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A Thing of Beauty
It’s a wonder to behold what happens when love moves in . . . Former child star Fiona Hume deserted the movie biz a decade ago—right after she left rehab. She landed in Baltimore, bought a dilapidated old mansion downtown, and hatched dreams of restoring it into a masterpiece, complete with a studio for herself. She would disappear from public view and live an artist’s life. That was the plan. Ten years later, Fiona’s huge house is filled with junk purchased at thrift stores, haggled over at yard sales, or picked up from the side of the road. Each piece was destined for an art project . . . but all she’s got so far is a piece of twine with some antique buttons threaded down its length. She’s thirty-two years old and still recognizable, but Fiona’s money has finally run out. She’s gotten pretty desperate, too, and in her desperation she’s willing to do almost anything for money. Almost. So it is that she comes to rent out the maid’s quarters to a local blacksmith named Josia Yeu. Josia is everything Fiona isn’t: gregarious, peaceful, in control without controlling . . . in short, happy. As the light from the maid’s quarters begins to permeate the dank rooms of Fiona’s world, something else begins to transform as well—something inside Fiona. Something even she can see is beautiful.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
45 people are currently reading
636 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Samson
63 books194 followersThe Christy-award winning author of nineteen books including the Women of Faith Novel of the Year Quaker Summer, Lisa Samson has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as "a talented novelist who isn't afraid to take risks." She lives in Kentucky with her husband and three kids.
Also, published under the name L.L. Samson
Also, published under the name L.L. Samson
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
January 22, 2015
I'm going to start off this review by saying that if the occasional curse word offends you, don't pick up this book. It seems to be the biggest complaint from other reviewers and while it speaks of authenticity to me, it screams non-christian to others. That being said, I'm not going to get on top of any religious soapbox. Your beliefs are yours. Mine are mine and that isn't what we're here for. Now, on to what I thought!
I very much enjoyed this book. As someone who comes from a damaged background and is a borderline hoarder with ocd tendencies, I completely understood the character of Fiona. She was real. She was authentic and her story, though fiction, probably could be any one of a number of real stories. This story is one of redemption and hope and the truth that sometimes you just have to remove people from your life so that you can live yours in the healthiest way possible. It doesn't make you an awful person, it just means you're taking care of yourself. This story doesn't end with a fairytale happily ever after but it ends in a place where happiness is now possible and the future holds promise...and while some complain that this isn't an in your face God story, I don't think that's a bad thing. Sometimes the way to reach people is by telling a story without pushing your beliefs in their face and sometimes what people need is hope that there is a clear space at the end of their tunnel.
I very much enjoyed this book. As someone who comes from a damaged background and is a borderline hoarder with ocd tendencies, I completely understood the character of Fiona. She was real. She was authentic and her story, though fiction, probably could be any one of a number of real stories. This story is one of redemption and hope and the truth that sometimes you just have to remove people from your life so that you can live yours in the healthiest way possible. It doesn't make you an awful person, it just means you're taking care of yourself. This story doesn't end with a fairytale happily ever after but it ends in a place where happiness is now possible and the future holds promise...and while some complain that this isn't an in your face God story, I don't think that's a bad thing. Sometimes the way to reach people is by telling a story without pushing your beliefs in their face and sometimes what people need is hope that there is a clear space at the end of their tunnel.
January 27, 2015
A Thing of Beauty is the story of Fiona 'Fia' Hume, a former child/teen film star who deserted the industry and its lifestyle after a stint in rehab. Escaping to the relative anonymity of the Baltimore suburbs she bought a lovely but dilapidated old home and had plans to become an artist but more than a decade later, nearly a recluse, she has done little else but accumulate rooms full of colour coordinated junk. With her savings nearly gone, Fiona is forced to rent out a room and meets Josia Yeu, a blacksmith who agrees to her strange terms. Initially Fia is uncomfortable with Josia's presence but as he quietly transforms the small room he is renting, she is surprised to find herself motivated by the changes he has made to not only clear the clutter from her home but also the baggage of her past.
I am surprised to learn that A Thing of Beauty is categorised as Christian fiction, had I known I probably wouldn't have picked it up. As it stands there is no mention of God or religion in the story, but there is a spiritual message about forgiveness, acceptance, the healing power of love and finding the beauty within oneself, and others.
The plot is a bit weak, several aspects of the story are underdeveloped and in the end it feels a little bit unfinished. Fiona is an interesting, if slightly odd, character though and I was surprisingly intrigued by her internal conflict. She struggles with a number of issues, including a history of sexual abuse, the loss of her best friend, and her mother's narcissism.
A Thing of Beauty isn't a particularly memorable read, but I enjoyed it.
Read
May 19, 2015Lisa Samson is a novelist who writes with depth of emotion and from a place of empathy. She's edgy for the Christian market, but never so much as in this book. If you're offended by mild expletives, don't go for this book. Go for another Samson title (Embrace Me, The Passion of Mary-Margaret). But, if you do dig into A Thing of Beauty, don't get snagged by the occasional cuss word. And if you're looking for an overtly Christian novel, go to the other two I mentioned or Quaker Summer.
If you want a story that feel real from the first word to the last, this is it. It's authentic and raw and true. Friends, this is a redemption story. It's a story of Christ's love, even with no mention of His name. It's a story of letting go of venom and embracing forgiveness. This story? It's beautiful in all its complete humanity.
If you want a story that feel real from the first word to the last, this is it. It's authentic and raw and true. Friends, this is a redemption story. It's a story of Christ's love, even with no mention of His name. It's a story of letting go of venom and embracing forgiveness. This story? It's beautiful in all its complete humanity.
December 19, 2014
A Thing of Beauty by Lisa Samson is a good book. Yes, at the beginning it was confusing and strange, but the more I read it the more I liked it. I got the feeling like I have seen a story almost like this already in TV and the further I got the more it reminded me a classic Hallmark story, but it's not, not really. Yes, it has a unhappy and stuck heroine and there are some unexpected heroes, who come to her "rescue", but Hallmark movies always end in cuddles and tears and with wedding bells in background, A Thing of Beauty on contrary ends with every possibility to all of that, but no cheesy kissing and professing of eternal love and tears soaked apologies, it just ends in positive place.
