Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Life in Defiance (Defiance, Texas Trilogy #3)

by Mary E. DeMuth (Goodreads Author)

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 · rating details · 127 ratings · 39 reviews

Set against the backdrop of Defiance, Texas, Life in Defiance, book three in the Defiance Texas Trilogy by Mary DeMuth, reflects a choice we all face: reveal our secrets or bury them forever ... and live with the consequences.

Paperback, 356 pages

Published May 25th 2010 by Zondervan (first published May 7th 2010)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 225)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jun 08, 2010 Molly rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVERYONE!

Recommended to Molly by: Blog Tour Spot; Mary DeMuth

Shelves: book-review

I must admit that I wasn't fortunate enough to read Daisy Chain or Slow Burn, books 1 & 2 in the Defiance Texas Trilogy. But, even though I was a tad confused (DeMuth talked about a few things from the previous two books) I still loved this book. Mary DeMuth has a truly seasoned talent to put forth a soul-capturing, powerfully riveting story.

Life in Defiance's story line is one that will grip your heart and really try to tear apart. It will leave you wanting to scream at Ouisie Pepper and h...more

like · see review

Jun 06, 2010 Nikole Hahn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Life In Defiance left me in a vague disquiet. When I closed the book, I didn’t know whether I wanted to cry or celebrate with Ouisie in her well deserved triumph. I recall getting ready for bed, brushing my teeth, and chewing over the story in my head because I couldn’t shake the emotions it left with me.

In book one, Daisy Chain, Daisy Chance abruptly disappears. 14-year old Jed Pepper searches for answers. In book two, A Slow Burn, Emory Chance grieves and struggles with a vision of who killed...more Life In Defiance left me in a vague disquiet. When I closed the book, I didn’t know whether I wanted to cry or celebrate with Ouisie in her well deserved triumph. I recall getting ready for bed, brushing my teeth, and chewing over the story in my head because I couldn’t shake the emotions it left with me.

In book one, Daisy Chain, Daisy Chance abruptly disappears. 14-year old Jed Pepper searches for answers. In book two, A Slow Burn, Emory Chance grieves and struggles with a vision of who killed her daughter, Daisy. Now in book three, Ouisie struggles because she thinks she knows who killed Daisy. Ouisie is the wife of pastor in the town’s small community church. She struggles with her secrets, her anger, and struggles to do the right thing by her abusive husband.

I felt as if I were reading the pages of a book right out of some of my friend’s lives. There were times when I couldn’t seem to catch my breath as I struggled right along with Ouisie. The book is written from Ouisie’s perspective. She talks about the voices in her head berating her for not living up to the perfect wife, for not doing anything good, and for defying God. Her pastor husband is not only the head pastor of the church, but he seems to own the church. Everyone knows Ouisie is abused, but no one wants to go up against the pastor. The pastor uses God’s Word to further break her spirit.

Ouisie likes to walk the shores of Lake Pisgah. She also likes to drink. The alcohol is her only escape from her life at home. Her daughter and son rally around their mother. They trade messages written on flower petals because Hap, her husband, will never read them. Flower petals brown quickly and rot. One day she meets a man who faintly resembles Santa Claus. He is a wandering vagrant named, Elijah. You don’t know if he is a safe person or where he comes from, but he is like a prophet. He tells Ouisie what she needs to hear, what she doesn’t want to hear, and he becomes a friend bringing unusual presents made of string and paper. Another strange person enters her life.

The author of a book about marriage visits her and we find out the author was married, but her marriage didn’t last. How can a marriage book be written by a woman whose marriage is a failure? The book is all about submission and Ouisie reads it and tries to follow it like a good wife. Hap is pleased, but Ouisie will learn you cannot imitate perfection. You want to take the book from her hands and toss it away because you know it’s not healthy. You applaud her friends when they point out the Bible verses where submission works both ways.

Life In Defiance is a clever play of the title. Ouisie is living her life in defiance, both in the town and the literal meaning of the word. We walk with her as she struggles with self-doubt, self-revulsion and with God. We walk with her along the shores of Lake Pigsah watching the tall grasses bend in the wind. We hold our breath when the killer of Daisy Chance stalks her from the trees near her house. We feel a knot in our throat when her husband nearly kills her with his violent temper over and over and feel righteous anger at those who witness it and do nothing.

