Official Review: A Tiny Package Unwrapped by Dave Barkey

[bookiegalke]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Tiny Package Unwrapped" by Dave Barkey.]

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4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

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A tiny package unwrapped is a moderately-paced Christian novel by Dave Barkey. This is a story of Johann, a man who carries in him a deep rooted resentment for Christianity or anything associated to it. This resentment took root when Johann, as a child, witnessed the killing of his own father by a man who had a cross necklace hanging from his neck. He finds love in Genevieve, a woman who, unlike Johann, is a catholic and believes in the power of God in her life. Though the two share completely different views on Christianity, they get married and relocate to the United States of America to start a new life as newlyweds. Barely settled in marriage, Genevieve finds it hard to unlock the hurt that Johann carries in his heart. This has caused him to be self centered leaving Genevieve a distraught mother to a son who Johann has refused to acknowledge as his own son because he was born at a time when Johann preferred pursuing a career over having children.

A tiny package unwrapped beautifully weaves in the themes of love, hurt, religion and music into a book that I could hardly put down. As I turned each page, I kept wondering how Genevieve would survive in a marriage where her husband no longer had love for her. Johann was a character I had mixed emotions for. In some instance, I found him to be a lovable character but in other instances, I hated him. Following Johann’s unfortunate murder of his father, I could understandably resonate with his feeling of anger but when he vents this anger on his own son and injures him, I felt he took it too far. That he frustrated his wife’s effort to help him move beyond this ugly past, added more to my dislike of him.

His son and his wife, however, were characters who displayed endurance in the midst of great adversity. Lee, though a child, displayed a level of maturity that is hard to find in a child of his age. Undeterred by his father’s coldness towards his love for playing the piano, he goes on pursue this passion. Lee could have justifiably hated his father for this and turn out to be like his father, but his mother’s constant intervention kept him from becoming like his father. Genevieve and lee were two characters that I loved throughout the book especially when they make the decision to become followers of Christ. These two display a mother and son relationship that kept me hopeful that the story would have a beautiful ending.

Lee’s love for playing the piano might as well have been the only reason that Dave Barkely uses the joyful Christmas season to develop the theme of music in latter chapters of the book. This Christmas timeline makes this book a good choice for a Christmas gift. The use of scripture at the end of each chapter provided me an opportunity for self evaluation especially because most of the scripture was quoted from the book of proverbs.

To anybody struggling with hurt or knows a person who is struggling, I would recommend reading this book. Without a doubt, this is a book that is suitable for any Christian seeking to learn about the love of Christ and the power it has to transform a person to who God intended that person to be. Good editing, proper sentence structure and grammar served to make my reading quite enjoyable without any interruptions. For this reason and all the above reasons, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars

******
A Tiny Package Unwrapped
View: on Bookshelves

Like bookiegalke's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kandscreeley]

This sounds like a good book with a great message. Thanks for the review.

[bookiegalke]

This sounds like a good book with a great message. Thanks for the review.

please consider reading it. your comment is highly appreciated.

[juliusotinyo]

Sounds like an interesting read, just to know how Johann ended up. Great review.

[bookiegalke]

Sounds like an interesting read, just to know how Johann ended up. Great review.

it sure is an interesting book Julius. please consider reading it.

[stalliongirlke]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Tiny Package Unwrapped" by Dave Barkey.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

A tiny package unwrapped is a moderately-paced Christian novel by Dave Barkey. This is a story of Johann, a man who carries in him a deep rooted resentment for Christianity or anything associated to it. This resentment took root when Johann, as a child, witnessed the killing of his own father by a man who had a cross necklace hanging from his neck. He finds love in Genevieve, a woman who, unlike Johann, is a catholic and believes in the power of God in her life. Though the two share completely different views on Christianity, they get married and relocate to the United States of America to start a new life as newlyweds. Barely settled in marriage, Genevieve finds it hard to unlock the hurt that Johann carries in his heart. This has caused him to be self centered leaving Genevieve a distraught mother to a son who Johann has refused to acknowledge as his own son because he was born at a time when Johann preferred pursuing a career over having children.

