Room of Marvels
James Bryan Smith, 2007
B & H Publishing
197 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780805445633
Summary
In one tragic blow after another, accomplished Christian writer Tim Hudson lost his mother, his close friend, and his two-year-old daughter. Now he’s on the brink of losing his faith.
Room of Marvels takes readers on a silent spiritual retreat with Tim where he is swept up in a dream vision of heaven and given a guided tour by those he has lost. Reminiscent of the C. S. Lewis classic, The Great Divorce, the book carries a contemporary voice that made Library Journal declare it “a good companion to Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
Remarkably, Room of Marvels mirrors author James Bryan Smith’s own heart-wrenching season of loss when his mother (Wanda), close friend (“Awesome God” singer Rich Mullins), and two-year-old daughter (Madeline) passed away within months of each other.
Room of Marvels will comfort those touched by grief and stir the hunger for heaven in every reader. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
James Bryan Smith teaches theology at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. His previous books include A Spiritual Formation Workbook, Devotional Classics (coauthored with Richard Foster), and Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven. Jim and his wife, Meghan, have two children, Jacob and Hope. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
If you’ve ever felt the sting of death from the loss of one you love, Smith’s book will lead you into a warm, inviting room.
Knight Ridder
One of those profound, special books that only comes along once in awhile.
InfuzeMag.con
There's some serious theology here, but communicated in a way that brings it to life, as a story…Highly recommended.
Christian Fiction Review
Revealing the hope of heaven, this book gives more than platitudes. It portrays a different—and comforting—mindset about death, showing in story form that for the Christian, what appears to be death is really life. Though I’ve never lost someone close to me, it will be the first book I reach for when I do. If you can’t find the words to say to a friend who has lost someone, let Room of Marvels speak for you.
Katie Hart - Christian Book Previews
[All of what Tim encounters in the dream] sounds very kitschy and schtick-y.... Yet it's not. Smith, who is Chaplain and Assistant Professor of Theology at Wichita's Friends University, has crafted a deceptively simple and psychologically clever read about the things—thing, really—that matter most to Christian faith.
Faithful Reader.com
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for Room of Marvels:
1. When Tim Hudson says he has arrived at "God's address," what does he mean? Is that a literal...or metaphorical address?
2. Why does Hudson head to a monastery? What is he hoping to find...or escape from?
3. What is the state of Hudson's faith at this point? What is he questioning?
4. Why does Tim find Brother Taylor irritating? What role does Brother Taylor play in Tim's soul journey?
5. Talk about the significance of Tim's dream. What happens, whom does he meet and where is he taken? Is it a dream, or is it something else? (For Narnia lovers, who is Jack?!)
6. What does Tim learn through his dream? What are the lessons or insights he gains about himself and his life? Are those insights applicable to you...to others?
7. A review by Faithful Reader says that everything in this "dream revolves around love: love given, taken, rejected, fulfilled." Discuss that observation: what does it mean; do you agree?
8. How does this book portray death? Does it open up, or offer, a different perspective? Or does it align with your own perspective?
9. Has this book altered you? How does Smith present Christianity, or what it means to be religious? Does he present a different view or one that is similar to your own?
10.Would this book—its message—be of help to someone grieving the loss of a loved one? Would you recommend it to others who are not in the midst of grief?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
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