Once again, Mary DeMuth does an outstanding job in this work of fiction. The words are poetic and engrossing. I opened the book on Wednesday afternoon and closed the last page late Wednesday night. I wanted to cry for those I know who struggled like Ouisie, for myself who understands the power of words and how the Bible is misused to control another person, and for those struggling right now under oppression. It made me thank God for the husband I married and for the freedoms I enjoy.

This book provided by Zondervan(less)

like · see review

May 30, 2010 Donna Collins added it

I was torn between wanting the savor the book as I knew it was the last one in the Defiance Texas Trilogy and hurry up and finish so I could see who killed Daisy Chance. It was so hard to put down and go about what I needed to do during the day; my reward was coming back to the book as often as I could. I will savor it the second reading. I love everything that Mary E DeMuth has written! I will always be a fan of her writing, her overcoming spirit and her fiction story telling.

Daisy Chain (Defia...more

like · see review

May 27, 2010 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars

I so looked forward to reading this book for long time, waiting to find out who murdered Daisy Chance. I thought I knew who it was, and figured my guess would be confirmed after finishing the book. I joined the ’0% group‘ — those folks who have guessed the perpetrator and were wrong. After reading the book, however, it was no longer my greatest desire to know.

What piqued my interest and shocked me throughout the book is the domestic violence between Hap and Ouisie. I’ve never been around anyone...more

like · see review

May 27, 2010 Sheila rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian, current_issues, relationships, suspense

In Defiance, Texas, Ouisie Pepper seeks a perfect world. She’s the pastor’s wife. How could she be defiant? And yet, she defies her husband and the hunters of Daisy Chance’s killer, keeping secrets that could change the lives of all the people around her. Ouisie knows the pastor is not the all powerful, all knowing, all kind and generous leader he’s believed to be. She knows Daisy’s killer still lurks close by. She knows her son and daughter deserve a better life. And she knows she shouldn’t dri...more In Defiance, Texas, Ouisie Pepper seeks a perfect world. She’s the pastor’s wife. How could she be defiant? And yet, she defies her husband and the hunters of Daisy Chance’s killer, keeping secrets that could change the lives of all the people around her. Ouisie knows the pastor is not the all powerful, all knowing, all kind and generous leader he’s believed to be. She knows Daisy’s killer still lurks close by. She knows her son and daughter deserve a better life. And she knows she shouldn’t drink. But sometimes the drinking is all that seems to hold her together.

Ouisie Pepper sets out to improve her marriage with the aid of a sweetly religious self-help book. And the author, Mary E DeMuth, brings Ouisie, self-help author Sheba Nelson, bereaved mother Emory Chance, and a host of other characters to vivid life, all through Ouisie’s lonely clouded eyes.

I read A Slow Burn, second in Mary DeMuth’s Defiance Texas Trilogy, last year and really enjoyed it. There I saw through Emory’s eyes as she tried to piece together a life that was already fractured before her child was lost. There I met Ouisie, the discerning, oddly non-judgemental friend, with fascinating character flaws that I longed to learn more of. In Life in Defiance I finally get to know her well.

Ouisie wears her wounds well hidden, not just the wounds of a marriage that offers no safety, but those of a childhood too whose insecurities have molded her. Even when her husband doesn’t rage, the voice in her head still reminds her that she’s not perfect, not good enough. She walks round the lake drinking its peace while fearing to drown, and she can’t let go of the need to help herself as she struggles constantly to help others.

It’s not hard to empathize with Ouisie. Balancing love and duty, clinging helplessly to the hope that people change, meeting each challenge head-on and always standing right back up again, she tries so hard to control her world while she watches it spin on its heel.

The author has a deft hand with conversation, creating meetings where the reader feels so involved you almost want to speak your piece. She treats the presence of the divine with convincing realism too, never resorting to unbelievable “voices” but retaining the constant presence of another Voice in Ouisie’s mind. And she ties the threads of a complex tale through the lives of complex people, leading to a surprising and genuinely plausible, sorrowful conclusion.

I’ve still not read Daisy Chain, the first in the series. But it’s on order at the bookstore and I’ll read it soon. This series is one where you can genuinely start reading wherever you choose. But I’m sure you’ll grow to love the characters and long to know more, just as I have. In the process, perhaps you’ll learn more of yourself as well, and find healing for your own wounds or wisdom for your neighbors’.
(less)

like · see review

May 15, 2010 Jeanette Morris rated it 5 of 5 stars

In my review of the first book of Mary DeMuth’s Defiance Texas Trilogy, I asked the question: why are people in Defiance so defiant? Now I know the answer—secrets. So many secrets…so much pain and grief because of them. And isn’t that just like us?