A tiny package unwrapped beautifully weaves in the themes of love, hurt, religion and music into a book that I could hardly put down. As I turned each page, I kept wondering how Genevieve would survive in a marriage where her husband no longer had love for her. Johann was a character I had mixed emotions for. In some instance, I found him to be a lovable character but in other instances, I hated him. Following Johann’s unfortunate murder of his father, I could understandably resonate with his feeling of anger but when he vents this anger on his own son and injures him, I felt he took it too far. That he frustrated his wife’s effort to help him move beyond this ugly past, added more to my dislike of him.

His son and his wife, however, were characters who displayed endurance in the midst of great adversity. Lee, though a child, displayed a level of maturity that is hard to find in a child of his age. Undeterred by his father’s coldness towards his love for playing the piano, he goes on pursue this passion. Lee could have justifiably hated his father for this and turn out to be like his father, but his mother’s constant intervention kept him from becoming like his father. Genevieve and lee were two characters that I loved throughout the book especially when they make the decision to become followers of Christ. These two display a mother and son relationship that kept me hopeful that the story would have a beautiful ending.

Lee’s love for playing the piano might as well have been the only reason that Dave Barkely uses the joyful Christmas season to develop the theme of music in latter chapters of the book. This Christmas timeline makes this book a good choice for a Christmas gift. The use of scripture at the end of each chapter provided me an opportunity for self evaluation especially because most of the scripture was quoted from the book of proverbs.

To anybody struggling with hurt or knows a person who is struggling, I would recommend reading this book. Without a doubt, this is a book that is suitable for any Christian seeking to learn about the love of Christ and the power it has to transform a person to who God intended that person to be. Good editing, proper sentence structure and grammar served to make my reading quite enjoyable without any interruptions. For this reason and all the above reasons, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars

******
A Tiny Package Unwrapped
View: on Bookshelves

Like bookiegalke's review? Post a comment saying so!

I'm curious to know how Johann and Genevieve managed to move past their obvious differences in religion to end up getting married. was there any resistance from family members?

[bookiegalke]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Tiny Package Unwrapped" by Dave Barkey.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

A tiny package unwrapped is a moderately-paced Christian novel by Dave Barkey. This is a story of Johann, a man who carries in him a deep rooted resentment for Christianity or anything associated to it. This resentment took root when Johann, as a child, witnessed the killing of his own father by a man who had a cross necklace hanging from his neck. He finds love in Genevieve, a woman who, unlike Johann, is a catholic and believes in the power of God in her life. Though the two share completely different views on Christianity, they get married and relocate to the United States of America to start a new life as newlyweds. Barely settled in marriage, Genevieve finds it hard to unlock the hurt that Johann carries in his heart. This has caused him to be self centered leaving Genevieve a distraught mother to a son who Johann has refused to acknowledge as his own son because he was born at a time when Johann preferred pursuing a career over having children.

A tiny package unwrapped beautifully weaves in the themes of love, hurt, religion and music into a book that I could hardly put down. As I turned each page, I kept wondering how Genevieve would survive in a marriage where her husband no longer had love for her. Johann was a character I had mixed emotions for. In some instance, I found him to be a lovable character but in other instances, I hated him. Following Johann’s unfortunate murder of his father, I could understandably resonate with his feeling of anger but when he vents this anger on his own son and injures him, I felt he took it too far. That he frustrated his wife’s effort to help him move beyond this ugly past, added more to my dislike of him.

His son and his wife, however, were characters who displayed endurance in the midst of great adversity. Lee, though a child, displayed a level of maturity that is hard to find in a child of his age. Undeterred by his father’s coldness towards his love for playing the piano, he goes on pursue this passion. Lee could have justifiably hated his father for this and turn out to be like his father, but his mother’s constant intervention kept him from becoming like his father. Genevieve and lee were two characters that I loved throughout the book especially when they make the decision to become followers of Christ. These two display a mother and son relationship that kept me hopeful that the story would have a beautiful ending.

