A Marriage Carol: My Review

A Marriage Carol

If the title of the book makes you think of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, well, it's intentional.  In this sweet if somewhat corny novella, the heroine, Marlee Ebenezer and her husband Jacob are spending Christmas Eve (which happens to be their wedding anniversary) going to see a divorce lawyer.  Something happens along the way and Marlee sees Christmas past, present and future and decides.....I guess I really don't need to spell it out do I?  

The book was a quick easy read that isn't at all subtle in its presentation of the idea that you are generally better off working for the marriage you have than seeking love outside it, and that the best way to change your marriage is to change the only one you really can control--yourself.  

I wouldn't say it is a bad book; and maybe for the right person at the right time, it could be the spark they need to start moving in the right direction.  For me, it was somewhere between sweet and corny.  Grade:  C+

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

Review: Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry

Almost Heaven

Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry is a wonderful example of what I think Christian Fiction should be.  First of all, Fabry is a top-notch wordsmith, a writer who uses words well, not only to tell a story but to set a mood.  Secondly, Almost Heaven is the story of a man's life, and that life includes spiritual struggles.  Those struggles are addressed in the book, indeed could even be the focus of the book, they are not tacked on as an extra that could easily have been omitted.  While in some ways it would be a shame to skip this book just because it is Christian fiction, on the other hand, it is an overt story of faith, and probably not something someone who doesn't care for religion would like. 

Almost Heaven is the story of Billy Allman and of an angel, Malachi, who has been sent to watch over Billy.  Billy is from Dogwood West Virginia and has lived a life filled with tragedy.  His life work ends up being a small low-powered AM Bluegrass Gospel radio station.  The chapters alternate between Billy and Malachi and in some ways the story is as much Malachi's as Billy's.  Malachi is having his own doubts about the One running the show after seeing things that happen to Billy (and after being called away from Billy at a time when something obviously happened).  

Fans of June Bug (my review) will enjoy seeing June Bug again but not having read that book will not cause you a problem with this one.  

I'd like to thank the Tyndale Blog Network for providing a complimentary review copy.  Grade:  A-

My Review: Dogwood by Chris Fabry

Usually when I finish a book, I write the review, and, if I'm inclined, go and see what other people thought.  Today I read other reviews before I started this one.  Why?  Because I loved reading this book, but I really didn't like the ending, and I was curious if anyone else felt the same way.  Looking at the very few available negative reviews, I'd say that if folks didn't like this book, the ending is why.

About the book: In the small town of Dogwood, West Virginia, Karin has buried her shattered dreams by settling for a faithful husband whose emotional distance from her deep passions and conflicts leaves her isolated. Loaded with guilt, she tries to raise three small children and "do life" the best she can. Will returns to Dogwood intent on pursuing the only woman he has ever loved--only to find there is far more standing in his way than lost years in prison. The secrets of Will and Karin's past begin to emerge through Danny Boyd, a young boy who wishes he hadn't survived the tragedy that knit those two together as well as tore them apart. The trigger that will lay their pain bare and force them to face it rather than flee is the unlikely figure of Ruthie Bowles, a withered, wiry old woman who leads Karin so deep into her anger against God that it forces unexpected consequences.

The book is told in the first person, with the main characters narrating different chapters, which are headed by their names.  It is an interesting literary device, and in this case very effective.  I read Fabry's second book, June Bug last summer so I was glad when my friend Renee gave me Dogwood,  Dogwood got a lot of four and five star reviews; I guess some folks found the ending to be original, but to me it was forced and actually left me wondering what really DID happen in one scene.  The book is classified as Christian fiction, and while the themes of self-sacrifice, forgiveness and redemption are Christian, but plot is not overtly so.  Grade B-