Official Review: Who Hears Me When I Cry by Terrance Turner

[Jackie Holycross]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Who Hears Me When I Cry" by Terrance Turner.]

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1 out of 4 stars

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Who Hears Me When I Cry is a personal story written by Terrance Turner about his own life. I was expecting it to be a memoir about a man struggling to reconcile his faith with experiences of suffering in his life. In the most general sense, this was what the book was about, but it lacked the depth and detail I was hoping for.


The total book is only 42 pages. It gives a short description of the author’s childhood followed by several chapters about his experiences in the military and various churches. He began to struggle with his faith and left the church at times. There were dark times when he cried out to God and felt no answer. There were also several prophecies spoken over him that guided his life.


My favorite section was when he entered the business world and was challenged by God to take the limits off his life and move forward. The author is obviously a man of passion and faith which shines through his writing.


Nevertheless, for the most part, the book was a disappointment. There was very little detail. I did not feel like I got to know the author in any personal way. I felt his pain but had very little idea where it was coming from. He needed more stories about what the frustrations and discouragements in his life actually were. He also could have spent much more time on his childhood. I’m sure there were great stories he could have told about relatives who shaped his spiritual life or even prejudices he faced as a child. The book felt more like an outline that needed to be filled in.


In addition to the lack of plot and personal development, the book is riddled with grammar, punctuation, and usage errors. It desperately needs to go through editing. I believe this author had an important message to convey, but it just did not get carried out. For these reasons, I rate it 1 out of 4 stars. If it was extended and professionally edited, I could recommend it to people facing spiritual struggles who are asking the eternal questions about suffering. As it stands now, it is too lacking to recommend.

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Who Hears Me When I Cry
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Like teacherjh's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Agnes Masobeng]

Maybe the author is starting out as a writer and hopefully he'll do another round of editing.

[Basmeen]

Pretty cool. But reviewer suggest that authors piece could have been expanded rather packing in 42pages.As far as memoir concern, it should cover the whole journey of the author with making us experiencing his feelings and emotions in every plot. I think its lacking in this book. Yet, this could help people seeking help for spiritual struggles as reviewer said

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

Sounds like it has great potential. Sorry it missed the mark for you. Thanks for the honest review!

[kandscreeley]

It seems like 42 pages is awfully short to really detail a life such as the authors. I appreciate his service, but it definitely sounds like it needs more detail. Thanks for your thoughts on this one. I think I'll pass.

[Meg98]

It does sound like the author has some promise, but perhaps needs a bit more time with trial and error and another round of editing with this novel. Sorry you didn't enjoy the story... Thanks for your honest and insightful review. Great job!

[joshfee77]

Sounds like an all too brief attempt at an autobiography which is lacking in many areas. Authors can always learn and improve with experience, however, provided they are willing to do so.

[Nisha Ward]

Huh. This sounds like it should have been way more than 42 pages. Maybe then it could have done away with some of the issues in it.

[kdstrack]

The title touches the emotions. I hope the author edits his work so more people can hear his story. Thanks for the insightful comments about this book.

[imSunshine]

i am a huge fan of true life stories..love this book and your review

[Chrystal Oaks]

Sorry to hear it was a disappointment to read. Based on the title, it seems like the book could be relatable. Unfortunately, it sounds like the author was in too much of a hurry to get his book published when it should still be in revision stage. I enjoyed reading your review. Thanks!

[Hiruni Bhagya 81]

When I saw the book title and cover, I thought that this would be a great read. But, it is too short to contain a story, much less experiences of a life time. I don't think I'll find this to my liking. But, thanks for the insightful review.

[briellejee]

Sounds like a good spiritual book if only it was polished a bit more. Sorry to hear that you did not enjoy it. Thanks for this honest review though.

[Rose Echols]

Comment re: Who Hears Me When I Cry?" by Terrance Turner. Intriguing title! However, the
review I read seemed to be an accurate critique, very well expressed. To use the analogy of
an "outline that needs to be filled in" was a fine way of saying that it lacked details and specifics
that would have made the story more complete and interesting as well as more understandable.
And, would have been more revealing of what caused this character's emotional pain as he sought a spiritual answer and solution to his troubles. It was an interesting idea to pose the quandry he felt himself to be in as he struggled to balance his suffering with his faith. So again, the title and basic
themes of this story could have been a very good read if it had delved more deeply into the
complications and perplexities of his experience which could have been shared by the reader and
would have been far more fascinating. ( This reply written by Rose Echols (posting my app today
to become an official reviewer; (BA and Master's in Arts & Humanities; major: creative writing).

[Fu Zaila]

I do believe it takes exceptional skills to convey one's life story convincingly in so little pages. It doesn't do to talk about one's faith and life story that has the potential to convey a great message, as a riddled bundle of poor sentences. I guess the book could have been longer and could've used an editor. Thank you for your review.