Walking Through Fire: A Memoir of Loss and Redemption

Rating: it was amazing

This book is remarkable. It is honest and raw, yet filled with hope and joy. I laughed and I cried. Vaneetha's story is at times heartbreaking, but her joy and amazing sense of humor are palpable throughout the book. Vaneetha's memoir will provide inspiration and hope to all who read it, but throughout you'll be aware that she is a real woman with real struggles.

I particularly appreciated that she was forthright with her struggles as a parent of teenage daughters. Vaneetha doesn't set herself up as a mentor or teacher or expert, she shares real struggles and failures, raw conversations, and honest questions.

Read this book. Be encouraged. Be inspired. Be reminded that God loves you and will never leave you.

Rating: really liked it

What a life. If you are suffering from any kind of illness, pain, or loss, the best I can do for you is to encourage you to meet other christian people who suffer, but the ones who suffer well, with faith, founded on the Rock, Christ and His Word. Otherwise you may pass out and you will want to quit, thinking that you are "the only person in the world" who has so many "problems" or pain. Vaneetha has been a lovely example for me from through the distance and even when she doesn´t know me I feel that I love her. Since her book "The scars that have shaped me" I have felt her as a friend living in another country so far away, and I´m the one who prays for her through the distance. This book is a bit different because it is like an autobiography, you will find more details of how it got to where it stands today. Personally, I enjoyed "The scars that have shaped me" a lot and this one helped me to understand how that process and what lead her to where she is today. I am grateful to God for Vaneetha's life and everything she shares encourages me to think that her existence has an eternal and glorious purpose, even in the lives of people like me, whom she will never meet, and she has encouraged and shared hope in the middle of chaos. Her pain has a purpose, at least for me, and her fidelity in the midst of tears, valleys, and loneliness too. I would love to meet her one day and give her a very strong hug, and simply say: thank you, for being with me in my room, in bed, in the midst of my own tears, illness, heartbreak, and pain. Thanks for writing, for being there. Allowing God to break you will bear fruit. This book is a gift for people who love Christ and want to remain faithful even though everything seems to collapse around them. Consider getting this book even if you are not walking through fire right now, because someday the most certain thing is that you will. I hope they will translate it into Spanish soon, one of my dreams is to help translate some of the books that I review in English first and that I like, inspire or encourage.

Rating: really liked it

What a powerful memoir. Risner leans heavily in her faith. She has needed that conviction to carry her through very dark times. Debilitating health issues, death of a child, a cheating spouse, and angry daughters, she survived it all. I read this book after having a frustrating day, but nothing compared to what she has endured. Although physically weak, she has been very strong. I think she was too kind To forgive her lout of an ex husband, but that's her business. If anyone thinks they have it horrible, read this book, you'll be hard pressed to beat what the author has experienced. Thanks to Edelweiss and Thomas Nelson for the early read.

Rating: it was amazing

This book is a compulsive read that had me lamenting and praising in turn. I started the book at 8:30 on a Saturday morning, and other than a break to refill my coffee cup, I didn't move from my chair until I turned the last page around 3 in the afternoon.
This is a story of how God gives and takes away and gives again in the author's life, and it's a story of the goodness and glory of God himself through every step of her journey.
Preorder a copy today and add it to your TBR pile! (Note: My review is based on an advance copy of the proofs that I received from the publisher. I received no remuneration of any kind for this review.)

Rating: it was amazing

Highly recommend this book. Full of honesty and vulnerability. Vaneetha’s story really tugged on my heart and made me cry at times. I was especially touched by how she grieved honestly through all of the pain and heartbreak she’s experienced. Such a strong testimony of the Lord's work in her life. I learned so much from her story. What it looks like to be honest and raw with emotions, how to lament, the importance of scripture memory, and what forgiveness practically looks like.

Rating: really liked it

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was a little taken aback that it was a heavily Christian story and it was not one I would normally read.

However Vaneetha’s story drew me in and I became heavily invested in her life and her journey. Vaneetha is a remarkable woman who doesn’t give herself enough credit for the strength, love and resilience she has.

Rating: it was amazing

We often hear "Your suffering is small compared to..." and don't draw any comfort from it. In this case it's true. I can not imagine going through all Vaneesha went through and still be happy and still trust in God.
It's an impressive and honest memoir that makes you feel for her and makes you see our own problems in a different light.

Rating: really liked it

Vaneetha is a very strong woman. I am glad that she moved on from her first husband. I appreciate her ability to keep her faith and deal with all the heartbreak in her life.