If I could sum up this book, I would say that it gives a wonderful example of how beauty can come from tragedy. The book is about two families, each of whom lose a spouse to cancer but then find their way to each other for comfort, healing, and love. I feel that the authors would want you to know that getting through the tragedies of losing a spouse and then continuing with their lives to find hope and love only happened because of their faith.
What I found interesting is that I got the impression that the events really happened the way they were described. While I have a hard time believing (although you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you) that the the blending of these two was so effortless, the two authors didn’t try to make themselves out to be uber holy. What I mean is that the man, Michael Spehn, says that he always had belief in God but he was skeptical of organized religion. He didn’t go to church very regularly, he rarely read the Bible but he did pray and he did believe. It is good to know that you don’t have to be an A+ Christian in order to follow God’s will. In reading this story, I felt, myself, that the only way that two families found their way to each other was because it was so obviously God’s will and the families were open to that.
It was heartbreaking (and I cried quite a bit) to read about the events leading up to the deaths of the two spouses. I was pleasantly surprised with how I like the way the book was delivered. Until the end when the couple was married, the chapters were written alternately by Gina and then Michael. Normally I don’t like this because I feel like I am rushing through one chapter to get to the next but I think it worked here because each person was describing their lives in a way where no fast forwarding was required. They were just describing life as they knew it and if one person needed an extra long chapter to explain an important life event then they were given that opportunity. In other words, I didn’t feel as if I was left hanging between chapters.
I liked this book and I want to recommend it to someone but I am stuck because I am not sure who I would recommend this book to. I probably would not have read it if it had not been sent to me by a friend. I guess I would recommend it to Christian friends who I know like to read sweet but heartbreaking stories about how life can work out.
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Note: The review was contributed by Emily Flury, if you would like to contribute a review (or ask for a book from Bookwi.se that you can later review) please contact Adam Shields via email, twitter or a comment below.