Lee’s love for playing the piano might as well have been the only reason that Dave Barkely uses the joyful Christmas season to develop the theme of music in latter chapters of the book. This Christmas timeline makes this book a good choice for a Christmas gift. The use of scripture at the end of each chapter provided me an opportunity for self evaluation especially because most of the scripture was quoted from the book of proverbs.

To anybody struggling with hurt or knows a person who is struggling, I would recommend reading this book. Without a doubt, this is a book that is suitable for any Christian seeking to learn about the love of Christ and the power it has to transform a person to who God intended that person to be. Good editing, proper sentence structure and grammar served to make my reading quite enjoyable without any interruptions. For this reason and all the above reasons, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars

******
A Tiny Package Unwrapped
View: on Bookshelves

Like bookiegalke's review? Post a comment saying so!

I'm curious to know how Johann and Genevieve managed to move past their obvious differences in religion to end up getting married. was there any resistance from family members?

Genevieve's was abit sceptical at the beginning but eventually, they all settled on a small civil wedding attended by family members and a few friends.

-- 26 Aug 2017, 05:44 --

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Tiny Package Unwrapped" by Dave Barkey.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

A tiny package unwrapped is a moderately-paced Christian novel by Dave Barkey. This is a story of Johann, a man who carries in him a deep rooted resentment for Christianity or anything associated to it. This resentment took root when Johann, as a child, witnessed the killing of his own father by a man who had a cross necklace hanging from his neck. He finds love in Genevieve, a woman who, unlike Johann, is a catholic and believes in the power of God in her life. Though the two share completely different views on Christianity, they get married and relocate to the United States of America to start a new life as newlyweds. Barely settled in marriage, Genevieve finds it hard to unlock the hurt that Johann carries in his heart. This has caused him to be self centered leaving Genevieve a distraught mother to a son who Johann has refused to acknowledge as his own son because he was born at a time when Johann preferred pursuing a career over having children.

A tiny package unwrapped beautifully weaves in the themes of love, hurt, religion and music into a book that I could hardly put down. As I turned each page, I kept wondering how Genevieve would survive in a marriage where her husband no longer had love for her. Johann was a character I had mixed emotions for. In some instance, I found him to be a lovable character but in other instances, I hated him. Following Johann’s unfortunate murder of his father, I could understandably resonate with his feeling of anger but when he vents this anger on his own son and injures him, I felt he took it too far. That he frustrated his wife’s effort to help him move beyond this ugly past, added more to my dislike of him.

His son and his wife, however, were characters who displayed endurance in the midst of great adversity. Lee, though a child, displayed a level of maturity that is hard to find in a child of his age. Undeterred by his father’s coldness towards his love for playing the piano, he goes on pursue this passion. Lee could have justifiably hated his father for this and turn out to be like his father, but his mother’s constant intervention kept him from becoming like his father. Genevieve and lee were two characters that I loved throughout the book especially when they make the decision to become followers of Christ. These two display a mother and son relationship that kept me hopeful that the story would have a beautiful ending.

Lee’s love for playing the piano might as well have been the only reason that Dave Barkely uses the joyful Christmas season to develop the theme of music in latter chapters of the book. This Christmas timeline makes this book a good choice for a Christmas gift. The use of scripture at the end of each chapter provided me an opportunity for self evaluation especially because most of the scripture was quoted from the book of proverbs.

To anybody struggling with hurt or knows a person who is struggling, I would recommend reading this book. Without a doubt, this is a book that is suitable for any Christian seeking to learn about the love of Christ and the power it has to transform a person to who God intended that person to be. Good editing, proper sentence structure and grammar served to make my reading quite enjoyable without any interruptions. For this reason and all the above reasons, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars

******
A Tiny Package Unwrapped
View: on Bookshelves

Like bookiegalke's review? Post a comment saying so!

