Review of Love Letters to the Virgin Mary

Jennifer Coxon · Post by **Jennifer Coxon** » 15 Apr 2024, 13:48

[Following is a volunteer review of "Love Letters to the Virgin Mary" by David Richards.]

4 out of 5 stars

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Love Letters to the Virgin Mary is a book by David Richards about his personal journey back to religion and Jesus through love. The author experienced two significant moments during the Covid pandemic that led him to re-evaluate his beliefs. The book has five parts exploring the themes of Darkness, Faith, Hope, Love, and Heaven through a series of letters told in different voices. These letters include voices of characters such as the Spaniard from "Gladiator" and Thor from "The Avengers," as well as the author's own experiences during the pandemic.

The book spent a lot of time discussing the author's personal journey towards writing the story and completing the book. While I did not necessarily dislike this aspect, I was left confused as to the purpose of the book. Based on the cover and blurb, I expected a historical romance novel, but this was not the case. Honestly, if the blurb had accurately described the book, I would not have chosen it. Even so, I did enjoy reading the references to pop culture ("Gladiator" and "The Avengers"), as well as the author's experiences during COVID-19. However, I still found the book's ending and overall intent unclear.

I enjoyed reading Richards' discussion about his personal history and family. He gave a detailed account of his childhood, which involved moving around a lot and having many failed relationships. This account helped me understand why he wrote this piece of work. I was also impressed with his ability to use different writing styles. Perhaps because I have always been a fan of the movie "Gladiator," I could hear the voices of Maximus and Marcus Aurelius in the letters of the Spaniard. It amazed me how Richards brought these characters to life in his writing without breaking the illusion when they continued beyond the movie.

The piece contained a few errors and would have benefited from an explanation of the acronyms on their first occurrence. As a result, the book needs to go through another round of professional editing. Due to the errors and my inability to comprehend the author's intention, I would give Love Letters to the Virgin Mary a rating of four out of five stars. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy memoirs with a touch of fiction, which conveys an author's message.

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Love Letters to the Virgin Mary
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Seetha E · Post by **Seetha E** » 16 Apr 2024, 05:41

I'm glad you enjoyed the book after the initial regret.
I appreciate your honesty in acknowledging that all did not go exactly as expected with the book at first. This helps alert probable readers.

Bradley Twesten · Post by **Bradley Twesten** » 16 Apr 2024, 07:13

Great, honest review. So challenging when you get into the first few pages and get the feeling it isn't going to match the synopsis or the expectations you had going in.

Post by **Alissa Nesson** » 16 Apr 2024, 10:31

Thank you for your honest review. I enjoyed the personal touch you gave it. It sounds like an interesting story. I have never read anything quite like it before. The mash-up of those particular genres is unusual.

Gerry Steen · Post by **Gerry Steen** » 16 Apr 2024, 17:54

It is interesting and special that Richards used the voices of the Spaniard from "Gladiator" and Thor from "The Avengers." This allows us to know more about the author's personality while endearing him to us. I am curious how the Covid pandemic led him back to Jesus. Memoirs are fun because we never know what to expect. Thank you for this great review.

Post by **Alice Heritage** » 17 Apr 2024, 00:06

This sounds like a unique mix of fantasy characters and faith. It's certainly most intriguing, but I understand how it could leave a reader feeling confused.

Priya Murugesan · Post by **Priya Murugesan** » 17 Apr 2024, 12:22

A very good and honest review! Like you mentioned, I too thought it would be a historical romance!

Cristiano Bellucci · Post by **Cristiano Bellucci** » 18 Apr 2024, 01:13

Thank you for your detailed review. I am also a fan of the Gladiator and the Avengers. For this reason, this is not my ideal book. After your review, I have even a clearer idea of the book. Cheers

Terry Kimble · Post by **Terry Kimble** » 19 Apr 2024, 16:44

The title sparked my curiosity, but I am not familiar with Avengers or Gladiator, so I fear the memoir's creativity would be lost on me. However, I enjoyed reading this revealing review.

Anu Anand · Post by **Anu Anand** » 21 Apr 2024, 00:38

Thank you for your insightful review. Your detailed analysis of the book's themes and structure provides valuable insights for potential readers. It's great to hear that you appreciated the author's personal journey and his ability to weave different writing styles.

Runan · Post by **Runan** » 21 Apr 2024, 15:41

When a book’s intention is not clear, my mind always keeps trying to figure it out and won’t concentrate on the on-going reading session much. It is distracting for me to some extent. Although the author’s personal experiences reconnecting with God are something I would enjoy reading, I might get distracted by unclear messages. Thanks for a brief and concise review.

Renee S · Post by **Renee S** » 26 Apr 2024, 06:32

Jennifer Coxon wrote: ↑15 Apr 2024, 13:48 [Following is a volunteer review of "Love Letters to the Virgin Mary" by David Richards.]

Love Letters to the Virgin Mary is a book by David Richards about his personal journey back to religion and Jesus through love. The author experienced two significant moments during the Covid pandemic that led him to re-evaluate his beliefs. The book has five parts exploring the themes of Darkness, Faith, Hope, Love, and Heaven through a series of letters told in different voices. These letters include voices of characters such as the Spaniard from "Gladiator" and Thor from "The Avengers," as well as the author's own experiences during the pandemic.

The book, delving into the themes of Darkness, Faith, Hope, Love, and Heaven through a series of letters told in different voices, does sound interesting to me. Perhaps I will read it if I get a chance. Thanks for your honest review.

A new me · Post by **A new me** » 02 May 2024, 16:49

Honestly, I was attracted to the title of this novel. From your blunt and thoughtful review, I don't think I'll be reading this book because I feel I would be left disappointed afterwards. Nonetheless, thank you for this amazing review.

Post by **Raymonda Onwuka 1** » 03 May 2024, 16:45

Seems like I am going to pass on this one. It is really difficult when you are reading a book and you can't say "this is the author's intent" Thanks for the honest review

Stephen Christopher 1 · Post by **Stephen Christopher 1** » 13 May 2024, 21:40

I can see how you'd think this could be a historical romance from the cover and title. It's disappointing when a book doesn't have a stronger intent. In my opinion, the author should make it clear that this is a personal memoir; it'll help other readers (as your review has done) choose correctly.