Angela's Song: My Review

Angela's Song

About the Book:

Widow and mother of three, Angela 'Jel' Cooke is full of regret about her marriage to her late husband. Her close friends can see that she is keeping busy to avoid her pain. But no amount of cooking, baking, volunteering or late-night games of Yahtzee with her BFF can bring her any peace. When Jack Bartolomucci walks into her life, he challenges Angela to face her demons head on. What follows is a poignant, sometimes hilarious tale of hope and healing.

My Comments:

I really enjoyed reading this very Catholic romance.  That being said, this romance was VERY Catholic.  When looking at faith-based fiction, I always consider how much is too much.  As Catholics, indeed as Christians of any ilk (or for that matter people of any faith tradition), our faith is supposed to be part of who we are and an integral part of our lives; not just something we do for an hour on Sunday morning (or whenever we worship).  However, I'll admit that the folks who talk about Jesus all the time, who have houses that look like they robbed a church, or who otherwise stand out from the crowd due to public displays of faith make me uncomfortable.  Perhaps that's why this book often rubbed me the wrong way.

Since her husband's death, Angela has come to realize that her marriage left a lot to be desired.  Because she has volunteered to work with youth ministry at church (along with a bunch of other ministries, which are described), the parish sends her to a series of classes on The Theology of the Body, which for those not familiar with it, is a work by Pope John Paul II that deals with sex and intimacy in marriage and how it images the love of Christ for the Church.  It presents what are often seen as oppressive rules against fornication, birth control or homosexual acts in a positive way--as in doing right will give you far more happiness than doing wrong, rather than "you'll go Hell if you do wrong".  Of course as readers, we get to listen to parts of the class.  She falls for the teacher, and eventually they begin a very chaste courtship.  During the course of the story we learn that both Jack and Angela attend daily mass and pray the rosary regularly.  Angela starts the day with the Morning Offering.  She gets spiritual direction from her pastor and we sit in on a couple of sessions.  At one point Angela gets very mad at Jack, kisses him passionately (without his permission) and then slaps him.  The next day she won't go to communion because she needs to confess.  Every time they have a meal together, the fact that they say grace is mentioned.  Angela's husband had been run over by a drugged out man.  There is a scene in which she makes a statement in the courtroom at his sentencing.  She forgave him--as opposed to the family of the other victim who spewed hatred.  When Angela and Jack are having a major disagreement not long before the wedding, they go and pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and of course afterwards are able to work it out.  Their wedding night includes prayer.  In short, Catholicism  penetrates every part of this book and Creedon is clearly trying to both educate her readers about Catholic sexual morality  and convince them that it will bring happiness in this life, not just save them from damnation.  

Jack obviously cares a great deal for Angela, right from the beginning.  He is almost a God figure--he knows what's best, he insists they do things the right way.  He is there for Angela, but doesn't push himself on her.  He wants to take care of her.  As they grow closer, he insists on emotional intimacy and vulnerability.  He urges her to do things she needs to do to get her life in proper balance.  I read somewhere that it is our vocation as spouses to lead each other to heaven.  Jack is  clearly trying to do that to Angela.  

So, the final verdict?  Good story, lots of romantic tension since they did not kiss on the lips until after they were engaged, and then quickly decided to wait until they got married because it flared so much passion.  Characters were very religious people who sometimes didn't seem quite real--well, Angela seemed to struggle a little with Jack's limits on physical intimacy, but she wanted to do it right this time.  It is a very religious story that is clearly trying to teach about Catholic sexual morality and push Catholic spiritual practices.  In short, if you don't like religious fiction, this is far too religious to recommend to you.  If you are a firm believer in the sexual moral teachings of the Catholic Church and want to read a romance novel that comports with them, this will be right up your alley.  If you want to learn about the moral teachings of the Catholic Church, this is a pleasant wrapper, though I think you'd learn more reading some of the books listed  at the end of this book than from reading this story.  If you want to know how the average person in the pew lives Catholicism, well, maybe I'm not average, but I think these two are too good to be true.  

I got this book when it was an Amazon Kindle freebie though I'd like to thank Ellen Gable Hrkach for calling to to my attention.  Grade:  B--.  

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Hello, and welcome to Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. We are a group of Catholic bloggers who gather weekly to share our best posts with each other. To participate, go to your blog and create a post titled Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. In it, discuss and link to your posts for the week--whether they deal with theology, Catholic living or cute Catholic kids. I'm mostly a book blogger so my posts are generally book reviews, some Catholic, some not. Make sure that post links back here. Once you publish it, come back here and leave a link below.

We also have a yahoogroup; signing up for it will get you one weekly reminder to post.  Click here to sign up.