I'm curious to know how Johann and Genevieve managed to move past their obvious differences in religion to end up getting married. was there any resistance from family members?

Genevieve's mother was abit sceptical at the beginning but eventually, they all settled on a small civil wedding attended by family members and a few friends.

[The Researcher]

Nice review! The book sure gives a great message. May be I will try it.

[bookiegalke]

Nice review! The book sure gives a great message. May be I will try it.

please do read it. I appreciate your comment.

[Mallory Whitaker]

Great review! This sounds like a beautiful book that focuses on what I believe to be the most important thing in Christianity: the love of Christ. Christianity can so often be focused on fire and brimstone, on the condemnation of others. I love when people talk about love, grace and forgiveness. The mother and son relationship sounds like my sort of thing too! I'm going to have to give this book a read.

[bookiegalke]

Great review! This sounds like a beautiful book that focuses on what I believe to be the most important thing in Christianity: the love of Christ. Christianity can so often be focused on fire and brimstone, on the condemnation of others. I love when people talk about love, grace and forgiveness. The mother and son relationship sounds like my sort of thing too! I'm going to have to give this book a read.

the mother and son relationship between Genevieve and Lee was the one thing that stood out for me. it is true that love,grace and forgiveness are themes that come out strongly in this book. this is the kind of book that reassures me that the hope in Christ that I hold on to is not in vain. your comment is highly appreciated.

-- 02 Sep 2017, 00:02 --

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Tiny Package Unwrapped" by Dave Barkey.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

A tiny package unwrapped is a moderately-paced Christian novel by Dave Barkey. This is a story of Johann, a man who carries in him a deep rooted resentment for Christianity or anything associated to it. This resentment took root when Johann, as a child, witnessed the killing of his own father by a man who had a cross necklace hanging from his neck. He finds love in Genevieve, a woman who, unlike Johann, is a catholic and believes in the power of God in her life. Though the two share completely different views on Christianity, they get married and relocate to the United States of America to start a new life as newlyweds. Barely settled in marriage, Genevieve finds it hard to unlock the hurt that Johann carries in his heart. This has caused him to be self centered leaving Genevieve a distraught mother to a son who Johann has refused to acknowledge as his own son because he was born at a time when Johann preferred pursuing a career over having children.

A tiny package unwrapped beautifully weaves in the themes of love, hurt, religion and music into a book that I could hardly put down. As I turned each page, I kept wondering how Genevieve would survive in a marriage where her husband no longer had love for her. Johann was a character I had mixed emotions for. In some instance, I found him to be a lovable character but in other instances, I hated him. Following Johann’s unfortunate murder of his father, I could understandably resonate with his feeling of anger but when he vents this anger on his own son and injures him, I felt he took it too far. That he frustrated his wife’s effort to help him move beyond this ugly past, added more to my dislike of him.

His son and his wife, however, were characters who displayed endurance in the midst of great adversity. Lee, though a child, displayed a level of maturity that is hard to find in a child of his age. Undeterred by his father’s coldness towards his love for playing the piano, he goes on pursue this passion. Lee could have justifiably hated his father for this and turn out to be like his father, but his mother’s constant intervention kept him from becoming like his father. Genevieve and lee were two characters that I loved throughout the book especially when they make the decision to become followers of Christ. These two display a mother and son relationship that kept me hopeful that the story would have a beautiful ending.

Lee’s love for playing the piano might as well have been the only reason that Dave Barkely uses the joyful Christmas season to develop the theme of music in latter chapters of the book. This Christmas timeline makes this book a good choice for a Christmas gift. The use of scripture at the end of each chapter provided me an opportunity for self evaluation especially because most of the scripture was quoted from the book of proverbs.

To anybody struggling with hurt or knows a person who is struggling, I would recommend reading this book. Without a doubt, this is a book that is suitable for any Christian seeking to learn about the love of Christ and the power it has to transform a person to who God intended that person to be. Good editing, proper sentence structure and grammar served to make my reading quite enjoyable without any interruptions. For this reason and all the above reasons, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars

******
A Tiny Package Unwrapped
View: on Bookshelves

Like bookiegalke's review? Post a comment saying so!