There lies the beauty of Mary DeMuth’s "Life in Defiance." She writes relevant fiction—stories that mean something. In the case of this book, her impeccable writing sucked me right into the inner world of Ouisie Pepper and held me there until all the...more

like · see review

May 12, 2010 Karen Rabbitt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Powerful Characters

Life in Defiance finishes the Defiance trilogy, which includes Daisy Chain and A Slow Burn, in Mary DeMuth’s distinctive voice. With redemption for some, continued blindness for others, and justice for Daisy, the story satisfies.

Every woman who has cowered before a man’s anger will identify with Ouisie Pepper. Christians who have let pastors dominate their decisions may have second thoughts as they spend time with Hap Pepper. Women who need to face hard truths will find comp...more

like · see review

Apr 19, 2013 Joyce rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the third book in the Defiance, Texas trilogy. The novel is set once again in the small town of Defiance, TX. Each book In this trilogy has focused on one particular person whose story is woven among that of several other characters, who reappear In each book. The first book in the trilogy starts out with the disappearance of 13-year old Daisy Chance and the struggles of her best friend, Jed. The next book in the trilogy centered around Daisy's mother, Emory. In this final book, the cent...more

like · see review

Jun 04, 2010 Carly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-favorites

I usually say a little prayer before I start a book review. I always try to do my best when talking about the books I read. Authors work so hard at crafting their stories and I feel it is important for me to ask for God’s guidance when writing a review. I needed some extra help for this review because I just don’t know where to start.

I suppose the best place to start is with the overall feeling I had while reading Life in Defiance. I don’t know how Mary does it, but despite the tension and painf...more

like · see review

Nov 16, 2010 Readnponder rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is book three of a trilogy. Finally, the mystery of who killed Daisy Chance is solved. However, that suspence takes a backseat to Ouisie's marriage. Ouisie is the narrator in book three. Her husband, Hap, the local pastor, continues to beat her and terrorize the family. He is despicable. Lives a double life: one way in front of the congregation, and totally different with his family.

I applaud the author's willingness to tackle the issue of spousal abuse within so-called Christian homes. Ou...more

like · see review

May 26, 2012 Lyndie Blevins rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have to confess. While waiting for the release of LIFE IN DEFIANCE, I kept imagining different ends to Mary DeMuth’ s Defiance Texas Trilogy by casting the town’s characters in the role of the Daisy Chance’s killer. I played this character game to avoid facing the the real question; will any sense come from sweet Daisy’s death?

In LIFE IN DEFIANCE, Mary returns her readers to Defiance, Texas for the trilogy’s conclusion. While Defiance is a place where we have all passed through, we would never...more

like · see review

Jun 14, 2010 Lajoyce Shrom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mary DeMuth's masterful artistry of words have made their presence
known in the conclusion of this trilogy once again.

This story of a family has suspense mounting many times as Mary's words
depict a family left out to dry as Ouisie Pepper endures the unmerciful
tyrant of a husband and father that dares to call himself a preacher.
Her description of the verbal and physical abuse can make a reader cry
in sympathy for the victim and have revenge etched in their brain for
the perpetrator.The story i...more

like · see review

Jun 16, 2010 Delia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ouisie Pepper knows a secret. The whole town of Defiance, Texas would like to know what she knows. But Ouisie is good at keeping her mouth shut. She’s done it her whole life, especially as the battered wife of Defiance’s minister, Hap Pepper.

Her best friend is Emory Chance, a woman who once had an affair with Ouisie’s preacher husband. Without Emory and the bottle hidden in Ouisie’s bedroom, life would be unbearable for the reverend’s wife. Since Emory’s found the Lord, she’s a different woman,...more Ouisie Pepper knows a secret. The whole town of Defiance, Texas would like to know what she knows. But Ouisie is good at keeping her mouth shut. She’s done it her whole life, especially as the battered wife of Defiance’s minister, Hap Pepper.

Her best friend is Emory Chance, a woman who once had an affair with Ouisie’s preacher husband. Without Emory and the bottle hidden in Ouisie’s bedroom, life would be unbearable for the reverend’s wife. Since Emory’s found the Lord, she’s a different woman, and one of only a few who know about Hap’s violent tendencies. One of the few Ouisie trusts with that knowledge.