My Catholic book this week (I'm aiming for one/week, though I don't always manage) is Cravings, which is a book that approaches weight loss from the view of Catholic  spirituality.  A Snowglobe Christmas and Christmas Roses are inspirational Christmas romances.  Running Wild is a general market romance and How Lucky You Are deals with four female college friends years later.  

Cravings: My Review

Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image, and God

About the Book:

In this first book on the topic written from a Catholic perspective, award-winning writer Mary DeTurris Poust offers personal, hard-won wisdom on the complex relationship between food and spirituality.

Mary DeTurris Poust draws on the rich appreciation of meals she first gained at the tables of her childhood in an Italian-American family, leading readers into reflection on the connections between eating, self-image, and spirituality. Like Geneen Roth in Women, Food and God, but from a uniquely Catholic point of view, Poust helps readers spot ways they use food to avoid or ignore their real desires--for acceptance, understanding, friendship, love, and, indeed, for God. Poust draws from scripture and the great Catholic prayer forms and devotions to assist readers in making intentional changes in their use of food. She also offers reflections on fasting, eating in solidarity with the poor, vegetarianism, and the local food movement.

My Comments:

This wasn’t the weight loss book I was looking for.  I want the one that tells me how I can lose weight while eating what I want when I want and not exercising.  If you are a publicist or author with such a book to offer, please be advised that if I find your system works, I’ll sing its praises daily.  

Yes, this is another eat less and exercise more to lose weight book.  So, what’s different about it?  Cravings looks at weight management from the perspective of Catholic spirituality.  Mary DeTurris Poust postulates that people who overeat do so to fill some void in their lives, a void that should be filled by God; in other words, getting your spiritual life in order is an important part of the weight loss process.  Most of the advice is pretty much the same as that given by other sensible weight control programs such as  eating slowly and mindfully, eating fresh whole foods rather than processed garbage and acknowledging your own self-worth.  It recommends a food and prayer journal.  What is different is the comparisons between ordinary meals and the Eucharist, which of course are accompanied by suggestions on how to make daily meals more like the Eucharist (which Catholics believe is the “Bread come down from heaven” which keeps  us from ever being hungry again).  Besides quoting popular authors like Leo Buscalia, Poust also quotes scripture and Church documents.

The book does not contain any diet or eating program.  It does not mandate any amount of exercise and does not promise any amount of weight loss. Rather, it is about changing your attitude about and approach to eating. Each chapter ends with  a set of reflection questions and action items.  For example, one of the questions in Chapter Two is “When you imagine yourself becoming the  person you want to be, what scares you the most?  How do you feel about unleashing your true self? What would it be like to value yourself with no conditions attached?”  The  “Practice” in Chapter Three is “Allow  yourself to eat one meal you really love with zero guilt. Savor every bite as a Roman would.  Go out to a restaurant or prepare it at home.  Eat slowly and with gusto.  Invite family or friends to join you.”  

I’ve read other places that Lent should be more than an excuse to lose a couple of pounds--it should be the opportunity for conversion in our lives, and that conversion is something that even the most devout among us need.  However, if you do need weight loss I think this book could be a wonderful Lenten guide since it calls not for just refraining from eating but also for conversion.  The book is eight chapters long so reading one chapter  per week and journaling on the reflection questions and following each chapter’s “Practice” should be a manageable Lenten practice that could result in long-lasting conversion.  

I’d like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B+.  

Review: A Snowglobe Christmas

A Snowglobe Christmas: Yuletide Homecoming\A Family's Christmas Wish (Love Inspired)

About the Book:

Yuletide Homecoming by Linda Goodnight

Five years ago, Rafe Westfield broke his fiancée's heart when he left to join the military. Now the battle-scarred soldier is back in Snowglobe. Amy Caldwell tries to keep her distance, but the holidays, family and a sweet stray dog keep bringing her and Rafe together…maybe this time, forever.

A Family's Christmas Wish by Lissa Manley

Abandoned by her husband when she was eight months pregnant, single mother Sara Kincaid vowed to rely only on herself. But then she makes a deal with handsome widowed father Owen Larsen to provide babysitting services in exchange for his carpentry work on her inn. Can two pint-size matchmakers help them see beyond the past in time for Christmas?

My Comments:

Two short Christmas novellas set in a small Montana town.  Two heroines who were abandoned by their fathers and by their first loves.  Two women who learn that trusting God means trusting the men He sent into their lives.  No, the men aren't perfect either.  Rafe was the one who left Amy all those years ago, and now he hopes to win her back.  Owen's wife died, and he doesn't want to risk that hurt again.

These stories are very sweet and heartwarming.  They are also very religious.  The characters pray, go to church, and think about God's will for their lives.  Of course the characters are chaste, but they manage a bit of steam too.  All in all, an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon, but nothing outside a pretty formula romance.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B.