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Saving Maddie Varian Johnson Books

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Saving Maddie Varian Johnson Books

Joshua Wynn - son of Reverend Isaiah P. Wynn and First Lady Lily Wynn of Mount Calvary church - is a seventeen year old Christian who lets his light shine. He's president of the church youth group and a member of the choir. He visits senior citizens at the Faith Nursing Home regularly, he can quote Scripture as well as any adult Christian and he believes in abstaining from sex until marriage. This young man has a heart for God and he cares about doing the right thing. He also cares about Madeline (Maddie) Marie Smith. He and she were friends when they were younger but then she left Conway, South Carolina and moved to Norfolk, Virginia. Five years later Maddie moves back to Conway and she's certainly not a little girl anymore. Joshua is surprised to see the young woman she's become. Will he be able to remain true to his Christian values and help Maddie renew her faith in Christianity? Or will he forget all about being a good guy and compromise his beliefs?

The Bible is Joshua's moral blueprint just as it should be for every Christian, but his peers (including Maddie) attacked him for his beliefs. He was called names like prude and self-righteous and he was made fun of because of his good choices. Sadly, that is the reality (not in every circumstance, I hope), but I didn't like it. I especially didn't like the way Tony talked to Joshua. Tony was supposed to be Joshua's friend but he was always condemning him for wanting to do the right thing. And Christians are the judgmental ones? Tony should have had the sense to follow Joshua's example. There's nothing wrong with being a good guy. And Joshua's ex-girlfriend, Jennifer - She didn't know what she had when she was with Joshua. Since Joshua's presence bothered his peers so much they must have felt they were doing wrong. They had to try to make him feel bad for his good choices so they could feel better about their not-so-good choices. I'm sure Joshua was intelligent enough to get that, but still, it can be hard to resist peer pressure; especially for a young man who's expected to be an example of all things good. We all break the rules sometimes; that's just being human.

The foul language in this story was a bit much and, surprisingly, most of it came from the female character, Maddie. At age fifteen she made a bad choice and her father's reaction didn't help matters. His hurtful words caused her to rebel by taking on many bad habits that only made her feel even worse about herself. I'm thinking she had such a nasty mouth because she was hurting so badly but she could have gotten her points across without all of the profanity. She was a real good girl on the inside, I could see it. She was just bogged down with so much bad stuff that she couldn't find her way and she was too stubborn, or maybe even feeling too guilty about the bad choices she made to let anybody help her; not even Joshua, whose love for her was unconditional. It would have been nice if Joshua would have discouraged Maddie from bad behavior because I really wanted to see her happy. I wanted to say Maddie was a bad influence on Joshua, but I won't because he was old enough to make his own choices. I was so disappointed, though, when he did the things he did but, sadly, that part of the story was also realistic. It isn't always the good one who uplifts the not-so-good; sometimes the person with bad habits will pull down the one trying to live right.

About Maddie's father, Gregory Smith, Pastor of Sunset Valley Baptist Church: This so-called man of God should have been ashamed of himself for the way he treated his daughter. He didn't just break her heart, he broke her spirit! He's obviously a saved person who thinks he's above everyone else, which shows that he doesn't know what Christianity is all about. God is no respecter of persons; He loves us all the same. He also expects Christians to share His love with others and He surely expects fathers to love and protect their children. It was unfortunate that his actions caused Maddie to mistrust so many who weren't responsible for what he had done (all Christians aren't judgmental, hypocrites), but I am so glad she didn't stop believing in God.

There is content I must address out of respect for the heavenly Father and for the sake of every reader; especially the young people: Maddie says, "For your information, the Bible doesn't even say that premarital sex is wrong. All it talks about is sexual immorality." I'll begin with a definition of fornication: Consensual sexual intercourse between a man and woman who are not married (the definition for premarital sex is the same). What the Bible says: 1 Corinthians 6:18 - Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body - That's from the King James , and, to make it more plain, here is 1 Corinthians 6:18 -The New Living Translation: Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does, for "sexual immorality" is a sin against your own body - God is speaking to Christians. Joshua is a Christian and I'm assuming Maddie is also. I don't know if she really believed what she said or if she was trying to justify her choice to have sex before marriage, but there is a wrong message being sent.

