Book Review-The Heart Mender

The Heart Mender: A Story of Second Chances is a book written by Andy Andrews and dubbed a fictional novel, when in fact it is part fiction but larger part true events. This is a historical novel that Andrews sandwiches between real life experiences in parts one and three and a fictional account of how these events played out. The Heart Mender is a story ,about the story, of items that Andrews uncovered in front of his house. Finding these items that appear to have come from a German officer during World War II sends Andrews on a quest to discover the history behind these items and a secret time in American history. The title of Heart Mender seems to be given as this is what happens to the main characters in the fictional aspect of the book. However, the conclusion of the book does not point to this or draw out the title in any way, the assumption is made that the character’s hearts were mending based on the fact that this is the title of the book. In the prologue, Andrews states that he believes this is his finest work. Reading that statement prepared me for an excellent novel and I was left disappointed. The story was interesting, but the unfolding of the story and the character development felt lacking. I wanted to know the “ending” and kept reading for that fact, but not because I was drawn in the way that I had anticipated that I would be. I feel like there was an element missing that made an appeal to my soul as I read. This was a decent book, maybe even a good book, and the story, especially since it was largely historical and non-fictional was interesting to read about. If this is Andrews’ finest work, then I’m not going to run out and buy his other books. Andrews also alludes to the fact that a movie producer was able to get a hold of the script, which leads me to think that a movie may be in the works. I do think a movie based on this book and events would be very good and interesting.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
http://theheartmender.andyandrews.com/