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Songs of Deliverance

4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 · rating details · 36 ratings · 16 reviews

Fifteen years ago, Zeely Wilkins and Ron Jenkins were students the school district stopped believing in. Lucky for them, their teacher knew something the principal didn't; they were cream of the crop but they just hadn't sprouted the way people expected. Though they went their separate ways, the past is calling them back to the school and the teacher who wouldn't give up o...more

Paperback, 324 pages

Published November 1st 2009 by Fleming H. Revell Company (first published October 1st 2009)

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Oct 11, 2010 Crystal Laine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Zeeley and Ron, and Brian Mayfield and Diana Grace were all students of Joyce, the Ohio teacher who believed God could use all of them, even others didn't think so. After many mistakes, hurts, and false starts, all are reunited at the school when Joyce has cancer. The secrets in each one's life threatens to shatter the love rekindled with each couple, but the prayers and unfolding secrets brought about by Joyce give choices once again.

Those who complain about Christian fiction being "unreal" ha...more

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Jun 02, 2010 Kaylea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: see-blog-for-more-info

First off, I liked the book in general. I thought Griffith wove the stories of four friends together in an interesting way. I also thought she kept the novel moving quickly, as things began to unfold in the lives of her main characters - Ron and Zeely.

The book is a sequel - to Rhythm of Grace (see below for info about this book), but billed as a "stand alone" novel. Honestly, I think that billing is a disservice to the reader, and to Griffith.

I spent the first half of the book trying to figure...more

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Apr 12, 2010 Nora St Laurent rated it 5 of 5 stars

Marilyn Griffith writes with such sensitivity, passion and distinctiveness, all of my senses were at attention. This author had me witness, hear, feel and experience the believability of the characters, and the intimate details of their lives woven together by the intensity of their individual situations. These characters and their stories touched me deeply; I carried Song of Deliverance with me everywhere I went until I read the last page. It was that gripping.

Marilyn’s passion and love for the...more Marilyn Griffith writes with such sensitivity, passion and distinctiveness, all of my senses were at attention. This author had me witness, hear, feel and experience the believability of the characters, and the intimate details of their lives woven together by the intensity of their individual situations. These characters and their stories touched me deeply; I carried Song of Deliverance with me everywhere I went until I read the last page. It was that gripping.

Marilyn’s passion and love for the Lord drips off the pages and into your heart. This author has a way of putting you into the action in a very real way. I haven’t experienced anything like it before. She has a unique style of writing that I soon adapted to. I was swept up into the story and fascinated by her rich array of characters. Marilyn writes whole chapters in different characters points of view. In the beginning of each chapter there is the name of the character so you know who is doing the talking. I quickly got into the rhythm and was hooked.

After I finished Songs of Deliverance, the sequel to Rhythm of Grace, I knew I had been part of something special, amazing and eye opening. Just as Marilyn’s characters felt, I, too, felt I’d been kissed by good and deemed lovable. No matter what happens in this life, our heavenly daddy is there with open arms to love us thru this journey called life. He will give us songs of deliverance if we are brave enough to sing the song He has specifically for us.

I wanted to give you a sneak peek into Marilyn’s style of writing. “The bubbles tickled my shoulders but brought no humor to them. I’d thought that a good, hot bath might numb the pain, but some things couldn’t be soaked or scrubbed away. Some things stained deep into the soul.”

Dr. Joyce Rogers – gathers her best students to teach at a school she runs for troubled kids. These kids have been wounded by life. Dr. Rogers’s mission is to love the unlovable kids, the throw a ways, and the abandoned and to give them a second and third chance no one else will give them.

Marylyn Griffith pens a story that will stay in your heart and make you contemplate all that God does in the characters lives. Nothing is tied up in a pretty bow at the end. Life is not like that, but God does promise us healing, grace and a love ever lasting. Thanks to Revell for the review copy.