All-in-all Saving Maddie was a good read. Actually, I have to say it was a real page-turner and the ending was touching.


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Saving Maddie Varian Johnson Books Reviews

Joshua Wynn is a preacher's son who tries to live his life by the bible and finds himself caught between the desires of a normal teenage boy and the Christian values he has been taught all his life. He has to keep up the image of the youth president and all around stigma of being the preacher's son. Just when he is finally getting a handle on his desires, his best friend from childhood comes back into town. She is an outcaste from most of the town's congregation because of the way she dressed and her wayward ways. Joshua finds himself still madly in love with her and tries to save her from the downward spiral her life has become, in the process he faces temptation that he has never felt before. He begins to question every thing he was taught growing up and learns that even though it hurts he has to let go of Maddie so she can find her own way in life.

I liked the way Varian Johnson (the author) seemed to understand the teenage mind and how the pressures of being a teenager can be. I was a little disappointed in not knowing what happened to Maddie and Joshua after Joshua wrote his last letter to her. I kept wanting to know weather Maddie found a better life. I was happy to know that the he left the story open to write a sequel if he wanted to.
Joshua & Maddie are not star-crossed lovers. Rather, these two are the best & truest of friends. They share a different kind of love that goes beyond what anyone thinks about them. As children they spent all their time together in and out of church while their fathers were the ministers preaching the gospel. But when Maddie's father is transferred to another parish, Maddie & Joshua vow to write each other every day to keep in touch. For a while that works until Maddie stops writing back.

Eventually Joshua gives up writing her & begins to move on with his faith by being the pinnacle preacher's son. He leads the youth group, he volunteers at the nursing home & he even abstains from all morally compromising situations. While it makes him an outcast at parties (who really wants to drink alcohol & get frisky with their date with the preacher's kid?) Joshua has settled into a comfortable existence. And just like that Maddie shows up all dark & jaded.

Now Joshua has to decide who he's living his life for & why. There are so many questions & so little time. Events are escalating all over town with pressure from every imaginable direction baring down on Joshua. The only thing he can do is choose, but who & what?

I really enjoyed this book. It was exactly what I was expecting it to be in all the right ways. As a teen I spent a week each summer at a church camp in the mountains of North Carolina. While we were all feeling our way around our faith, there were several campers who were preacher's kids (pk's) that we all looked to for example & spiritual guidance. The second day of my sophomore year one of them said it wasn't easy to be a pk & that they were just as lost as we were. While they had a duty to uphold & represent their parent's ministry, they were really just putting on a brave face because it's what was expected of them.

Joshua is in the exact same predicament. He's been following the predetermined path thinking he had free will all along until free will actually showed up & said 'hi.' Now he's kind of floating along trying to wrestle not only with his faith, but his family, his friends, his emotions & definitely his hormones. Maddie is the typical rebel, except she's deeply spiritual leading the reader to become endeared to her. Able to quote chapter & verse on command, Maddie is also lost. Unlike Joshua though, she claims she doesn't want to find the right path.

There is so much going on in this book that I felt consumed by it. Again, in a good way. It has been a long time since I have really been able to soak up the feeling of a book & completely relate to all characters involved. No one in this book is anywhere near perfect, but they all blend together to make you understand that that's okay.