Ouisie’s children know. They’ve witnessed it, been on the receiving end of it. Her little girl has a lisp and is growing old before she’s grown. Her son, Jed, already bitter after the death of his friend Daisy, grows angrier and more belligerent as his mother continues to keep secrets and refuses to protect herself or her children from Hap. But Ouisie guards her husband’s reputation because, as a wife who fails to make her husband happy, surely his fits of temper are her own fault.

Somewhere in Defiance, the man who stole young Daisy Chance’s life still lives and breathes and plans his next move. And then there’s Elijah, a self-proclaimed prophet, who shows up out of nowhere and befriends Ouisie.

Her life is spinning out of control. She’s on a collision course with disaster, and too afraid to take the reins and stop the headlong rush. Will she find her courage before her world crashes in around her…before her children are forever destroyed by life and Hap Pepper’s cruelty?

Life in Defiance is the third and final book in the Defiance, Texas trilogy. Mary DeMuth has created a town full of living, breathing characters with wants and needs, problems and secrets. They’re not perfect people, and they live in a far from perfect world. This author is a master at capturing human emotion and pouring it onto a written page. My heart bled as Ouisie suffered under Hap’s heavy hand and heartless comments. My mother’s heart cried for Jed and Sissy as they cringed beneath their father’s temper and their mother’s inability to fight back. I longed to comfort Emory, who lived with not only her daughter’s murder, but her own failure as a mother prior to Daisy’s death. No one creates emotion like DeMuth. Every book in the Defiance series is a masterpiece. Each of the first two seemed to reach a pinnacle of excellence, leaving me to wonder how the next story could possibly reach or exceed its impact. Each time, DeMuth answered with another perfect, powerful follow-up. Absolutely unforgettable.(less)

like · see review

Jun 01, 2010 Lynnda Ell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-will-keep

Every family has its secrets. In book three of the Defiance Texas Trilogy, Life in Defiance Mary DeMuth exposes the destructive power of secret sins. The heart-breaking, soul-healing, emotionally satisfying revelation of the secrets in Definace make this book one to savor.

Mary deftly brings all the pieces together so that none of the puzzle is blank. She writes so skillful that the ending seems natural, not forced.

Not light reading for a summer day, the Defiance Texas Trilogy brings us too clo...more

like · see review

Mar 21, 2012 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Talk about a dark weary cheerless book this was it. It wrapped up the series and I have to admit surprise at the killer! I also admit that I wanted it to be Hap :( if there ever was an evil man it was him! And why Ousie chose to stay w/ him...I know, I know! The abused woman! even though the ending made you say 'finally!' I wish the ending would've been different somehow. Don't know how but it left me vaguely displeased. My chief complaint is the book seemed to drag, but wow, you won't forget yo...more

like · see review

May 18, 2010 Pattie rated it 5 of 5 stars

It is hard to know what to write in a review of the much-anticipated third book in a trilogy suspense series without spoiling the ending. As with both of the other books in this series, "Life in Defiance" is wonderfully crafted and beautifully written. Truly it's a work of beautiful art.

Mary DeMuth's writing certainly does not disappoint. Once again we can taste the dust, feel the bruises on a chilly winter day, and strongly sympathize with our narrator. I strongly identified with Ouisie for he...more

like · see review

Jul 13, 2012 Courtney rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this one more than the previous one... had to finish it, though I feel it was a little long winded too.

I would have liked the ending to be stronger as well. But I did like that DeMuth kept me guessing till very near the end.

Beware: this book has a lot of abuse detailed in it. It's pretty serious stuff. Handled with as much care as I could hope for, however. I'm not sure how it would effect people who have actually had to live with this in their lives; possibly give a woman courage to get...more

like · see review

Oct 07, 2010 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fiction

I enjoyed Ouisie's story and the solution to the mystery surounding Daisy. I have great respect for MS. Demuth's attempt to portray the difficult subject of abuse juxtaposed against God's grace. As Emory's faith grew in this book, she was able to be the friend Ouisie needed to move her past the abuse.

At times I felt the messages were somewhat jumbled. The stereotypical distortions of the scripture and what it teaches about submission were touched on in book three, but I wondered if someone read...more

like · see review

Jun 08, 2010 Elaine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, abuse

book 3 in the Defiance series

~~@ 17% 28% 45%~~
@ 70% on Kindle

She is physically, verbally, and emotionally abused by her husband. Their kids are emotionally abused by him as well. He tries to make it look better -- look as though she's just sick with a headache -- again -- so the kids don't witness the physical abuse. He's the church pastor after all. He has her believing she's not good enough, and she thinks that if she just does what's in the book she's reading about godly wives, he will see it and...more

like · see review

May 29, 2010 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

I love the Defiance Texas Trilogy (also includes Daisy Chain and A Slow Burn) and I've been waiting impatiently since October to read Life In Defiance.

