Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Book Review The Sweet By and By

Book Review: The Sweet By and By from Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck


Every now and then, when I'm looking through available books from Thomas Nelson's Book Review Bloggers program, I pick something a little out of character for me. Why? So it can sit on a shelf until I'm right up to the deadline, then I read it in a short time span.


This time, I picked up The Sweet By and By . I've been a fan of Sara Evans' music for some time, and was curious to see how she did as a novelist. And yes, it's not really a novel geared at the male audience. Most novels with nice romance aren't.


I was pleasantly surprised, though, to read this book. It was, first of all, not a fluff novel. The characters have real issues, they have frailties, and not everything is straightened out by the end.


So how is it? Well, the book develops well. The characters are not the stereotypical Christian novel characters that have everything together or whose problems are really molehills made into mountains. (Although, to be honest, I've only read a few that fit the stereotype.) The center character is a young woman named Jade and the plot revolves mainly around the path to her wedding. It consists of current occasions mingled with flashbacks that establish what all is happening.


In all, this is not a bad novel for a first attempt. It's not even bad for a second or third attempt. True, from the masculine perspective, there are no car chases, explosions, or dramatic showdowns. It's a soft, easy read. It can be thought-provoking, it can also be read a little closer to the surface as a light weekend novel.


Would I recommend this? Certainly. It's probably a good read for the anyone 13 or up. I'd give this one 4 out of 5 stars.


Doug





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