It's a good story how somebody who has lost her way is yanked back to the world of living by little things that start to happen around her - some unexpected meetings, confessions, injuries, revelations, opportunities and unexpected friends and lots of healthy talking about things the way they are, without any first class acting.
A good positive story.
It's a good story how somebody who has lost her way is yanked back to the world of living by little things that start to happen around her - some unexpected meetings, confessions, injuries, revelations, opportunities and unexpected friends and lots of healthy talking about things the way they are, without any first class acting.
A good positive story.
January 18, 2015
A Thing Of Beauty by Lisa Samson is a story about a child actress, Fia, who finds herself a hoarder as an adult after a particularly traumatizing childhood that ended when she "divorced" her parents. With her mother about to put out a memoir that will tell all the unpleasant details of her younger years, Fia takes a single boarder in her cluttered house, in order to earn extra money to make it look like she still has it all together. Josia, the boarder, starts turning her houseful of junk into beautiful things, and Fia does the same with all the once-broken pieces of her life.
I have to say, I was disappointed in this book. The plot idea had such potential, but the author ruined it for me with around 30 curse words. I was surprised to see so many curse words in a book that is from a Christian publisher. This book is not Christian in any way - the story line doesn't talk about God at all, and while there might be some sort of allegory potential there, it seems like a stretch. I'm honestly pretty shocked that Thomas Nelson chose to publish this book. I don't get it.
This book is written from a first person perspective, and while the main character is multi-dimensional and interesting, I'm not sure I particularly liked her. I also thought some of the narration was a little awkward - the word "okay" was thrown into sentences here and there, and while I think it was supposed to be conversational, I didn't like it.
In many ways, this book was depressing to me. While the character's initial hopeless attitude improved throughout the book, and a couple of her relationships improved, one of them was cut off completely, with no hope for a future reconciliation. The main character was also abused as a child, and the description of the moles.tation incidents painted a picture I didn't necessarily want in my head. The hatred for the horrible person who did that to her was fresh, and while she achieved some closure through a conversation with her father, it all just added to the depressing aspect for me. The final lesson seemed to be that you can find your own happiness in life if you just choose to, and while I suppose that is not a bad lesson, it wasn't what I was expecting at all. I was just disappointed.
Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
I have to say, I was disappointed in this book. The plot idea had such potential, but the author ruined it for me with around 30 curse words. I was surprised to see so many curse words in a book that is from a Christian publisher. This book is not Christian in any way - the story line doesn't talk about God at all, and while there might be some sort of allegory potential there, it seems like a stretch. I'm honestly pretty shocked that Thomas Nelson chose to publish this book. I don't get it.
This book is written from a first person perspective, and while the main character is multi-dimensional and interesting, I'm not sure I particularly liked her. I also thought some of the narration was a little awkward - the word "okay" was thrown into sentences here and there, and while I think it was supposed to be conversational, I didn't like it.
In many ways, this book was depressing to me. While the character's initial hopeless attitude improved throughout the book, and a couple of her relationships improved, one of them was cut off completely, with no hope for a future reconciliation. The main character was also abused as a child, and the description of the moles.tation incidents painted a picture I didn't necessarily want in my head. The hatred for the horrible person who did that to her was fresh, and while she achieved some closure through a conversation with her father, it all just added to the depressing aspect for me. The final lesson seemed to be that you can find your own happiness in life if you just choose to, and while I suppose that is not a bad lesson, it wasn't what I was expecting at all. I was just disappointed.
Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
January 19, 2015
Fiona is a former child star who divorced her movie star parents sixteen years ago. She has to deal with her fear and bitterness in order to move forward in her life. Not my favorite Samson novel. It seemed to lack depth.
January 14, 2015
Former Child actress Fiona Hume left Hollywood a decade ago, right after she left rehab. She moved to Baltimore, bought an old run down mansion, and has dreams of restoring it and becoming an artist. She would be forgotten as an actress and live a life of art.
That was her plan.
Ten years later, Fiona's old mansion is filled with junk found at thrift stores, yard sales, or just picked up off the curb. Each piece was supposed to be for a project . . . but so far the only project she has, is a piece of twine with some old buttons threaded on it.
She's thirty-two years old and she still gets recognized for her childhood career, but the money has run out. She's gotten deperate. So desperate that she decideds to rent out the maid's quarters.
Josia Yeu, a local blacksmith, ends up renting the room from Fiona. He is everything she isn't: peaceful, in control with out being controlling, and in short - happy.
As Josia's light begins to brighten up the old mansion, something inside Fiona brightens as well. Something she sees is beautiful. With peace growing inside of Fiona, she decideds to mend her relationship with her father and to stop letting her mother bring her down.
I loved this book. I liked how the author opened up the life of former child actors and how sometimes they end up, living a life outside of Hollywood. Lisa did a wonderful job, making these characters eally come to life. I would love to read more of Fiona. I would like to know where her relationship goes with some of the characters in the book.
The Christy-award winning author of nineteen books including the Women of Faith Novel of the Year Quaker Summer, Lisa Samson has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as "a talented novelist who isn't afraid to take risks." She lives in Kentucky with her husband and three kids.
*I recieved a complimentary copy of this book, from Booklook Bloggers, in exchange for my honest review and opinons.*
That was her plan.
Ten years later, Fiona's old mansion is filled with junk found at thrift stores, yard sales, or just picked up off the curb. Each piece was supposed to be for a project . . . but so far the only project she has, is a piece of twine with some old buttons threaded on it.
She's thirty-two years old and she still gets recognized for her childhood career, but the money has run out. She's gotten deperate. So desperate that she decideds to rent out the maid's quarters.
Josia Yeu, a local blacksmith, ends up renting the room from Fiona. He is everything she isn't: peaceful, in control with out being controlling, and in short - happy.
As Josia's light begins to brighten up the old mansion, something inside Fiona brightens as well. Something she sees is beautiful. With peace growing inside of Fiona, she decideds to mend her relationship with her father and to stop letting her mother bring her down.
