and satisfying.\u00a0 The title is apt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Andrew Klavan is a multi-faceted individual.\u00a0 He is an acclaimed suspense novelist whose stories have been adapted into movies starring Clint Eastwood and Michael Douglas.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[241,5,237],"tags":[85,68,87,86],"class_list":["post-657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-current-events","category-reviews","tag-andrew-klavan","tag-book-review","tag-christianity","tag-religion"],"yoast_head":"\n