Nora St. Laurent
ACFW Book Club Coordinator
Finding Hope Through Fiction
www.psalm516.blogspot.com (less)

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Feb 06, 2010 Ruth rated it 5 of 5 stars

I started reading Songs of Deliverance with a major disadvantage. Though I’d been under the impression that this was a standalone novel, the events that fill the pages of Songs are closely tied to Griffith’s preceding book, Rhythms of Grace. That said, having stuck with this book, once I caught on to the rhythm of the story I couldn’t stop turning the pages. This story covers so much more territory than the back cover copy would lead you to believe. Songs is the story of Zeely and Ron, childhood...more I started reading Songs of Deliverance with a major disadvantage. Though I’d been under the impression that this was a standalone novel, the events that fill the pages of Songs are closely tied to Griffith’s preceding book, Rhythms of Grace. That said, having stuck with this book, once I caught on to the rhythm of the story I couldn’t stop turning the pages. This story covers so much more territory than the back cover copy would lead you to believe. Songs is the story of Zeely and Ron, childhood sweethearts torn apart by choices and a past history marked with breathtaking pain and suffering, defined by regrets. Brought back to the school where their story began, by a dying teacher who’d loved them and believed in them in spite of the road of heartache their lives had taken, there’s a chance for a new beginning. But before that is possible, ugly truths must be confronted, and light must illuminate the dark scars that have given voice to the lie that one’s mistakes are irredeemable. Songs is also the story of Grace and Brian, also called back to face their pasts by the same teacher. As a teenager, Grace’s life changed forever the night she was raped, and now, years later, she’s hungry to know the child she gave up for adoption. Brian also has mysteries in his past that need uncovering, But as secrets come to light and truths are revealed, this each of these individuals must choose whether or not God’s grace can make beauty from the ashes of their pasts.

This book opens with a bang, literally – an attack on Grace, a shooting, and then the aftershocks settle in as the trauma of that night shakes the lives of Zeely, Ron, Grace, and Brian to the core. It’s a shocking moment that works as a trigger, bringing each person to a fork in the road where they have to start choosing life or death, and choosing life is a hard choice that comes with its own perils, because in order to fully embrace life and redemption, scars have to be ripped open from decades-old wounds. As I mentioned earlier, not having read the preceding book I started Songs at a disadvantage. This wasn’t helped by the story’s point of view changing constantly. Chapters are devoted to each of the four principle characters, and even a few secondary players get their own spotlight chapter. The constant back-and-forth, with no regular order to the changes, is enough to give a person whiplash. But the story here is so compelling that sticking with it for the payoff is worthwhile.

I can’t think of the last time I read a novel where the brokenness of the characters, the heartache they experience, their journey towards wholeness left me broken open as well. There’s a raw, aching, refreshing authenticity to the faith found within the pages of this book. I could see where the spiritual thread of this story could be too heavy for some readers, but there’s no other way in my view for Griffith to resolve the issues facing her characters without honest, desperate faith she gives voice to in these pages. This isn’t a comfortable read – Griffith tackles the results of rape, abuse, and abortion, to name a few, and the result of lies made and kept for years, and secrets buried for generations to preserve an image or hold on to a prejudice. A valid argument could be made, I suppose, that the storyline teeters on the edge of soap-opera. But while that may have kept me engrossed in the novel, what I’ll take away from this book is the inspiring, raw and honest authenticity of each character’s faith. Songs of Deliverance is a beautifully-rendered story of the beauty that can come from brokenness, and of God’s never-failing redemptive power. (less)

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Feb 01, 2010 Debbie Lester rated it 4 of 5 stars

My Synopsis:

Songs of Deliverance by Marilynn Griffin continues the story of Zeely, Ron, Grace and Brian and all the other people who interact in their lives from Griffin's novel Rhythms of Grace. This novel ties together all the stories that left readers wanting more. It can be read and easily understood as a stand alone book as well.

Zeely and Ron face the fact that they are both in love with each other, yet they are engaged to other people. Their relationship is one of loss and heartache, yet a...more

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Jan 15, 2010 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Songs of Deliverance is a book that is intense, it addresses issues often not seen in Christian fiction, such as out of wedlock pregnancies, domestic violence, and abortion.
Centered around four adults, who were students of a special woman, who had great love for her students, these adults have now made names for themselves. Going further than the system ever thought they would. However these four adults are still stuck in the stigmatism of their raising, the expectations placed upon them by fam...more

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Dec 24, 2009 Andita rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone and everyone

Deliverance is something I rarely think about but this book was a beautiful tribute to the songs we hold in ourselves and the songs we make in our hearts. I got the book free and thought - I am not a Christian will I like it? And will it be preachy and turn me off? It was a resounding no! I was captured by the first chapter then couldn’t put the book down.