I loved this book. I liked how the author opened up the life of former child actors and how sometimes they end up, living a life outside of Hollywood. Lisa did a wonderful job, making these characters eally come to life. I would love to read more of Fiona. I would like to know where her relationship goes with some of the characters in the book.
The Christy-award winning author of nineteen books including the Women of Faith Novel of the Year Quaker Summer, Lisa Samson has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as "a talented novelist who isn't afraid to take risks." She lives in Kentucky with her husband and three kids.
*I recieved a complimentary copy of this book, from Booklook Bloggers, in exchange for my honest review and opinons.*
January 6, 2015
This review is also posted on Book by Book.
Lisa Samson’s A Thing of Beauty is a quirky, delightful story, containing so much more than the boy-meets-girl love story I assumed from reading the synopsis. Fiona Hume is a stubborn, opinionated, broken protagonist and despite her problems, I liked rooting for her. Watching her grow in her relationships and view life with a fresh perspective makes for a fun and rewarding reading experience. A heartfelt novel of love and forgiveness with plenty of witty cultural references, A Thing of Beauty is a highly enjoyable read and I would recommend it. I can’t wait to read more from Lisa Samson in the future.
Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of A Thing of Beauty and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)
Lisa Samson’s A Thing of Beauty is a quirky, delightful story, containing so much more than the boy-meets-girl love story I assumed from reading the synopsis. Fiona Hume is a stubborn, opinionated, broken protagonist and despite her problems, I liked rooting for her. Watching her grow in her relationships and view life with a fresh perspective makes for a fun and rewarding reading experience. A heartfelt novel of love and forgiveness with plenty of witty cultural references, A Thing of Beauty is a highly enjoyable read and I would recommend it. I can’t wait to read more from Lisa Samson in the future.
Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of A Thing of Beauty and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)
set-aside
February 8, 2015I was intrigued by the idea of the story of Fiona Hume, a former child star who once dreamed of living the quiet life of an artist, but instead she's been stuck in some kind of a rut for years with no art to show for it while her money's been running out. When she becomes landlady to Josia Yeu, Josia brings a picture of happiness into Fiona's bleak life space.
However, I'll not be finishing this book on account of the language in it. While I do read books in which swearing may appear in moderation, depending on the subject matter, it's not something I expect or much appreciate finding in Christian Fiction. I think it's a misrepresentation, unfitting for the genre. No, I don't think stories labeled as "Christian" have to be unrealistically squeaky clean reads, as life itself isn't squeaky clean, but there are some things I find to simply be in poor taste.
_________________
BookLook Bloggers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.
However, I'll not be finishing this book on account of the language in it. While I do read books in which swearing may appear in moderation, depending on the subject matter, it's not something I expect or much appreciate finding in Christian Fiction. I think it's a misrepresentation, unfitting for the genre. No, I don't think stories labeled as "Christian" have to be unrealistically squeaky clean reads, as life itself isn't squeaky clean, but there are some things I find to simply be in poor taste.
_________________
BookLook Bloggers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.
September 5, 2016
Most Christian fiction is about being a Christian or becoming one. A Thing of Beauty is different. It's about the struggle that leads up to a moment of change--to that place where a person is ready to let go of the clutter, both emotional and material. It's about grace and unconditional love, acceptance, and the kindness of strangers. I enjoyed the story very much. The writing itself is elegant and earthy, realistic for a woman in Fiona's place in life, and delightfully eccentric all at once. I'd love to see a Book #2 about Fiona. With Josiah in her life, it's going to get better and better.
May 21, 2015
I really enjoyed this book but I feel that being a Christian book it should not have had the language it had. Great story about second chances.
June 12, 2018
Some of the books I have enjoyed the most have been found just wandering the shelves of my local library. This book is now one of them. Before my most recent library trip, I had never heard of A Thing of Beauty by Lisa Samson. However, I am so glad that I found this book, because it was just what I needed and I loved it.
First and foremost, this is not your typical Christian Fiction novel, and yet it still works. You won't find characters going to church, saying prayers, or quoting scriptures. While I can't say that I didn't miss those aspects, for the purpose of this story and these characters, it doesn't hurt that those things aren't included. Besides if you look closely you can still see faith and you can still get what you need. The characters also use words like, "Damn" and "Hell" and while I know this will bother some, it fits where the characters are. Honestly, I found this more realistic because everyone's process is different and we all start somewhere.
Fiona is quirky, but also messy and broken. She's created this very isolated lifestyle from a place of pain and we get a look at how she tried to heal on her own but wasn't successful. Then out of necessity, she's forced to step outside of her comfort zone, which opens her up to vulnerability and healing. I loved that she had two very different relationships that allowed her to open up and being her healing process. Most of the people in Fiona's life let her decide how much she wanted and needed them in her life, accepting her just as she was. They were their for her at the right time, in the right way and I think they all reaped the benefits.
Josia was just right. He did just enough to push Fiona while at the same time backing off and letting her figure out and decide things in her own time. He brought this sense of comfort and calm to the book and that was interesting to see. I enjoyed some of the other characters but I think its best to discover them while reading the book.
The best thing about, A Thing of Beauty, is the synopis doesn't really touch on everything this book is about. So you basically go into this book knowing the bare minimum, which is a good thing. It is a bit heavier and goes deeper than the synopsis leads on. I wasn't expecting some of the issues that were touched on during the course of this book and in some areas I was hoping for a different outcome, but the way the author tackled things seemed to fit the uniqueness of her story. This was definitely out of the box and its nice to see something that doesn't fit the typical mold, still be impactful.
First and foremost, this is not your typical Christian Fiction novel, and yet it still works. You won't find characters going to church, saying prayers, or quoting scriptures. While I can't say that I didn't miss those aspects, for the purpose of this story and these characters, it doesn't hurt that those things aren't included. Besides if you look closely you can still see faith and you can still get what you need. The characters also use words like, "Damn" and "Hell" and while I know this will bother some, it fits where the characters are. Honestly, I found this more realistic because everyone's process is different and we all start somewhere.
