It’s been a long time since I read a book that was hard to put down, touched my emotions on all levels, and had me thinking about its characters way past the ending. Wounded by Claudia Mair Burney is one book that did all that.
When I sat down face to face with Claudia Mair Burney to hear about her latest novel at ICRS I had no idea her new book was about a stigmatic (think bloody wounds of Christ manifested on a person,) I had the same reaction you’re having right now! What in the world? It’s the stuff weird Christianity is made of, right? My mind immediately went to my past when a “stigmatic” who was later said to be a fraud, professed to have the bloody hand wounds of Christ. Though put off a bit by the thought of a character in a book with stigmata, I was also interested in finding out how the author would handle the subject matter, and how the faith element in the book would be played out. Would it be preachy? Too Catholic and saintly? But ultimately, what made me crack the spine and read the pages was that I loved Burney’s voice and knew her writing was genuine, so I thought I’d give it a try. And I’m so glad I did.
You can read my full review here.
One thing I learned through this experience is that the old saying is true. Don’t judge a book by its cover. But in this case I really liked the cover, it was what was inside that had me a little concerned. Still, I listened to that small voice inside of me. The one that spoke highly of the person and author, Claudia Mair Burney.
After reading the book I’ve heard several reviews that didn’t speak well of this particular book. I’m convinced they didn’t “get” the heart behind the story and just focused on the “stimga” it carried. For me, the characters were the story, not what happened to them! I’m so glad I gave Wounded a chance and didn’t read the reviews first because it might have painted a wrong picture of what Wounded was all about!
Thank you Claudia Mair Burney for listening to your heart and writing this story despite the flack from those who just don’t get it!
Gina Conroy is an aspiring fiction author who just landed an agent, founder of Writer…Interrupted, and a mom of four, homeschooling two. When she’s not homeschooling, doing laundry, or chauffeuring her kids to sports or play practices, she writes about her experiences trying to balance it all at Portrait of a Writer…Interrupted.
Thanks Gina!
One thing that I love about being a book reviewer is that I am sent books I wouldn’t normally choose for myself, but I really end up enjoying some of them.
And I’m sure you find some gems that way!