I cried a lot for I felt the pain the characters felt. I also cried also because I felt their joy. The author made me want to continue to hop

...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Molly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-review

Another book that I just don't know how to put into words what I felt when reading it. It is definitely one of those WOW books! From the beginning, the suspense pulls you in and won't let you go. The plot of love, redeeming yourself, and secrets is full of so many edge-of-your-seat twists, making it a compelling story I just did not want to put down! I loved ALL the characters in this one. I couldn't say that just one was my favorite because they all blend together in the plot so perfectly. I fo...more

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Feb 02, 2010 Clockstein Lockstein rated it 5 of 5 stars

Songs of Deliverance by Marilynn Griffith is the powerful sequel to Rhythms of Grace. The story picks up in the middle of an attack on dancer Grace Okoye and her rescue by her friends Zeely, Ron, and Brian. Each character has a rich, multi-layered history entwined with the others. Ron and Zeely have loved each other since high school, but each is engaged to another, and Grace and Brian are soulmates who can't seem to get past their history to find each other again. I wish that I had read the pre...more

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Feb 04, 2010 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: forpleasure, forreview, christianfiction, blog-tour-book

Songs of Deliverance contains beautiful prose and insightful moments that make the reader think. I feel like I did myself a disservice by not reading the first book first, though. It seems like several foundations were laid in the prior book that I didn't have full access to since I began with the second in the series. I don't recommend that because it took away from my overall experience. That said, this story also contained more than a few "no way" moments for me. I felt like I was watching a...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

When I started reading this book, I was a little weirded out by the strangeness of the world these folks live in, but by the end I was really loving their honesty and their openness to the spiritual elements of the real world.

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Jun 07, 2012 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Even though it seemed like a soap opera, I plowed through this sequel to Rhythms of Grace. I enjoyed reading more about Grace, Brian, Zeely, and Ron.

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May 07, 2012 Alexis Townsend rated it 4 of 5 stars

Finally, the ending I needed to Rythms of Grace. I definite must read!!!

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Feb 06, 2010 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Struggling to follow the narrative in this book.

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Jan 25, 2010 Deanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won this book thorugh goodreads. I foung this book to be very moving. I think that all can relate to it's message. We all have something in our past that we need to let go and be forgiven for, before we can move on.

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Nov 30, 2010 Kaity-Jane Culbertson rated it 1 of 5 stars

Terrible book...put it down.

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Feb 08, 2010 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I read the last page of Rhythms of Grace, I knew I could not wait for the sequel to be released. Once Songs of Deliverance was released I could hardly wait to get my hands on a copy. The first night I started reading Marilynn Griffith's latest release I breezed through the first 70 pages. I realized I did not want to drink this story up as fast as I did the last, but it was unavoidable. Griffith had once again pulled me into the small town of Testimony and the lives of the people.

Everyone...more When I read the last page of Rhythms of Grace, I knew I could not wait for the sequel to be released. Once Songs of Deliverance was released I could hardly wait to get my hands on a copy. The first night I started reading Marilynn Griffith's latest release I breezed through the first 70 pages. I realized I did not want to drink this story up as fast as I did the last, but it was unavoidable. Griffith had once again pulled me into the small town of Testimony and the lives of the people.

Everyone was back looking for closure to the different choices that either they made or was made for them. Grace had returned to Testimony, in Rhythms of Grace, when her old dance teacher had summoned her. Grace did not realize her returning was necessary in order to fill in the pieces of another person's incomplete life. She was accustomed to running from all her troubles. The time had finally come for her to stand her ground. Would she be able to handle the harshness of reality? Or would she once again runaway from it all?

Zeely was willing to settle in life and in love. She had made choices that would surprise some and affect others. Zeely had kept her secret desires to herself for so long that she was coming undone with each passing second. She was used to doing what was expected of her. When her mother was alive, she constantly told her she should marry Jeremiah, however, his heart belonged to another. Would Jeremiah and Zeely both look past their true love and commit to one another finally?

Best friends Brian and Ron are so different but yet they are so much alike. They grew up as close as brothers, but their lives seemed to be a bit more than they could control. Are any of them really in charge of where they were and where they were headed?

Griffith is a skilled novelist. Her stories provide food for thought and entertain. Life in a little town is easier to understand after reading Rhythms of Grace and/or Songs of Deliverance. In order to enjoy these characters you do not need to read Rhythms of Grace first because Griffith recalls the information throughout the story. However, I would encourage reading both books.

I received this book for review purposes from the publisher.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub(less)

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May 08, 2013 Brisher Griffin marked it as to-read

Apr 24, 2013 kay noga rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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