Fiona is quirky, but also messy and broken. She's created this very isolated lifestyle from a place of pain and we get a look at how she tried to heal on her own but wasn't successful. Then out of necessity, she's forced to step outside of her comfort zone, which opens her up to vulnerability and healing. I loved that she had two very different relationships that allowed her to open up and being her healing process. Most of the people in Fiona's life let her decide how much she wanted and needed them in her life, accepting her just as she was. They were their for her at the right time, in the right way and I think they all reaped the benefits.
Josia was just right. He did just enough to push Fiona while at the same time backing off and letting her figure out and decide things in her own time. He brought this sense of comfort and calm to the book and that was interesting to see. I enjoyed some of the other characters but I think its best to discover them while reading the book.
The best thing about, A Thing of Beauty, is the synopis doesn't really touch on everything this book is about. So you basically go into this book knowing the bare minimum, which is a good thing. It is a bit heavier and goes deeper than the synopsis leads on. I wasn't expecting some of the issues that were touched on during the course of this book and in some areas I was hoping for a different outcome, but the way the author tackled things seemed to fit the uniqueness of her story. This was definitely out of the box and its nice to see something that doesn't fit the typical mold, still be impactful.
December 8, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. Even though it is labeled Christian fiction, it is pretty light on the Christian part but has great themes of redemption and forgiveness. I appreciated this because it felt more authentic rather than done in an in your face way. It felt cozy and almost nostalgic to me. Maybe because I love to watch child star documentaries on actors/actresses I watched growing up.
I was disappointed that the hoarding aspect of the story wasn't more explored. That could have been really interesting, I think. In general, the story lacks some depth, especially in Fiona's past traumas and side characters. This could have been really great if it didn't have these issues.
I was disappointed that the hoarding aspect of the story wasn't more explored. That could have been really interesting, I think. In general, the story lacks some depth, especially in Fiona's past traumas and side characters. This could have been really great if it didn't have these issues.
January 17, 2019
Cute, fun read. There were some serious bits, but overall just a story of finding love in unexpected places. I read this with my mom, so that makes it worth an extra star.
July 19, 2021
I'm a sucker for a strong voice, and this book has that in spades. I'm also a sucker for books that are "not your typical Christian fiction," which this book also has in spades. This is my first Lisa Samson book so I'm interested in finding out what her other books are like.
September 22, 2017
This is one of those books that I gulped down so fast that now I can almost remember nothing about it. I hate it when I do that. I do know that I loved reading it because it felt like it had a depth to the writing and story that I don't find that often. But now I feel guilty that I can remember so very little, sort of like Lucy in Narnia when she read the story in the book of spells on that one island and then, once she had finished, couldn't re-read it because the book wouldn't let her, and then she could only remember vague images and snatches of the story. Just know that I loved it!
January 21, 2015
Many things I need to say about this book, but first of all:
This is for some reason classified as Christian fiction, which I did not see when I picked it up. This is the reason why there are so many negative reviews - the people who are clutching their pearls at the sight of curse words or Fia's opinion that hell does not exist (she doesn't even express this vehemently - just an aside to make another point). And also people being justly upset that this book does not deliver anything on God, heaven, or anything very spiritual. There are some inspiring messages, but nothing religious. So don't be discouraged by the bad ratings - these people have been mislead by improper marketing (this author is a Christian Fiction writer, but this one seems to be an exception). So, onto the plot!
Imagine a girl like Lindsay Lohan mixed with J-Law - very pretty and, more importantly, immensely talented child/teen/young actress who seemed to have everything going for her (cult followings, Oscars, millions of Twitter followers), until she spiraled out of control into a Hollywood whirlpool of drugs, sex, alcohol, and various allegations of abuse. Plus had an insane mother. That's what Fiona (Fia) Hume's early years were like. She was a shining young star of Hollywood until something super bad happened and she self-medicated her way out of the lifestyle and cinched her fate by divorcing her narcissistic actor parents who wanted her to uphold the family legacy of acting, no matter the price.
Now she is 32, living in a dilapidated house in Baltimore that she is slowly filling with junk in vain hopes of eventually using it to start creating her art, completely out of the actin world. Her quiet lifestyle is interrupted when she finds out that her faux-martyr mother is releasing a tell-all book about her suffering as a victim of parental divorce. She decides to strike out early and do her own tell-all interview with [Oprah counterpart], but she needs money to look good for it - hence her decision to take on a boarder, Josia Yeu, the sweetest character ever created. And then things happen!!
This book is really sweet, despite the almost ephemeral, disillusioned nature of Fia. She is drifting her life so unattached, and her history is so privileged that I thought she might be hard to identify with, but I was wrong - I was hooked on her story and personality from the second chapter. The tone somewhat reminded me of The Chocolate Money, just slightly less caustic. Same rich girl secretly craving love but unable to let herself form attachments to people. I'm inexplicably drawn to stories like this - the drifters who have thrown away things that others would kill to have - maybe because I've squandered some things like time, opportunity, pursuits. But I'm not bitter, and neither are these girls. We've all discovered that we're happier with the quieter things.
The characters are all really great, maybe too black and white, but they were more symbolic than 3-dimensional so I didn't mind (well, maybe the mom could have been a little less of a harpy). Read this for the atmosphere, the happy feelings, and a rediscovery of self. Come for the happier version of Lindsay's story, stay for the clean, simple writing with no sap and a lot of compassion.
-I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review-
This is for some reason classified as Christian fiction, which I did not see when I picked it up. This is the reason why there are so many negative reviews - the people who are clutching their pearls at the sight of curse words or Fia's opinion that hell does not exist (she doesn't even express this vehemently - just an aside to make another point). And also people being justly upset that this book does not deliver anything on God, heaven, or anything very spiritual. There are some inspiring messages, but nothing religious. So don't be discouraged by the bad ratings - these people have been mislead by improper marketing (this author is a Christian Fiction writer, but this one seems to be an exception). So, onto the plot!