I'm curious to know how Johann and Genevieve managed to move past their obvious differences in religion to end up getting married. was there any resistance from family members?

have you ever had to experience dealing with a person who has built walls around them may be out of a bad experience in life?

[stalliongirlke]

Great review! This sounds like a beautiful book that focuses on what I believe to be the most important thing in Christianity: the love of Christ. Christianity can so often be focused on fire and brimstone, on the condemnation of others. I love when people talk about love, grace and forgiveness. The mother and son relationship sounds like my sort of thing too! I'm going to have to give this book a read.

the mother and son relationship between Genevieve and Lee was the one thing that stood out for me. it is true that love,grace and forgiveness are themes that come out strongly in this book. this is the kind of book that reassures me that the hope in Christ that I hold on to is not in vain. your comment is highly appreciated.

-- 02 Sep 2017, 00:02 --

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Tiny Package Unwrapped" by Dave Barkey.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

A tiny package unwrapped is a moderately-paced Christian novel by Dave Barkey. This is a story of Johann, a man who carries in him a deep rooted resentment for Christianity or anything associated to it. This resentment took root when Johann, as a child, witnessed the killing of his own father by a man who had a cross necklace hanging from his neck. He finds love in Genevieve, a woman who, unlike Johann, is a catholic and believes in the power of God in her life. Though the two share completely different views on Christianity, they get married and relocate to the United States of America to start a new life as newlyweds. Barely settled in marriage, Genevieve finds it hard to unlock the hurt that Johann carries in his heart. This has caused him to be self centered leaving Genevieve a distraught mother to a son who Johann has refused to acknowledge as his own son because he was born at a time when Johann preferred pursuing a career over having children.

A tiny package unwrapped beautifully weaves in the themes of love, hurt, religion and music into a book that I could hardly put down. As I turned each page, I kept wondering how Genevieve would survive in a marriage where her husband no longer had love for her. Johann was a character I had mixed emotions for. In some instance, I found him to be a lovable character but in other instances, I hated him. Following Johann’s unfortunate murder of his father, I could understandably resonate with his feeling of anger but when he vents this anger on his own son and injures him, I felt he took it too far. That he frustrated his wife’s effort to help him move beyond this ugly past, added more to my dislike of him.

His son and his wife, however, were characters who displayed endurance in the midst of great adversity. Lee, though a child, displayed a level of maturity that is hard to find in a child of his age. Undeterred by his father’s coldness towards his love for playing the piano, he goes on pursue this passion. Lee could have justifiably hated his father for this and turn out to be like his father, but his mother’s constant intervention kept him from becoming like his father. Genevieve and lee were two characters that I loved throughout the book especially when they make the decision to become followers of Christ. These two display a mother and son relationship that kept me hopeful that the story would have a beautiful ending.

Lee’s love for playing the piano might as well have been the only reason that Dave Barkely uses the joyful Christmas season to develop the theme of music in latter chapters of the book. This Christmas timeline makes this book a good choice for a Christmas gift. The use of scripture at the end of each chapter provided me an opportunity for self evaluation especially because most of the scripture was quoted from the book of proverbs.

To anybody struggling with hurt or knows a person who is struggling, I would recommend reading this book. Without a doubt, this is a book that is suitable for any Christian seeking to learn about the love of Christ and the power it has to transform a person to who God intended that person to be. Good editing, proper sentence structure and grammar served to make my reading quite enjoyable without any interruptions. For this reason and all the above reasons, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars

******
A Tiny Package Unwrapped
View: on Bookshelves

Like bookiegalke's review? Post a comment saying so!

I'm curious to know how Johann and Genevieve managed to move past their obvious differences in religion to end up getting married. was there any resistance from family members?

have you ever had to experience dealing with a person who has built walls around them may be out of a bad experience in life?

fortunately, I haven't. however, I know it takes a lot of patience to live with such a person hoping one day they would open up to you.

