Rene Gutteridge and Ward, John. Heart of the Country. Tyndale House Publishers. 2013.

SUMMARY:
Born into a very wealthy, dynamic, business-minded family, Luke Carraday has it all and lives life to the fullest. Faith Kramer, a native of rural North Carolina with a loving widower father, a beautiful voice and lots of emotional baggage, flees to New York. When the Luke and Faith meet, things just seem to click and they live a “fairytale” life…until Luke is involved in a Wall-Street based Ponzi scheme which turns their world upside down. Both Prodigals must face their deepest fears, greatest losses, and innermost emotions while facing struggles within their own families. Heart of the Country deals with many matters of the heart while leaving and ultimately finding home.

A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHTS:
Though usually not one to “devour” my books, this was a novel which kept me engaged to the finish. Creatively and successfully written from multiple first-person points of view, the characters were intensely charged. Based on the parable of the Prodigal Son, Heart of the Country depicts it in a very real-life way. Interestingly, John Ward (Enchanted), wrote the screenplay first and Rene Gutteridge (Ultimate Gift) then wrote the novel. Both authors obviously are passionate about their characters, story lines and Christian-based approach according to the Questions and Answers included at the end. Having read the novel, I definitely will watch the movie and read/ watch more books/ movies from these authors/ screenwriters.

Watch a trailer for the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4DXfARALE8

RATING:
4.5 (out of 5) pennies

*I received a complimentary copy of Heart of the Country from Tyndale House Publishers for my honest review*