On Every Side

by Karen Kingsbury, Richard Ferrone (Narrator)

Jordan Riley has made it his life's mission to battle public acknowledgment and exercise of religion. However, when he comes back to Bethany to tear down a controversial Jesus statue in a public park, he finds himself reliving his faith-filled past and the childhood trauma that drove him from God. When the leading voice of the opposing townspeople turns out to be his former best friend Faith Evans, Jordan struggles between his current doubts and the God he once trusted.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Romance, Christian Romance, Inspirational, Adult Fiction

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Karen Kingsbury, #1 New York Times bestselling novelist, is America’s favorite inspirational storyteller, with more than twenty-five million copies of her award-winning books in print. Her last dozen titles have topped bestseller lists and many of her novels are under development with Hallmark Films and as major motion pictures. Her Baxter Family books are being developed into a TV series slated for major network viewing sometime in the next year. Karen is also an adjunct professor of writing at Liberty University. In 2001 she and her husband, Don, adopted three boys from Haiti, doubling their family in a matter of months. Today the couple has joined the ranks of empty nesters, living in Tennessee near five of their adult children.

See more at: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/K...

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

On Every Side is, yet again, another one of Karen Kingsbury’s masterpieces. Kingsbury tells the story of a young lawyer with a broken heart, a news anchor with a past, and an insecure religious lawyer who are brought together through divine appointment. Jordan Riley is mad at God because He took what little family he had away. Faith Evens has only ever known one way of life. That’s a life totally and completely committed to God. However, Faith finds it difficult to stand for God when her long lost childhood sweetheart arrives to take Him out of her life. Joshua Meek recently suffered the loss of his best friend and business partner. When the biggest trial of his life comes up, this lawyer feels as though he is not adequate to take it on.
I adored this book from the very first page. Kingsbury relates this book back to the bible story of Moses, Joshua, and the battle of Jericho. I love how she took bible characters and brought them to life in a modern day setting. It’s abstract, yet obvious at the same time. Also, a bit of a love story is woven in as well. It gives detail without anything perverted. I also like how she brings scripture in and makes it seem as though God himself is talking to the characters. It’s really neat how she pulled this very different and interesting book together.
If you like suspense, Christian fiction, romance, and encouraging books, this is definitely a book you will want to read. I would say it’s geared more toward an audience of females in their teenage years and up. Of course, I’m sure the male population would enjoy it as well.

[Hyacinth · Rating 5 out of 5]

My word, I don't know how many times I cried while reading this book! This book struck many different cords in me. This modern day account of the Jericho experience was absolutely moving. The adoption of Rosa, the reunion of Jordan and Heidi...everything was so moving. It made me think about how far I am willing to go for the cause of Christ. Being an adoptive parent, this story just made my heart melt. I read many of the reviews prior to reading this book and for those that had a somewhat negative review...well, to each his own but this book is a 5 star in my opinion...to God be the glory Karen. I don't know how you do it again and again but I am glad God gives you the grace to do it...

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice Christian novel about two adults who grew up playing together, and building their faith. After they go their separate ways circumstances cause the young man (Jordan)to lose Faith, while the young woman (appropriately named Faith) continues to grow in hers. when the legality of a park statue of Jesus Christ is challenged,heads butt, and a friendship that was recently rediscovered is also challenged.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really made me think about the censorship and condemnation that Christians face more and more each day. It has inspired me to become more aware of those kinds of stories happening around me and to stand up and fight!

[Kelly Dickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written. I like it because the events that happen in this book are happening now. There is a lot of evil in this world, but there is a lot of good too. I think this book captures that.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could give this more than five stars. What a wonderful, powerful message!!!

[Linda Branton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished this book, that I was reading on my lunch breaks at work. I didn't mind this one - the story of a young, angry lawyer who is fighting to remove the Jesus statue in his hometown. Of course, he has a love interest from the past and all the pieces come together at the end.

Quite a lot of comparison with the Joshua/Jericho story, and Kingsbury is anything but subtle about it. I just accepted it and enjoyed the read.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

JULY 2025 - Once again, 3 1/2 stars rounded up. This is the fourth book I’ve read by Karen Kingsbury. She just isn’t my favorite. This was interesting, predictable, a bit over the top. The ending was a happy one. They usually are.

[Donna Pfeiffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Christian story that reminds us to be cautious of the walls we sometimes build, resulting in a fear to pursue opportunities that we are capable of accomplishing.

