That's my son - three words that swept away everything familiar from Robin Farnsworth's life. An emergency room nurse at work one night, she identifies the dead man on an ER stretcher. Spencer, her 21-year-old son, was the unintended target of a murder. Reaching back to 1964, when Robin lost her brother, The Greater Weight of Glory is a series of small stories; tragic, tender, wild and wondrous but all pointing to the universal question: "Where is God, anyway?" This is more than one person's story – it is a tapestry of brokenness and courage, of lessons of love and letting go and the power of forgiveness and simple faith that walks on earth and touches heaven.
Assessment:
Plot: Farnsworth’s memoir is well-paced and strongly written. The story is full of unexpected surprises and coincidences, both pleasant and horrific. Readers will be riveted.
Prose: Farnsworth’s prose is clean, clear, and well crafted. She recreates her story in ways that are always realistic and intriguing.
Originality: Farnsworth’s story is unique and interesting. The moments in which her world is turned completely upside-down are shocking and memorable.
Character Development: Farnsworth's memoir includes a colorful, well-developed cast of characters. The most interesting character is the narrator herself—and readers will root for her as they watch her grow and change over time.
Date Submitted: April 25, 2018
THE GREATER WEIGHT OF GLORY is the story of courage and human frailty. As the reader, I assumed I knew where Farnsworth’s journey would take me. I was wrong. I couldn’t put the book down until the last page was read – every word devoured, some twice. This memoir will leave you with a lightness of spirit unimaginable for an account surrounding the death of a child. It is a must read for reasons you can’t yet imagine.
