Friday, 14 August 2009 15:41 | and posted in Book Reviews
Rob Bell’s new book is the most beautiful book I own. I have found myself picking it up repeatedly just to leaf through its pages and experience that new book smell, to feel the quality of the paper on my fingertips and to marvel at the gorgeous design and photos. It has a hardback cover, each page has fuschia pink coloured edging that perfectly complements the black cover and it's larger than A4 in size so it’s not going to be able to fit on any of my existing book cases, yet that doesn't matter, because it's so beautiful.
Thankfully, for those of you not quite so enamoured by book design as I am, Drops Like Stars reads as well as it looks and feels and smells. The design and photos complement the text so well that the images and thoughts it has invoked in me are still playing around my mind days after reading. Through them God is still speaking and moving.
Drops Like Stars explores suffering and creativity. At first glance it’s an odd pairing but Rob, as always, finds a fresh angle on suffering that brings something new and inspiring to the discussion. Typically, our attention is drawn to topics of why there’s suffering and why does God allow suffering. In Drops Like Stars Rob doesn’t remotely go there, instead he focuses completely on the idea of what now? What happens after we suffer? Where do we go now? It’s as we ask these kinds of questions that we recognize creativity’s role within suffering.
Sadly I anticipate there will be a lot of negative reviews written about Drops Like Stars. Things like: “It's too short”, “Single words or sentences don't make a page”, “Where are the chapter breaks?” and “It's too expensive!” And yes, I finished the book in 40 minutes first time round, many pages do have a single word or line on them, there are no chapter breaks and at £19.99 if not £21.99 in your local Christian bookshop and £13.99 online it might take some sacrifice to buy.
I think the first time round I allowed these anticipations to shape my reading and I didn't allow the book to speak for itself. I made no such error the second time around and got so much from it that I’m considering reading if for a third time over the weekend.
The thing is, this is not like Rob Bell's other books and it's not trying to be. Obviously it's written in the same "Rob Bell" style which disregards proper paragraph etiquette and drives English teachers barmy, but the book's genre is different to his others. The size and hardback nature of Drops Like Stars is a deliberate attempt to communicate that you shouldn’t approach Rob’s new book like you would one of his others.
Drops Like Stars is like a painting with words that’s designed to inspire and stir the imagination. Compare it with his other books and you’ll end up making cynical comments. Approach it on its own terms and it’ll feel like you have unearthed valuable treasure.
I understand that it is expensive for people like yourselves on limited budgets, but it’s definitely worth the money as the shortness and style of the book will lead you to read this many more times than a book under quarter of the price and quadruple more words. If you can’t afford it now put it on your next Christmas or birthday list, you won’t regret it.
So, my final words… Yessss! A Rob Bell book with pictures – it doesn’t get much better than this!!! ;)
You can buy Drops Like Stars by Rob Bell, from Amazon.
Check out some preview pages from Drops Like Stars:
