Book Review – The Extravagant Fool

Kevin Adams chronicles his journey of faith that began with having it all, losing it all, then deciding not to chase getting it all back. Having lost his business and fortune in the economic crash of 2008, the author shares his painful journey to discover the freedom and peace that come from living in reliance on Jesus for everything. I was challenged by several insights into our Christian culture, where we proclaim a gospel of grace but also expect people to do their part; where we are committed to Christ but not necessarily surrendered to Him; where we don’t know how to handle the deep suffering of others and bungle compassion with bad advice and half-hearted offers of “If there’s anything I can do…” before making a break for the parking lot.

Adams’ writing style is difficult to follow, crammed with metaphors and meandering reflections. I found the second half of the book much better than the first half, although I’m not sure whether it’s because the writing is better and the story is more engaging, or whether I finally adapted to the over-the-top descriptions and poetic narrative.

I would give this book three out of five stars – averaging the frustration I felt at the beginning of the book with the encouragement I took from the overall story. I would recommend it to someone who is looking to challenge the status quo of their faith and is open to exploring whether they might have fallen into the trap of living a Christian-centered life instead of Christ-centered life. However, to get through this book you have to be able to follow very abstract language – if you can do it, it’s probably worth your time.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through BookLookBloggers.com® in exchange for my honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not compensated in any other way.