Taken

Julie Garland
AuthorHouse (2008)
ISBN 9781434378699
Reviewed by Leslie Granier for Reader Views (4/09)


The main premise of “Taken” is whether or not an action should be considered wrong if it brings happiness to someone else.  Ever the doting mother, Anna will do anything to make her daughter happy.  Anna kidnaps a baby to cheer up her depressed daughter Leslie who is unable to bear children and has been waiting to adopt for a long time.  When she sees the miraculous effect the child has on Leslie's demeanor, Anna convinces herself that God must have had a hand in motivating her to commit such an act -- spurred on by this new-found sense of doing God’s will, Anna sets into motion a colossal chain of events that permanently alters the lives of many innocent people.

I absolutely loved this book.  The first chapter really captured my interest and the rest of the book was equally as engrossing.  It moved at a very fast pace and I had difficulty putting it down.  The author created incredible and memorable characters and allowed the reader insight into their pasts in order to better understand their present behaviors.  There were also many plot twists which increased the amount of suspense.  The author did an excellent job of interweaving subplots which added to the unpredictability of how the story would unfold.

Garland adeptly demonstrated how each of the characters had their own agenda which controlled his or her actions.  Whether the motivation was money, revenge, or an attempt to overcome a bad childhood, the author ultimately showed that people need to be careful of their actions because they may come up against someone or something they did not anticipate.  I found it interesting to observe the lengths to which people will go to justify their behaviors.  The author also showed how one person’s actions and decisions can affect the lives of so many others.

Other than a few editing issues (question marks were constantly placed in the wrong place), “Taken” is a flawless novel.  Even though it may appear to be written for a female audience, the drama and suspense will appeal to all adults.  I cannot wait to see future works by Julie Garland.  Even if they are only half as good as this one, they will still be incredible.

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