Imagine a girl like Lindsay Lohan mixed with J-Law - very pretty and, more importantly, immensely talented child/teen/young actress who seemed to have everything going for her (cult followings, Oscars, millions of Twitter followers), until she spiraled out of control into a Hollywood whirlpool of drugs, sex, alcohol, and various allegations of abuse. Plus had an insane mother. That's what Fiona (Fia) Hume's early years were like. She was a shining young star of Hollywood until something super bad happened and she self-medicated her way out of the lifestyle and cinched her fate by divorcing her narcissistic actor parents who wanted her to uphold the family legacy of acting, no matter the price.
Now she is 32, living in a dilapidated house in Baltimore that she is slowly filling with junk in vain hopes of eventually using it to start creating her art, completely out of the actin world. Her quiet lifestyle is interrupted when she finds out that her faux-martyr mother is releasing a tell-all book about her suffering as a victim of parental divorce. She decides to strike out early and do her own tell-all interview with [Oprah counterpart], but she needs money to look good for it - hence her decision to take on a boarder, Josia Yeu, the sweetest character ever created. And then things happen!!
This book is really sweet, despite the almost ephemeral, disillusioned nature of Fia. She is drifting her life so unattached, and her history is so privileged that I thought she might be hard to identify with, but I was wrong - I was hooked on her story and personality from the second chapter. The tone somewhat reminded me of The Chocolate Money, just slightly less caustic. Same rich girl secretly craving love but unable to let herself form attachments to people. I'm inexplicably drawn to stories like this - the drifters who have thrown away things that others would kill to have - maybe because I've squandered some things like time, opportunity, pursuits. But I'm not bitter, and neither are these girls. We've all discovered that we're happier with the quieter things.
The characters are all really great, maybe too black and white, but they were more symbolic than 3-dimensional so I didn't mind (well, maybe the mom could have been a little less of a harpy). Read this for the atmosphere, the happy feelings, and a rediscovery of self. Come for the happier version of Lindsay's story, stay for the clean, simple writing with no sap and a lot of compassion.
-I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review-
January 10, 2015
Former child star Fiona Hume deserted the movie biz a decade ago--right after she left rehab. She landed in Baltimore, bought a dilapidated old mansion downtown, and hatched dreams of restoring it into a masterpiece, complete with a studio for herself. She would disappear from public view and live an artist’s life.
That was the plan.
Ten years later, Fiona’s huge house is filled with junk purchased at thrift stores, haggled over at yard sales, or picked up from the side of the road. Each piece was destined for an art project . . . but all she’s got so far is a piece of twine with some antique buttons threaded down its length.
She’s thirty-two years old and still recognizable, but Fiona’s money has finally run out. She’s gotten pretty desperate, too, and in her desperation she’s willing to do almost anything for money. Almost. So it is that she comes to rent out the maid’s quarters to a local blacksmith named Josia Yeu.
Josia is everything Fiona isn’t: gregarious, peaceful, in control without controlling . . . in short, happy. As the light from the maid’s quarters begins to permeate the dank rooms of Fiona’s world, something else begins to transform as well—something inside Fiona. Something even she can see is beautiful.
This book was a complete disappointment. From the first pages there were things mentioned that weren’t explained until further into the book. There were times I felt completely lost. This could have been a very good story. But I found it sadly lacking. There were elements about the book I did like. I could understand how Fiona ended up the way she did and could sympathize with her.
I have never read a book by this author before and I most likely never will again. I was very disappointed in this being labeled a Christian fiction because of the language used in the book. There was also no mention of God or Christianity whatsoever. As a matter of fact, Fiona didn’t even believe there was a hell. I am also disappointed in the publisher for publishing this as a Christian book. It does not set the example of what I would want a young Christian, or any Christian to read and think of as acceptical behavior for a Christian. The only reason I finished it was because I read it for review purposes. I will be deleting this book from my Kindle.
I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.
That was the plan.
Ten years later, Fiona’s huge house is filled with junk purchased at thrift stores, haggled over at yard sales, or picked up from the side of the road. Each piece was destined for an art project . . . but all she’s got so far is a piece of twine with some antique buttons threaded down its length.
She’s thirty-two years old and still recognizable, but Fiona’s money has finally run out. She’s gotten pretty desperate, too, and in her desperation she’s willing to do almost anything for money. Almost. So it is that she comes to rent out the maid’s quarters to a local blacksmith named Josia Yeu.
Josia is everything Fiona isn’t: gregarious, peaceful, in control without controlling . . . in short, happy. As the light from the maid’s quarters begins to permeate the dank rooms of Fiona’s world, something else begins to transform as well—something inside Fiona. Something even she can see is beautiful.
This book was a complete disappointment. From the first pages there were things mentioned that weren’t explained until further into the book. There were times I felt completely lost. This could have been a very good story. But I found it sadly lacking. There were elements about the book I did like. I could understand how Fiona ended up the way she did and could sympathize with her.
I have never read a book by this author before and I most likely never will again. I was very disappointed in this being labeled a Christian fiction because of the language used in the book. There was also no mention of God or Christianity whatsoever. As a matter of fact, Fiona didn’t even believe there was a hell. I am also disappointed in the publisher for publishing this as a Christian book. It does not set the example of what I would want a young Christian, or any Christian to read and think of as acceptical behavior for a Christian. The only reason I finished it was because I read it for review purposes. I will be deleting this book from my Kindle.
I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.
July 23, 2015
I didn’t like A Thing of Beauty. A little blunt but it had to be said. The concepts of the story (or parts of it) were interesting but others just fell flat. For example, the main thread of the story about an ex-actress who has become a recluse due to a troubled time after being a childhood star would have been a great storyline had it been fully developed. I think that is what failed the story most, the under-developed storyline.
There were other glaring flaws – the main one being the over descriptive nature of the narrative. If I had been the editor I would have advised Samson to go back and remove the unnecessary descriptions of things as it became very tiresome. The old adage of ‘show, don’t tell’ needs to be applied to this book too. Samson described every street that her main character rode down on her bike and whilst this may be titillating for those who live in Baltimore it was just tedious for me.
The story did get better. About midway through I actually felt like there was a (much needed) shift in pace which made the latter half less exasperating. However, there were still glaring holes in the story such as Fiona’s collection of weird things – it was never fully explained why she did this. We never learned that much about her friend that died or why it had the impact it did on Fiona’s life. Everything seemed to be on the cusp of being explained but then never fully explored which was frustrating.