-- 02 Sep 2017, 00:48 --

Great review! This sounds like a beautiful book that focuses on what I believe to be the most important thing in Christianity: the love of Christ. Christianity can so often be focused on fire and brimstone, on the condemnation of others. I love when people talk about love, grace and forgiveness. The mother and son relationship sounds like my sort of thing too! I'm going to have to give this book a read.

the mother and son relationship between Genevieve and Lee was the one thing that stood out for me. it is true that love,grace and forgiveness are themes that come out strongly in this book. this is the kind of book that reassures me that the hope in Christ that I hold on to is not in vain. your comment is highly appreciated.

-- 02 Sep 2017, 00:02 --

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Tiny Package Unwrapped" by Dave Barkey.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

A tiny package unwrapped is a moderately-paced Christian novel by Dave Barkey. This is a story of Johann, a man who carries in him a deep rooted resentment for Christianity or anything associated to it. This resentment took root when Johann, as a child, witnessed the killing of his own father by a man who had a cross necklace hanging from his neck. He finds love in Genevieve, a woman who, unlike Johann, is a catholic and believes in the power of God in her life. Though the two share completely different views on Christianity, they get married and relocate to the United States of America to start a new life as newlyweds. Barely settled in marriage, Genevieve finds it hard to unlock the hurt that Johann carries in his heart. This has caused him to be self centered leaving Genevieve a distraught mother to a son who Johann has refused to acknowledge as his own son because he was born at a time when Johann preferred pursuing a career over having children.

A tiny package unwrapped beautifully weaves in the themes of love, hurt, religion and music into a book that I could hardly put down. As I turned each page, I kept wondering how Genevieve would survive in a marriage where her husband no longer had love for her. Johann was a character I had mixed emotions for. In some instance, I found him to be a lovable character but in other instances, I hated him. Following Johann’s unfortunate murder of his father, I could understandably resonate with his feeling of anger but when he vents this anger on his own son and injures him, I felt he took it too far. That he frustrated his wife’s effort to help him move beyond this ugly past, added more to my dislike of him.

His son and his wife, however, were characters who displayed endurance in the midst of great adversity. Lee, though a child, displayed a level of maturity that is hard to find in a child of his age. Undeterred by his father’s coldness towards his love for playing the piano, he goes on pursue this passion. Lee could have justifiably hated his father for this and turn out to be like his father, but his mother’s constant intervention kept him from becoming like his father. Genevieve and lee were two characters that I loved throughout the book especially when they make the decision to become followers of Christ. These two display a mother and son relationship that kept me hopeful that the story would have a beautiful ending.

Lee’s love for playing the piano might as well have been the only reason that Dave Barkely uses the joyful Christmas season to develop the theme of music in latter chapters of the book. This Christmas timeline makes this book a good choice for a Christmas gift. The use of scripture at the end of each chapter provided me an opportunity for self evaluation especially because most of the scripture was quoted from the book of proverbs.

To anybody struggling with hurt or knows a person who is struggling, I would recommend reading this book. Without a doubt, this is a book that is suitable for any Christian seeking to learn about the love of Christ and the power it has to transform a person to who God intended that person to be. Good editing, proper sentence structure and grammar served to make my reading quite enjoyable without any interruptions. For this reason and all the above reasons, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars

******
A Tiny Package Unwrapped
View: on Bookshelves

Like bookiegalke's review? Post a comment saying so!

I'm curious to know how Johann and Genevieve managed to move past their obvious differences in religion to end up getting married. was there any resistance from family members?

have you ever had to experience dealing with a person who has built walls around them may be out of a bad experience in life?

fortunately, I haven't. however, I know it takes a lot of patience to live with such a person hoping one day they would open up to you.