Truly, I don't have enough words to adequately explain my love for this book. While there are many "controversial" topics (sex, alcohol, promiscuity, etc) they are needed in the context of the book & the main characters' struggles. I think I'd feel comfortable with a 7th or 8th grader reading this, as long as they could question anything & everything they read. )
This book was full of back and full of back and forth who was going to get maddie. It is the best book ever
Great condition looks brand new. Amazing book.
Joshua Wynn - son of Reverend Isaiah P. Wynn and First Lady Lily Wynn of Mount Calvary church - is a seventeen year old Christian who lets his light shine. He's president of the church youth group and a member of the choir. He visits senior citizens at the Faith Nursing Home regularly, he can quote Scripture as well as any adult Christian and he believes in abstaining from sex until marriage. This young man has a heart for God and he cares about doing the right thing. He also cares about Madeline (Maddie) Marie Smith. He and she were friends when they were younger but then she left Conway, South Carolina and moved to Norfolk, Virginia. Five years later Maddie moves back to Conway and she's certainly not a little girl anymore. Joshua is surprised to see the young woman she's become. Will he be able to remain true to his Christian values and help Maddie renew her faith in Christianity? Or will he forget all about being a good guy and compromise his beliefs?

The Bible is Joshua's moral blueprint just as it should be for every Christian, but his peers (including Maddie) attacked him for his beliefs. He was called names like prude and self-righteous and he was made fun of because of his good choices. Sadly, that is the reality (not in every circumstance, I hope), but I didn't like it. I especially didn't like the way Tony talked to Joshua. Tony was supposed to be Joshua's friend but he was always condemning him for wanting to do the right thing. And Christians are the judgmental ones? Tony should have had the sense to follow Joshua's example. There's nothing wrong with being a good guy. And Joshua's ex-girlfriend, Jennifer - She didn't know what she had when she was with Joshua. Since Joshua's presence bothered his peers so much they must have felt they were doing wrong. They had to try to make him feel bad for his good choices so they could feel better about their not-so-good choices. I'm sure Joshua was intelligent enough to get that, but still, it can be hard to resist peer pressure; especially for a young man who's expected to be an example of all things good. We all break the rules sometimes; that's just being human.

The foul language in this story was a bit much and, surprisingly, most of it came from the female character, Maddie. At age fifteen she made a bad choice and her father's reaction didn't help matters. His hurtful words caused her to rebel by taking on many bad habits that only made her feel even worse about herself. I'm thinking she had such a nasty mouth because she was hurting so badly but she could have gotten her points across without all of the profanity. She was a real good girl on the inside, I could see it. She was just bogged down with so much bad stuff that she couldn't find her way and she was too stubborn, or maybe even feeling too guilty about the bad choices she made to let anybody help her; not even Joshua, whose love for her was unconditional. It would have been nice if Joshua would have discouraged Maddie from bad behavior because I really wanted to see her happy. I wanted to say Maddie was a bad influence on Joshua, but I won't because he was old enough to make his own choices. I was so disappointed, though, when he did the things he did but, sadly, that part of the story was also realistic. It isn't always the good one who uplifts the not-so-good; sometimes the person with bad habits will pull down the one trying to live right.

About Maddie's father, Gregory Smith, Pastor of Sunset Valley Baptist Church This so-called man of God should have been ashamed of himself for the way he treated his daughter. He didn't just break her heart, he broke her spirit! He's obviously a saved person who thinks he's above everyone else, which shows that he doesn't know what Christianity is all about. God is no respecter of persons; He loves us all the same. He also expects Christians to share His love with others and He surely expects fathers to love and protect their children. It was unfortunate that his actions caused Maddie to mistrust so many who weren't responsible for what he had done (all Christians aren't judgmental, hypocrites), but I am so glad she didn't stop believing in God.

There is content I must address out of respect for the heavenly Father and for the sake of every reader; especially the young people Maddie says, "For your information, the Bible doesn't even say that premarital sex is wrong. All it talks about is sexual immorality." I'll begin with a definition of fornication Consensual sexual intercourse between a man and woman who are not married (the definition for premarital sex is the same). What the Bible says 1 Corinthians 618 - Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body - That's from the King James , and, to make it more plain, here is 1 Corinthians 618 -The New Living Translation Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does, for "sexual immorality" is a sin against your own body - God is speaking to Christians. Joshua is a Christian and I'm assuming Maddie is also. I don't know if she really believed what she said or if she was trying to justify her choice to have sex before marriage, but there is a wrong message being sent.

All-in-all Saving Maddie was a good read. Actually, I have to say it was a real page-turner and the ending was touching.