I guess this serves me right for choosing the book based solely on the prettiness of the cover.
A Thing of Beauty by Lisa Samson is available now.
There were other glaring flaws – the main one being the over descriptive nature of the narrative. If I had been the editor I would have advised Samson to go back and remove the unnecessary descriptions of things as it became very tiresome. The old adage of ‘show, don’t tell’ needs to be applied to this book too. Samson described every street that her main character rode down on her bike and whilst this may be titillating for those who live in Baltimore it was just tedious for me.
The story did get better. About midway through I actually felt like there was a (much needed) shift in pace which made the latter half less exasperating. However, there were still glaring holes in the story such as Fiona’s collection of weird things – it was never fully explained why she did this. We never learned that much about her friend that died or why it had the impact it did on Fiona’s life. Everything seemed to be on the cusp of being explained but then never fully explored which was frustrating.
I guess this serves me right for choosing the book based solely on the prettiness of the cover.
A Thing of Beauty by Lisa Samson is available now.
February 23, 2015
I had a really hard time getting into this book. When I read the book of A Thing of Beauty,
I wasn’t entirely excited about the premise to begin with. Fiona Hume is a former child star that divorced her parents as a teenager and has been hiding out basically when her career ended. It sounded all too familiar with many Hollywood stars, or former stars! We start off with Fiona trying to rent out a room in her old mansion because she’s spent her fortune and actually needs the cash. She places a really strange ad to weed out anyone who might befriend her and for me it set the tone for the book, and not in a good way.
Fiona is quirky for sure but I’m not sure sometimes if Samson was trying to be funny with her quirkiness or what exactly her intention was but it just all rubbed me the wrong way. Fiona is not a likable character and that doesn’t change as the book goes on which I found strange. Usually when a character has issues, their redeeming qualities save them but Fiona doesn’t seem to have any. This book is categorized as Christian but I’m not sure why. It was barely a present theme in the book and none of the characters act very Godly.
A Thing of Beauty seemed all out of whack to me and was hard to follow and read at times. I ended up not finishing the book because when I’m halfway through and still don’t get it, it’s time to put it down.
I wasn’t entirely excited about the premise to begin with. Fiona Hume is a former child star that divorced her parents as a teenager and has been hiding out basically when her career ended. It sounded all too familiar with many Hollywood stars, or former stars! We start off with Fiona trying to rent out a room in her old mansion because she’s spent her fortune and actually needs the cash. She places a really strange ad to weed out anyone who might befriend her and for me it set the tone for the book, and not in a good way.
Fiona is quirky for sure but I’m not sure sometimes if Samson was trying to be funny with her quirkiness or what exactly her intention was but it just all rubbed me the wrong way. Fiona is not a likable character and that doesn’t change as the book goes on which I found strange. Usually when a character has issues, their redeeming qualities save them but Fiona doesn’t seem to have any. This book is categorized as Christian but I’m not sure why. It was barely a present theme in the book and none of the characters act very Godly.
A Thing of Beauty seemed all out of whack to me and was hard to follow and read at times. I ended up not finishing the book because when I’m halfway through and still don’t get it, it’s time to put it down.
January 26, 2015
Fiona Hume, a 32 year old former child movie star with some bad experiences, has left the acting world as well as her parents (through divorcing them) and lives an independent life in Baltimore. She lives in a dilapidated house which has a lot of potential to be beautiful once again. She is a hoarder, has trust issues, and is a little 'rough around the edges' -- an intriguing character! A Thing of Beauty tells a good story of what can happen when one dares to hope for joy and does the work of opening the door a little at a time, and risks being vulnerable.
Although this book was not meant to be an allegory, it seemed quite obvious to me that it was. Josia was someone who comes into her life and accepts her unconditionally, allowing her to be who she is and to open her life up to change one small step at a time. He does so unselfishly and always with her best interests at heart. Who is he like, she asks herself? A father, a brother, a friend... or all of these? This is definitely a story of hope and love.
With some humor, quirkiness, good dialogue (some strong language, but it all makes for a more realistic story), and interesting situations and characters, this was worth the read. If you like Lisa Samson's writing, you won't be disappointed.
Although this book was not meant to be an allegory, it seemed quite obvious to me that it was. Josia was someone who comes into her life and accepts her unconditionally, allowing her to be who she is and to open her life up to change one small step at a time. He does so unselfishly and always with her best interests at heart. Who is he like, she asks herself? A father, a brother, a friend... or all of these? This is definitely a story of hope and love.
With some humor, quirkiness, good dialogue (some strong language, but it all makes for a more realistic story), and interesting situations and characters, this was worth the read. If you like Lisa Samson's writing, you won't be disappointed.
September 17, 2020
I so did not want this book to end, such gorgeous imagery.
One can read Samson’s latest novel and enjoy the gorgeously written prose and be entertained by the story. Or, readers can let the deeper spiritual message into their souls and come out changed. Samson is a truly gifted writer who shows how the everyday mess of a life can be transformed into something beautiful.
Former child actress Fiona Hume is in a desperate situation. Her mother is about to publish a tell-all about her life, and Fiona wants to show the world that everything is fine. In order to do that, she must act and dress as if she still has a great deal of money — except she doesn’t. And to top it all off, her house is filled to the brim with junk and “treasures” she has collected to make into artwork ... someday. So Fiona takes in a boarder named Josia, who helps Fiona see the beauty in her home and in herself.
One can read Samson’s latest novel and enjoy the gorgeously written prose and be entertained by the story. Or, readers can let the deeper spiritual message into their souls and come out changed. Samson is a truly gifted writer who shows how the everyday mess of a life can be transformed into something beautiful.
Former child actress Fiona Hume is in a desperate situation. Her mother is about to publish a tell-all about her life, and Fiona wants to show the world that everything is fine. In order to do that, she must act and dress as if she still has a great deal of money — except she doesn’t. And to top it all off, her house is filled to the brim with junk and “treasures” she has collected to make into artwork ... someday. So Fiona takes in a boarder named Josia, who helps Fiona see the beauty in her home and in herself.
