What readers on earth are saying...
2010-11 Selection for One Book+One Facebook, the Internet's Largest Book Group:
"[Forgiving Ararat] is both compelling and entertaining–-a well-written novel with something important at stake and an engrossing, page-turning plot…a book that’s clever enough to make you laugh, yet wondrous enough to make you astonished, challenging enough to make you think, and tender enough to make you cry…with a surprise ending too. At its core, Forgiving Ararat is a modern allegory about forgiveness, which is perhaps the one thing on this planet that can unite anybody and everybody–even the worst of enemies. In fact, forgiveness may be the greatest unifying agent known to humanity. That makes a novel about forgiveness the perfect choice for a program designed to unite millions of people–both friends and adversaries alike." Readers on Oprah.com:
"Nominated #1 Best Beach Read for 2010"..."Nominated Favorite Spiritual Novel"..."Forgiving Ararat is the next Lovely Bones"..."I was on the edge of my seat"..."Forgiving Ararat is realistic fiction that makes you reexamine your conscience"..."It is really powerful writing!"..."I highly recommend Forgiving Ararat"..."It's a fascinating must-read for 2010" Readers on Theview.abc.go.com (ABC's The View show):
"I have to agree with the heavenly reviewers, Tolstoy, Steinbeck and Dickens. It's an excellent read"..."Like the surreal world created by Alice Sebold in The Lovely Bones, the heavenly realm of Shemaya is a world that alights on our greatest hopes for our future beyond death, yet at the same time is rooted in prominent vestiges of the human condition. Beyond
Readers on WSJ.com (The Wall Street Journal):
"The idea of writing from the afterlife should be suspenseful and powerful, something that Gita Nazareth's Forgiving Ararat accomplished. Nazareth's voice was beautiful"..."Great page-turning thriller/mystery plot, but far more complex, evocative and intellectually challenging than Lovely Bones"..." I finished the book not too long ago and I can still remember how it touched me with beauty, sadness and forgiveness"..."Gita Nazareth combines Alice Sebold, Scott Turow, John Grisham, Kafka, Tolstoy, Steinbeck...well, you get the idea...all in one" Readers on Today.newsvine.com (NBC's Today Show):
"I just finished a book I loved that reminded me of the best elements of a Grisham novel, but with a huge spiritual element added that Grisham's work lacks...Forgiving Ararat's quite fascinating and completely original! If you're a Grisham fan, check this one out!" "It has been awhile since I read something so thought-provoking that I actually took a step back and reassess my life"..."It's a great read" Readers on ChicagoTribune.com "What is so truly remarkable about [Forgiving Ararat] is that...it uses finely wrought details to make a profound statement--in this case a statement about the human and divine conflict between justice and forgiveness that begins with Cain and Abel and the Great Flood and continues up to today as we struggle with religious extremism. Nazareth is part Dante, part Steinbeck, and part Ayn Rand using a story to make a nuanced and profound philosophical/spiritual argument. There is hope: Modern writes are still capable of giving us fables and allegories like the great writers of the past!"
Readers on Csmonitor.com (Christian Science Monitor):
"There's an easy way to solve the dilemma of watching The Lovely Bones movie or reading the book. Definitely watch The Lovely Bones movie, but forget about the book and read the new supernatural thriller Forgiving Ararat by Gita Nazareth instead" Readers on NYTimes.com (New York Times):
"Just finished reading Forgiving Ararat - the themes are remarkably similar [to Lovely Bones], with it starting with a dead woman in her own version of heaven - but there they digress completely and the book's themes are basically justice and resolution, both of which you get in spades in a really remarkable work!" Readers on EW.com (Entertainment Weekly): "[Forgiving Ararat] is THE must-read, life-transforming supernatural thriller of 2010" Readers on Forbes.com: "Check out the next great bestseller...Forgiving Ararat by Gita Nazareth."
"The book claims to be the #1 Bestseller in Heaven, and it just might be." Readers on Independent.co.uk (The Independent): "East of Eden was indeed America's greatest--the retelling of Cain and Abel. Here is perhaps a worthy aspirant--the retelling of God seeking revenge against humanity by perpetrating the Great Flood."
"It's just like the grown-up version of Lovely Bones"..."I have been looking for further excursions into the afterworld, but I haven't found much, until now"
"This amazing book explores the themes of justice and forgiveness while also being emotionally involving" Readers on Slate.com:
"Forgiving Ararat is a beautiful read, and could be the next Lovely Bones for some. Powerful stuff there"..."It seems like in each of these books, which all deal with a murder and its aftermath (Lovely Bones and Ararat both from the dead heroine's version of heaven), are moving and extremely meaningful for the reader"
Readers on Nypost.com (New York Post):
"If you like The Lovely Bones, read Forgiving Ararat." Readers on Christianity.com: "All I know is that, for me, 'Forgiving Ararat' embraces what is most painful and most powerful about our human condition and how we might best understand a heavenly force and divinity. This novel tucked itself in my heart for all time, so overwhelming was its message at the end.'