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Title: Left to Die
Author: Ivy Rose
Published By: Lakeside Publications (2017)
Synopsis: Lindy Greene’s life is perfect. Too perfect. But living as a missionary nurse, serving in a rural hospital in China, soon brings the disaster she fearfully anticipates. All of her well-thought-out plans for the future disintegrate after pulling a fatally ill, disfigured, abandoned child from a pile of trash. She doesn’t even like babies.
Nathan Thomas can’t find balance. College suited him just fine until his cash ran out, forcing him to the Chinese mission field with his parents. The chaotic atmosphere in China does little to relax his agitated mind, and the pretty blonde nurse at the clinic does nothing to help him focus.
The Chinese mission field isn’t for the faint of heart. Nathan wonders how he can survive his remaining time there, while Lindy struggles to help everyone she can. With different ideals pulling them in separate directions, there is one thing drawing them together: a tiny, sickly, crippled orphan who relies on them to stay alive. (Taken from Goodreads.)
Review:
A concise, cleverly written, beautiful story about the beauty of motherhood, the value of human life, and following God’s plan…Left to Die was a wonderfully constructed story full of elaborate character arcs and deep themes, and I enjoyed it from page one. I felt it was a perfect length—I’m not sure whether or not this is officially considered a novella but it felt around that length and anyway it was just a perfect length for this story.
The story focuses around Lindy, a young woman living as a missionary in China. Lindy’s whole life is shaped around God’s plan for her—to be a missionary. But is that really all to God’s plan?
The idea of just that—God’s plan—is explored inside the pages of this book which deals with topics such as pride and humility. I also loved the strong and powerful message about the value of life! The character arcs were beautiful and it was awesome to watch as the characters changed.
The only downside I have is the beginning, which was confusing to me. I could not for the life of me figure out what was going on in the first chapter, or why it was important. It didn’t really end up contributing to the story, and by the time the second chapter came along I had a grasp on who the characters were, but to me, a first chapter that seemed to supposedly set the scene just added confusion. However, once I got past that, the story was riveting and full of depth.
Negative Content/Notes:
No negative content, but the concept and themes of this book are pretty heavy and would probably be best suited for an older audience (14+ would be my suggestion, but younger readers with more maturity may be able to handle it.)
Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Recommended to: 14+ (see above.)
** I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**