January 4, 2015
Well this book was a huge disappointment. I had read Runaway Saint and enjoyed her unique writing style but this book I just could not get into. The characters, Fiona and Josia and Jack didn't captivate me much. I understand Fiona's past and her challenges. I like her house, it's one I would like to visit perhaps. The setting was well written. This is a Christian fiction book so I was surprised to read quite a few cuss words throughout the book and the lack of any type of Godly point until perhaps the ending. That being said, I read non-Christian books all the time, I'm just saying since it's portrayed as such I didn't think the cussing was necessary. I understand the point the author was trying to make with Fiona I just couldn't get into it.
I give this book 3 stars.
"I received this book from BookLook bloggers for free in exchange for an honest review."
I give this book 3 stars.
"I received this book from BookLook bloggers for free in exchange for an honest review."
April 1, 2015
What I really like about Lisa Samson's writing is the realistic, even gritty characters--which is unusual in a lot of Christian fiction (and why I read so little of it). This one has that, but I found the plot merely okay. It seemed a little too "pat" with all the strings tied up neatly at the end. There was really no obviously Christian message, although a symbolic "savior." That three of these characters were so deep-down good with no religious influence felt off to me (not that non-believers can't be good), but since this was published by a Christian publisher I felt like it danced around being Christian fiction without openly having God or the church mentioned.
This was good, but not my favorite by this author.
This was good, but not my favorite by this author.
March 18, 2015
I really liked this book. Following Fiona was like running through a maze; I never knew quite where we'd come out. Yet, follow her I did from page 1 to "the end" loving every minute of it. I identified with her desire to create something of beauty after what she'd gone through. And yet, she doesn't seem to do it. Why? I felt like she maybe didn't believe in herself enough, and I cheered her on. The story did not go where I thought it would, but it was perfect! Lisa Samson is a master at storytelling!
November 7, 2015
Lisa Samson is one of my favorite Christian novelists because her characters feel real: flawed, unpredictable, and her plots are redemptive without being preachy. Unfortunately "A Thing of Beauty" felt contrived and preachy. Samson is such a good writer that I enjoyed the book anyway, but it is nowhere near her strongest work.
July 11, 2015
0.5 stars. Unfortunately, this book was a great disappointment for me.
February 24, 2015
Let's just say that a week after I read it, I'd already completely forgotten it. Needed something for a car ride, and it was available. It passed the time--that's the best I can say.
May 30, 2023
I enjoyed this, but I'm still scratching my head about how far off my expectations it was. I bought it expecting a romance between the boarder and a reclusive landlady, perhaps with some details about hoarding / cleaning out the hoarded house, but it's really about a woman coming to terms with what kind of relationship she has/wants with her estranged parents, from whom she legally emancipated herself at 16 on account of them mismanaging her funds + her mom being like "c'est la vie, get money" to the fact that she was sexually abused by a famous director. No real details, but certainly dark themes at the root of what is, at least, ultimately a hopeful story about healing.
Meanwhile, the boarder described in the summary turns out to be a man in his fifties or sixties who is simply very nice, and just needs a place to sleep when not at work while his own house is rebuilt. Very much a fatherly/almost grandfatherly type in terms of how much he does to help fix and renovate bits of her house at no cost, just for fun.
What limited romance there is comes in the form of a man who regularly hires her through an escort service -- her main source of income now, though she apparently doesn't go farther than kissing -- because he's been "in love" with her since he was 13 and saw her in the movies. But despite his hope for it to turn into a real relationship, and hints that she might eventually be ready to give that, there's little to nothing beyond the business arrangement / quasi-friendship on the page, so that was a bust (although at least it got me a little hurt/comfort in the form of a hospital visit and recovery when she gets herself a nasty gash from a rusty piece of metal).
Honestly, I'm still kind of pining over Jude, the ex who left her -- not without some regret -- when her junk encroached upon the one room she had promised to keep free and clear for him. He still calls her once a month to see how she's doing!
Beautiful Jade, with the curly black hair that fell in his eyes ... We'd met at the fourth of July fireworks downtown and stayed by each other's side when we both realized we were there alone. Those eyes burned when he said, three years later, "I can't stand it in here anymore, Fia. You're burying yourself yard sale by yard sale."
As far as the collection of Stuff, there isn't a ton of detail given over to it, but there is some ("I have seven empty cribs in here, too, burdened by no foreseeable usage for their future, but they're good cribs, antique, made of fine wood"). It seems to be fairly clean aside from dust; no garbage, just overly cluttered, and I did like that she was mostly purposeful in what she stocked up -- all the objects she thought she might use for artwork were sorted into different rooms by color, for example. And she doesn't really have emotional attachment to most of the things beyond thinking it's a shame that they aren't being used well or in the way she thought she would at the time.
"I was going to do a sculpture/installation type piece devoted to babyhood ... I don't know what I was thinking now. No picture comes to mind. All I see are pieces of childhoods I neither remember nor particularly care about."
There's actually more detail given over to the architecture of the old house itself, and the little projects Josia works on to restore or enhance its original beauty, which I liked just as much. I didn't flag most of those passages, but here's one that fit a lot of details into one neat paragraph:
"I proceed to the marble front hall, where my bicycle leans against the handrail of the left leg of the double staircase leading up to the gallery above. The staircase is what sold me on the house, the curves mirroring each other like the harp motif on a brass music stand. The dust has collected between the finely tuned posts and the soft white paint is chipped, but the risers still glow at their centers, polished by my feet every time I head to bed and come down the next day to face the world."
In case you can't tell already by the number of quotes I saved, something I normally have zero patience for stopping and even writing down page numbers for, what impressed me most about this book was the writing itself. A lot of it is deceptively simple, but the way I kept finding myself tripping over randomly lovely turns of phrase made this worth the read. I'll leave you with my very favorite quote of all, this one less because of how its crafted than for how perfectly describes my own mindset and struggle not to thrift too much:
"The problem with collecting other people's junk is you just don't know what to do with it when you don't want it anymore. You feel bad about throwing it to the curb. It's too much trouble to sell. So you keep it around, knowing if you can't redeem it exactly, you've at least rescued it. Somewhat."
