Friday, July 26, 2013

Book Review - Ever After: life lessons learned in my castle of chaos

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Every woman grows up believing in the formula for a happy life: own a dream castle, marry prince charming and drive the perfect pumpkin-turned-carriage.  But when the reality of long hours, crying children and bills sets in, the fairy tale shatters and women are left with what Courtney calls “Fairy Tale Letdown.”

Filled with Courtney’s own humorous anecdotes and proven tips for overcoming some of life’s most difficult situations, Ever After chronicles a look at life when it’s not quite a fairy tale and offers readers the solace that God’s grace is more than enough for a happy ending.

“It was in the struggles, the messiness, the imperfections that the princess discovered herself and, more importantly, the God who created her,” Courtney writes.  “And that is far better than the classic fairy tale.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

"God has graciously given me a platform to write and speak about my journey of faith. Not a day goes by that I’m not floored by that fact. I don’t come with any preconceived notions that He has given me this privilege because I’m qualified for the task. Quite the contrary. I am nothing more than a poster child for God’s grace and mercy. On the average day, I’m still a mess of a girl reminding myself of the same truths I discovered back in 1985 at that weekend retreat. I continue to strive, mess up, ‘fess up, and rediscover God’s grace on a daily basis. I’m a work in progress. It is my prayer that this site, my books, and the messages I present at events will point not to me, but to His goodness and mercy. Apart from that, the rest is just fluff."

Courtney and her husband have three gorwn children, a son-in-love, a daughter-in-love and a grandchild. They currently live in Austin, Texas, where they are blessed to have all their children living nearby. 

MY REVIEW: 

This book is packed full of down-to-earth personal stories from Courtney (don't you just love that) plus great Biblical wisdom (that's even better) that will help women, of all ages, understand that marriage is not a fairy tale, but it can be something even better. 

This book addresses how we all want that fairy-tale, happily ever after, but there really is no happily ever after because life is full of ups and downs. What this book gives us is direction on what to do when those tough patches hit. 

There are wonderful examples that Courtney gives from her own life. That's the thing I liked most about this book. She shares her flaws openly so that we aren't made to feel that there's something wrong with us or our marriage. I also love how she shares how she worked through some of these issues, with God's Biblical direction, to make her relationship with her husband and children the best it could be.

Some of the chapters in this book include: Prince Charming Letdown, Quitting the Family Busyness, and Hold on Loosely. Courtney goes over almost any aspect that we will face in our marriage and meets it head on with practical advice and wisdom from the Bible. There are some real laugh-out-loud moments, too, which made the book a joy to read.

This is a really easy book to read, it holds your attention, and has practical wisdom that we can apply to our marriage whether we've been married for 1 year or 50. I highly recommend this book!!

*This book was provided to me for my honest review by Shelton Interactive


Blessings - Julie

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