 November 2005
Saved in the City
by Jacquelin Thomas
Jacquelin Thomas is the author of several best selling Christian novels. This is the story of three women with different set of problems trying to find legitimacy in the world of fashion modeling. Macy is a spoiled lonely only child of a pharmaceutical giant and his equally spoiled wife who are trying to teach her self-reliance by cutting her out from a generous allowance. Compounding this is the fact that she has never worked a day in her pampered and privileged life. She decides to take a chance on becoming a fashion model to support herself in the plush manner she has become accustomed to living.
Characters abound here, and the setting begins with an open call at an elite New York City Modeling agency where Macy meets Patterson Haney, a spiritual, but naive beauty from a small Georgia town who is stepping out on faith to realize her life long dream of becoming a fashion model. Patterson with her outgoing personality has already befriended LaRue Arnette another beauty that has come to the Big Apple to try her hand at modeling after the recent death of her young husband. LaRue is the daughter of the minister of a mega ministry in Los Angeles. After the sudden death of her husband from a brain tumor and soon after the death of her best friend in a car accident, LaRue is trying to move on with her life. Her parents are not happy about her decision. In an effort to keep her condo, Macy reluctantly takes them in as roommates just until she makes some money as a model. Macy has no idea that this move will change her life as she has come to know it.
The author tries mightily to tell the story of these beautiful women with three distinctively different personalities, but the story moves tediously along in shallow water. Conflict was adequate and it saves the novel from being rated much lower. As a matter of fact, the plot lacked realism to enforce dramatic interpretation, and because of that, this effort in my opinion struggles from a lack of depth and a predictable ending. With that said, I don’t think that this one is one of her best. The author created three very well developed characters but gave them absolutely nothing to do. Macy was the shallow party girl who encouraged the quick-witted LaRue to join her in the nightlife, while Patterson mostly stayed at home reading her Bible. One glowing thing the novel depicted was how women who are very different can come together and be supportive of one another while pursing their goals through use of their God-given talents. Although I expected more trials and temptation for them to master, it was a cute story about sisterhood and faith. There were no big mountains for them to overcome, yet a lesson was learned by all three and they all lived happily every after.
There are a few good points to this story, with it being a novel that attempted to show that women having faith and obedience to God’s Word is the way to go, plain and simple. I guess that is what I didn’t like about the book. The story was just too plain and simple. There were more timely references to designer names and labels than to scriptures in the Bible. Macy’s transformation from a selfish and spoiled brat to a caring Christian woman was just too easy. Patterson’s fall from grace and her recovery was also just too easy, and LaRue’s broken heart seemed to be healed much too fast. It reminded me of an urban fairy tale where everyone’s wishes came true. I’d give this book a three out of five stars. Borrow this book from the library.
Reviewed by idrissa Uqdah for the Romer Review
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