Meanwhile, the boarder described in the summary turns out to be a man in his fifties or sixties who is simply very nice, and just needs a place to sleep when not at work while his own house is rebuilt. Very much a fatherly/almost grandfatherly type in terms of how much he does to help fix and renovate bits of her house at no cost, just for fun.
What limited romance there is comes in the form of a man who regularly hires her through an escort service -- her main source of income now, though she apparently doesn't go farther than kissing -- because he's been "in love" with her since he was 13 and saw her in the movies. But despite his hope for it to turn into a real relationship, and hints that she might eventually be ready to give that, there's little to nothing beyond the business arrangement / quasi-friendship on the page, so that was a bust (although at least it got me a little hurt/comfort in the form of a hospital visit and recovery when she gets herself a nasty gash from a rusty piece of metal).
Honestly, I'm still kind of pining over Jude, the ex who left her -- not without some regret -- when her junk encroached upon the one room she had promised to keep free and clear for him. He still calls her once a month to see how she's doing!
Beautiful Jade, with the curly black hair that fell in his eyes ... We'd met at the fourth of July fireworks downtown and stayed by each other's side when we both realized we were there alone. Those eyes burned when he said, three years later, "I can't stand it in here anymore, Fia. You're burying yourself yard sale by yard sale."
As far as the collection of Stuff, there isn't a ton of detail given over to it, but there is some ("I have seven empty cribs in here, too, burdened by no foreseeable usage for their future, but they're good cribs, antique, made of fine wood"). It seems to be fairly clean aside from dust; no garbage, just overly cluttered, and I did like that she was mostly purposeful in what she stocked up -- all the objects she thought she might use for artwork were sorted into different rooms by color, for example. And she doesn't really have emotional attachment to most of the things beyond thinking it's a shame that they aren't being used well or in the way she thought she would at the time.
"I was going to do a sculpture/installation type piece devoted to babyhood ... I don't know what I was thinking now. No picture comes to mind. All I see are pieces of childhoods I neither remember nor particularly care about."
There's actually more detail given over to the architecture of the old house itself, and the little projects Josia works on to restore or enhance its original beauty, which I liked just as much. I didn't flag most of those passages, but here's one that fit a lot of details into one neat paragraph:
"I proceed to the marble front hall, where my bicycle leans against the handrail of the left leg of the double staircase leading up to the gallery above. The staircase is what sold me on the house, the curves mirroring each other like the harp motif on a brass music stand. The dust has collected between the finely tuned posts and the soft white paint is chipped, but the risers still glow at their centers, polished by my feet every time I head to bed and come down the next day to face the world."
In case you can't tell already by the number of quotes I saved, something I normally have zero patience for stopping and even writing down page numbers for, what impressed me most about this book was the writing itself. A lot of it is deceptively simple, but the way I kept finding myself tripping over randomly lovely turns of phrase made this worth the read. I'll leave you with my very favorite quote of all, this one less because of how its crafted than for how perfectly describes my own mindset and struggle not to thrift too much:
"The problem with collecting other people's junk is you just don't know what to do with it when you don't want it anymore. You feel bad about throwing it to the curb. It's too much trouble to sell. So you keep it around, knowing if you can't redeem it exactly, you've at least rescued it. Somewhat."
December 4, 2017
Everybody is a thing of beauty. Believe it or not, behave like it or not.
Fia Hume, a former Hollywood child star, is living in the prison of her own making - alone in her big house, almost penniless, with very little of social contacts and all of them under serious scrutiny of being safe with them. No wonder, given the painful past.
But it is time to change. And impulse comes from outside - her mother is publishing tell-all book inculding the details of "divorce" of then 16-year-old Fia from her parents, also movie stars. Financially struggling Fia needs money to be presentable on the camera when counterattacking this situation with the open interview of her own. So she opens her house for the roommate - sweet, loving older gentleman called Josia. This starts the cracks in the walls of her heart, allowing her to see that there is still love waiting even for her, the way she is.
Honestly, I was hoping for more here. I love Lisa Samson immersely - and most of this love comes to feeling so much connection to her books, plots and characters (even the male ones). Here, I find it difficult to connect to the message - I mean, I am more than able to connect to the loneliness, prison of their own making and distrust. But I am not able to conect to the message of unconditional love and forgiveness - not because I don’t believe to these things per se, but because, to be frank, I don’t think that the authoress herself was completely in that place of hope when writing the book. I recognize the pain here.
But this book is a good reminder of the silent suffering amongst the people - the loneliness. That we want so much to protect ourselves and we hope against hope that somebody will still try to find us, even if we fight them when trying to find us. I want this be my personal reminder to leave my walls in searching for the fellow humans.
Fia Hume, a former Hollywood child star, is living in the prison of her own making - alone in her big house, almost penniless, with very little of social contacts and all of them under serious scrutiny of being safe with them. No wonder, given the painful past.
But it is time to change. And impulse comes from outside - her mother is publishing tell-all book inculding the details of "divorce" of then 16-year-old Fia from her parents, also movie stars. Financially struggling Fia needs money to be presentable on the camera when counterattacking this situation with the open interview of her own. So she opens her house for the roommate - sweet, loving older gentleman called Josia. This starts the cracks in the walls of her heart, allowing her to see that there is still love waiting even for her, the way she is.
Honestly, I was hoping for more here. I love Lisa Samson immersely - and most of this love comes to feeling so much connection to her books, plots and characters (even the male ones). Here, I find it difficult to connect to the message - I mean, I am more than able to connect to the loneliness, prison of their own making and distrust. But I am not able to conect to the message of unconditional love and forgiveness - not because I don’t believe to these things per se, but because, to be frank, I don’t think that the authoress herself was completely in that place of hope when writing the book. I recognize the pain here.
But this book is a good reminder of the silent suffering amongst the people - the loneliness. That we want so much to protect ourselves and we hope against hope that somebody will still try to find us, even if we fight them when trying to find us. I want this be my personal reminder to leave my walls in searching for the fellow humans.
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