Figuring Life Out - One Thousand Gifts

Softly and Tenderly by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck

So I signed up for http://www.booksneeze.com/ – where they send me a free book – I read it and I review it on both my blog and on a site like bn.com, amazon.com or cbd.com – then I can request another free book.  I love to read and sometimes struggle finding new stuff to read, so I thought I’d give it a try.  I liked the flexibility of choosing the books I read, as well as, being able to only request them as often as I wanted. So, here’s my first review.

In the book, Jade struggles with both current and past issues in her life. And as is often the case in life, several issues all converge on her at once, thus creating ‘a perfect storm’ in her life.  While she wants to go back to the way life was, life has created an impossible ‘going back’ – so she must confront the present, as well as the past, and decide what next steps to take towards her future.  Will her heart find the healing she desperately needs?

This is a story that deals with a lot of modern day issues – abortion, addictions, miscarriages, affairs – and how these decisions impact individual lives, the lives of those they love, and how they create pain even years afterwards.  I found it to be an engaging read, although, sadly, I bet it hits close to home for a lot of people who are dealing with some of the same pain in their own lives. While we want to live in a fairy-tale world, the reality of life is often much more painful. Jade’s struggles and journey towards healing is one I am certain can encourage others in their journey.  Sara Evan’s development of Jade’s character, pushes the reader forward towards the end of the novel to see if and how she can resolve her internal struggle.