Un-put-downable: Water from my Heart by Charles Martin

about the book....

Charlie Finn had to grow up fast, living alone by age sixteen. Highly intelligent, he earned a life-changing scholarship to Harvard, where he learned how to survive and thrive on the outskirts of privileged society. That skill served him well in the cutthroat business world, as it does in more lucrative but dangerous ventures he now operates off the coast of Miami. Charlie tries to separate relationships from work. But when his choices produce devastating consequences, he sets out to right wrongs, traveling to Central America where he will meet those who have paid for his actions, including a woman and her young daughter. Will their fated encounter present Charlie with a way to seek the redemption he thought was impossible--and free his heart to love one woman as he never knew he could? 

my review....

I've said this before and I'll probably say it again, but Charles Martin just keeps getting better and better! Soon after delving into "Water from my Heart" I realized that I had a long night ahead of me, because there was no way I was going to be able to walk away from the story any time soon. And indeed, I didn't stop until I'd reached the end! Charlie's story is an utterly powerful one, as we see how he embraces a path that leads to the destruction of his own soul. On the one hand, you don't want to like Charlie at all as you think about the devastation his business practices or drug dealing has wrought. But on the other hand, as we peer beyond all that to the real Charlie inside, you can't help but see the man he's meant to be. Charles Martin has done a fantastic job at bringing Charlie to a true place of transformation, where he runs up against grace and forgiveness and realizes that he doesn't want to be the old Charlie any more. "Water from my Heart" may not have an overt gospel message, but it definitely points to the cross, where only Jesus can truly take us from where we are, and make something new. And the story does so with intense drama and deep emotion, to the point that I abandoned any plans to go to bed and had to devour the story until I reached the satisfying conclusion. I turned the final pages thinking about my own choices in life and about what I'm really working towards. How many people are just running the rat race with no thought of the legacy they are leaving behind, good or bad? How many people are embracing more and more bad choices, until they don't even recognize the person they've become? I don't want to be that person!

Charlie reminds us to have hope, that there are always second chances, and redemption is possible even in the most unlikely of places. I absolutely loved this story (and fell in love with the people of Nicaragua at the same time!)  Be prepared to not only be well entertained, but to leave the pages of this book deeply moved at the same time. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

ARC has been provided courtesy of the publisher (Center Street, an imprint of Hachette Book Group) for the purposes of this unbiased review.

About the author....

Charles Martin is the author of eight novels. When not writing, his hobbies include bow hunting, working out (a blend of old school stuff and martial arts, called Fight Fit), and Tae Kwon Do, in which he currently has a blue belt, though he notes he is "the least flexible person you've ever met." He lives with his wife, Christy, and their three sons in Jacksonville, Florida.

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From Amazon.com:

Water from My Heart: A Novel