-- 02 Sep 2017, 00:48 --

Great review! This sounds like a beautiful book that focuses on what I believe to be the most important thing in Christianity: the love of Christ. Christianity can so often be focused on fire and brimstone, on the condemnation of others. I love when people talk about love, grace and forgiveness. The mother and son relationship sounds like my sort of thing too! I'm going to have to give this book a read.

the mother and son relationship between Genevieve and Lee was the one thing that stood out for me. it is true that love,grace and forgiveness are themes that come out strongly in this book. this is the kind of book that reassures me that the hope in Christ that I hold on to is not in vain. your comment is highly appreciated.

-- 02 Sep 2017, 00:02 --

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Tiny Package Unwrapped" by Dave Barkey.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

A tiny package unwrapped is a moderately-paced Christian novel by Dave Barkey. This is a story of Johann, a man who carries in him a deep rooted resentment for Christianity or anything associated to it. This resentment took root when Johann, as a child, witnessed the killing of his own father by a man who had a cross necklace hanging from his neck. He finds love in Genevieve, a woman who, unlike Johann, is a catholic and believes in the power of God in her life. Though the two share completely different views on Christianity, they get married and relocate to the United States of America to start a new life as newlyweds. Barely settled in marriage, Genevieve finds it hard to unlock the hurt that Johann carries in his heart. This has caused him to be self centered leaving Genevieve a distraught mother to a son who Johann has refused to acknowledge as his own son because he was born at a time when Johann preferred pursuing a career over having children.

A tiny package unwrapped beautifully weaves in the themes of love, hurt, religion and music into a book that I could hardly put down. As I turned each page, I kept wondering how Genevieve would survive in a marriage where her husband no longer had love for her. Johann was a character I had mixed emotions for. In some instance, I found him to be a lovable character but in other instances, I hated him. Following Johann’s unfortunate murder of his father, I could understandably resonate with his feeling of anger but when he vents this anger on his own son and injures him, I felt he took it too far. That he frustrated his wife’s effort to help him move beyond this ugly past, added more to my dislike of him.

His son and his wife, however, were characters who displayed endurance in the midst of great adversity. Lee, though a child, displayed a level of maturity that is hard to find in a child of his age. Undeterred by his father’s coldness towards his love for playing the piano, he goes on pursue this passion. Lee could have justifiably hated his father for this and turn out to be like his father, but his mother’s constant intervention kept him from becoming like his father. Genevieve and lee were two characters that I loved throughout the book especially when they make the decision to become followers of Christ. These two display a mother and son relationship that kept me hopeful that the story would have a beautiful ending.

Lee’s love for playing the piano might as well have been the only reason that Dave Barkely uses the joyful Christmas season to develop the theme of music in latter chapters of the book. This Christmas timeline makes this book a good choice for a Christmas gift. The use of scripture at the end of each chapter provided me an opportunity for self evaluation especially because most of the scripture was quoted from the book of proverbs.

To anybody struggling with hurt or knows a person who is struggling, I would recommend reading this book. Without a doubt, this is a book that is suitable for any Christian seeking to learn about the love of Christ and the power it has to transform a person to who God intended that person to be. Good editing, proper sentence structure and grammar served to make my reading quite enjoyable without any interruptions. For this reason and all the above reasons, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars

******
A Tiny Package Unwrapped
View: on Bookshelves

Like bookiegalke's review? Post a comment saying so!

I'm curious to know how Johann and Genevieve managed to move past their obvious differences in religion to end up getting married. was there any resistance from family members?

have you ever had to experience dealing with a person who has built walls around them may be out of a bad experience in life?

fortunately, I haven't. however, I know it takes a lot of patience to live with such a person hoping one day they would open up to you.

[Mallory Whitaker]

This sounds like a great book with a beautiful message. I like that it seems like the characters are realistically flawed. I'm definitely adding this to my list of books to read. Thank you for the great review!

[bookiegalke]

This sounds like a great book with a beautiful message. I like that it seems like the characters are realistically flawed. I'm definitely adding this to my list of books to read. Thank you for the great review!

it is indeed a great book. thank you, for your kind words