[Sandra Hudkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen never fails

As with all of her books I have read so far, Karen brings the faith in and the love of God to the forefront of a story. Again God's love for all, shows through.

[Highland-dreamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

One thing that disappointed me about this book was how predictable it was. From the very beginning, I knew that Jordan was going to work with Joshua in his law firm, just from his vision. And the names were eye-rollingly obvious. Joshua Nunn, Jericho Park, the walls going up over the statue, and Jordan.. Faith Moses.. I thought it was a little overkill. As a story, it was ok- I had recently finished her Forever Faithful series, which involved Christian Lawyers, so this felt like more of the same, but it was still interesting at times. I find our legal system fascinating, so the court scenes and those little dramas were fun for me to read. I like how there was a mini-epilogue in the end, about Mr. Campbell from the beginning of the book. It was nice to get a little clue as to how those things worked out.

This book is definitely worth reading. It was nice being able to read one of her books without going through an entire box of tissues! I loved the romance between Faith and Jordan.

[Taryn Spearey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Jesus statue stands in the park of Bethany, Pennsylvania. For the people of the town, the statue means everything to them. Except for a man named Jordan Riley, a man who is totally against God and wants to see the statue removed.

Faith Evans is a newscaster who decides to fight to keep the statue standing. She had a segment on the news called Sacred Child, where a child is shown who needs a homes. Then, Faith meets a little girl named Rosa, and Rosa really wants Faith to be her new mommy.

Jordan's little sister, Heidi, was separated from him when they were young, and she was in a foster home. Heidi thought her brother was killed in a accident, until they meet again in Jerico Park.

At the end of the book, Jordan and faith get engaged and decide to adopt Rosa. What a lovely ending!!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading so many of KK's books, I don't know why it surprises me -- but it still does! Her books touch me to my very soul!
This book not only had depth in the plot and in the characters, but it had depth in faith and in the truth that God goes before you!
While I am battling cancer, I will admit that my faith is sometimes not as strong as it should be. This book has given me so much hope, has rebuilt strength into my faith and has given me the assurance that God does indeed go before me!
Thanks ever so much Karen Kingsbury for sharing this beautiful and touching story!

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Karen is such a great storyteller. Don't want to reveal the story, so I'll just tell you it's juicy. The only thing I didn't like is that the final union was predictable. You are forever attempting to get around the corner before there's a corner to get to. Always thought provoking. Love the fact I don't have to be on guard for profanity or inappropriate content. Thank you Karen and I pray God richly bless your ministry of writing. A must-read

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story itself was good - albeit predictable - but the names Bob Moses, Joshua Nunn, Jericho Park, Faith, Jordan caused me to roll my eyes quite a bit. Are the readers really that clueless that we wouldn't know what inspired the story if she hadn't made it so glaringly obvious?
I also was put off by the "special needs" that made Rosa unadoptable. I don't see why she would be less desirable than any other child.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

a bit trite... predictable and overly parabolic? is that the word I want... but uplifting and a quick read... I doubt I'll be able to read too many of her books!

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, especially that I live in Marshfield, WI....Remember it well when it happened here.

[Anne Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

the book irritated me. If it worked that way, why is there so much evil in the world?

[Jill Cuttone Hinshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about finding your faith after tragedy.

[Denise Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!

Outside of the Baxters, this is one of my top all time favorites! Jer 29:11 will always be my favorite verse!

[Ginger Mcclintick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good author another good book by her.

[Nightinkgale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed this book.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautiful story written by this amazing lady.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book ever! They need to make a movie of this one.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, I did not care for this. I should make it plain that I don't think it's badly written, though its arguments are at times blurred and inaccurate, and personally the constant prayer was a bit repetitive. The people who enjoy this sort of thing would most probably like it immensely, but it's not for me. I've been treating 2020 as my year of reading more romance, and I've basically been randomly picking romances from Goodreads lists and swallowing them whole. I've since read historical, contemporary, western... but I've not read an inspirational romance before. (I've not even read an inspirational novel of any kind before, but try new things and all that.) This reading gap is not hard to understand, as I'm an atheist with a strong belief in separation of church and state. According to this book, that means I'm either a backroom dealing Enemy who uses orphans and bribery as pawns to get my way, or I fall into that trope-which-does-not-die, the atheist who is not really an atheist because they hate God instead of simply disbelieving in him. So it was hard not to roll my eyes at the constant misrepresentation, which felt a little bigoted to be honest, or the pervading air of persecution felt by the religious characters, who seem to interpret the idea of the state not forcing religion on individuals as really meaning the state wants to prevent them from expressing their religion at all times, in all ways, forever.