And I feel...eh.

I thought this book dragged a bit...a little too much about Ouisie. I realize this story was told from her point of view and that became important at the end, but there was so much going on with her that it became overwhelming.

And the revelation of Daisy's killer...seriously?! Not even close to who I thought it was, nor was this pe...more

like · see review

Nov 08, 2012 Michelle Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is a page turner. I almost gave up on it though, when the characters made it seem as if spousal abuse was okay...and the answer was submission. I'm all for making a marriage work, but when we are talking abuse of children and women, GET SAFE. I'm not sure that message ever made it into the book. Although, in the end the person espousing submission, even in the face of danger, is discredited.

Overall, a decent read.

like · see review

Oct 31, 2010 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars

I did not read the books before and I was pleased to learn that I did not have to. I till got the whole story and liked it. I won this book from a book contest and felt luck to have won it. It teaches us that even in churches things are not always right, but we can stay close to God with hope that this can get better.

like · see review

Apr 13, 2011 Candace rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this trilogy: Daisy Chain, A Slow Burn and Life in Defiance while I was on a 12 day cruise to The Panama Canal. I could not wait to get back to my cabin to read these books. I laughed, cried and felt the ministry of this author. I am looking forward to reading other books from Mary. Excellent books!!!

like · see review

Apr 06, 2012 Kathleen Basi rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the book I was waiting for. Ouisie Pepper is a major character in all three books of the trilogy, but not until this one do we at last get to see her deal head-on with her abusive husband. When DeMuth finally got to it, she did a masterful job of it. I enjoyed every minute of this book.

like · see review

Feb 28, 2012 Tina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Finally, I was able to find out whodunnit! This is a nice wrap up to the first two in this series, Daisy Chain and A Slow Burn. Love Mary's literary style and depth of emotion. You have to read these in order to really appreciate Life in Defiance, so start with Daisy Chain.

like · see review

May 14, 2010 Kirsten rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those with secrets that are killing you

read in one day. deeply moving - especially when Louise hits the bottom. Literally. Crafted extremely well, no gimmicks, very straightforward with honest questions. I love the unlikely circle of friends she gathers. Thanks Mary, for another winner!

like · see review

Jun 20, 2012 Molly W rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was lucky enough to get this book a few days before it came out! I absolutely LOVED it. This is such a great series that I recommend to EVERYONE! I loved the Christian theme as well as the mystery.

like · see review

May 20, 2010 Molly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

Thank you Mary for NOT ripping my heart out with this one!

I stayed up late reading because I kept telling myself, oh just one more chapter and the next thing I knew, it was 1AM and I was done.

I love books like that!

This is the final book in the Defiance Trilogy and I really enjoyed it. At one point I was really scared that Mary was gonna work some magic and make me feel sorry for Hapland Pepper and that I won't love or feel for Ouisie anymore. Luckily, that never happened!

There are characters in...more

like 1 like · see review

Jun 07, 2010 Cafelilybookreviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Read my complete review here:
http://redlilycafe.blogspot.com/2010/...

like · see review

Jun 22, 2012 Amy B rated it 4 of 5 stars

The final book of the trilogy. Very good! (and I was actually right on whodunit!) very well written

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (3)

Genres

Christian Fiction

6 users

Christian

3 users

See top shelves...

About Mary E. DeMuth

Mary E. DeMuth loves to help readers turn their trials into triumphs. Her books include Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (Harvest House, 2005), Building the Christian Family You Never Had (WaterBrook, 2006), Watching the Tree Limbs, Wishing on Dandelions (NavPress, 2006), and Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture (Harvest House 2007). A mother of three, Mary lives with her husband Patrick and...more

More about Mary E. DeMuth...

Books by Mary E. DeMuth

Watching the Tree Limbs: A Maranatha Novel

Everything: What You Give and What You Gain to Become Like Jesus

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Life in Defiance

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Life in Defiance
avg rating	preview: Life in Defiance Goodreads rating: 4.11 (127 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7367827-life-in-defiance?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348833669l/7367827.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7367827-life-in-defiance?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Life in Defiance by Mary E. DeMuth[/url]

Life in Defiance (Defiance, Texas Trilogy #3)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (3)

Genres

About Mary E. DeMuth

Books by Mary E. DeMuth

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Life in Defiance

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (3)