I did not entirely lose all patience, however, until I reached the point where the main character read a letter his dying mother wrote to his then 13 year old self, saying that though she worried for him and his little sister, who were about to be left alone in the world, she was excited to get to heaven - excited, implicitly, to leave her grieving children behind. What a letter to write at such a time! This crosses from determined ignorance into active unkindness as far as I'm concerned, and it's a little bit difficult to stomach.

Finally, I have to apologise to Ms. Kingsbury, as I thought the legal case at the centre of this romance was the most ridiculous piece of trumpery I'd ever heard of, and I thought poorly of her that she expected me to swallow it. Turns out it's based on a real life case, which is enormously depressing on just about every level. I can only say that all the people involved in that lawsuit, on every side, deserve the "ridiculous" label, and I sincerely hope they've made better use of their limited time on Earth since then.

[Nicole Elliott]

I’m sad to admit that after thoroughly enjoying the first two novels in this book the last novel was a bit of a let down. While it still had true Kingsbury flavor in that it was easy to read and it kept my attention throughout, there were several different items that I felt drew away from the overall picture. The biggest for me was her focus more on the “sensational” realm of Christianity with a vision/dream (whether from God or an Angel is never made clear–first it makes it seem like an angel but then the man is instructed to remove his shoes because he is on “holy ground”) that occurs twice to one of the main characters and a near death experience for one of the others. I feel like maybe because the overall storyline of the angel in the park wasn’t as gripping she felt the need to “add a bit of excitement” into the story. I did love how this novel was based on true events–which I felt would have made an amazing novel just in and of themselves without the extra flair. Another aspect of the book that I loved was watching the change of heart that took place in both of the main characters–and the thought of “the walls coming down” theme that ran throughout the book. If you’re a died hard Kingsbury fan then this is certainly worth reading–but I’ve enjoyed several other of her books much more!

[Della Tingle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Kingsbury, how I love you, and it is very apparent how Karen Kingsbury loves the Lord and is shining her light brightly for him through the words she writes! I loved this book, but from just the first few chapters, I knew EXACTLY what was going to happen! Sometimes, that’s ok. My son says he prefers movies that are fairly straightforward; he enjoys knowing what’s coming next. You have a man who has strayed from God, a woman who will NEVER stray from God, love, death, the foster care system, the legal system, cancer, and just Classic Kingsbury in which I can ALWAYS find nuggets to take with me!

“...where God guides, God provides.”

“My life isn’t guided by the stars...It’s guided by the One who made them.”

“When I am weak, my God can be strong. And it’s the battles He fights for me that end up being my greatest victories of all.”

“The Bible was alive and active, and no matter what issue she faced, God’s Word had something to say about it.”

“When things looked their worst—-in fact, especially when they looked their worst—-God was putting in overtime, making marvelous things happen.”

[Diane Shearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story! I cried and cried! God is so good! I have a Christian friend who told me she doesn’t read or watch movies anymore because she feels there is no truth in stories. She couldn’t be more wrong. I believe there is great truth to be found in stories. Stories are how we have communicated with each other since time began. This story is filled with truths about the way God works in our post-Christian country, where the entire month of June we are expected to celebrate Pride, one of the seven deadly sins, by allowing naked men and men dressed as women to parade through our streets, and businesses to assault our senses with products dedicated to debauchery, while we say nothing, even on social media, for fear of losing our jobs. This book was written in 2000 and it is more relevant today than it was then. God bless Karen Kingsbury for being brave enough to stand up for Christianity with these amazing stories. I want to read them all.

[Steve W · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ia a beautiful story of redemption and persistence. Despite Jordan's pain from losing his mother and sister, and his years spent raging at God, God had not given up on him. And neither had his friend Faith, or his sister Heidi. Faith has a conviction and passion to defend a city statue of Jesus, even when her old friend is bent on getting it torn down, and the odds seem to be against her and her allies. But God doesn't give up when the we feel certain defeat looming; He is faithful and works in ways we can't imagine.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so grateful for the gift of writing that God has given Karen Kingsbury. This story is based around the battle between separation of church and state and the right of Christians to enjoy symbols of their faith. As always, Karen Kingsbury deals with the issue including characters who are of strong faith and characters who will ultimately come to faith. I love the hope incorporated into her stories!