Ever After: Life Lessons Learned in My Castle of Chaos by Vicki Courtney
B&H Books / 2013
Find on: Amazon, Goodreads
B&H Books / 2013
Find on: Amazon, Goodreads
About the book:
Most every woman dreams about having a family and a building a home. We grow up on a steady diet of fairytales and chick flicks that drive our dreams . . . and leave us with a sugarcoated version of reality. We want it all: the prince, the kiss, the proposal, the ring, the castle, and eventually, the kids in smocked rompers playing cheerfully on the perfectly manicured lawn. Our hopes and dreams are pinned on the world’s version of happily-ever-after.
The problem is, the fairytales and chick flicks end where real life begins. We never see that follow-up scene where the prince and princess argue at 3 a.m. over who will get up with the colicky newborn. Or the princess reluctantly returns to work to help pay the bills and feels the stress of juggling work and family. And you certainly won’t see that part where the princess moves her last child into the dorm and realizes the bulk of her identity has been based on being a mother.
The truth is, marriage and motherhood are hard. Few of us are prepared to handle the balancing act of being a good wife and a good mother, without one or the other getting the short end of the stick. No matter how much we give or how hard we try, we never quite feel like it’s enough. And heaven help us, we always imagine every one else is doing a much better job.
In Ever After, best-selling author Vicki Courtney addresses the realities of marriage and motherhood, the difficulties and the blessings. It offers women a behind the scenes glimpse of what a fairytale really looks like on the average day for the average wife and mom. Poignant, funny, and even cathartic, Vicki shares mistakes made, lessons learned, and memories to keep. Most of all, she reflects the hope and promise that God meets us in the middle wherever we are in the journey.
The problem is, the fairytales and chick flicks end where real life begins. We never see that follow-up scene where the prince and princess argue at 3 a.m. over who will get up with the colicky newborn. Or the princess reluctantly returns to work to help pay the bills and feels the stress of juggling work and family. And you certainly won’t see that part where the princess moves her last child into the dorm and realizes the bulk of her identity has been based on being a mother.
The truth is, marriage and motherhood are hard. Few of us are prepared to handle the balancing act of being a good wife and a good mother, without one or the other getting the short end of the stick. No matter how much we give or how hard we try, we never quite feel like it’s enough. And heaven help us, we always imagine every one else is doing a much better job.
In Ever After, best-selling author Vicki Courtney addresses the realities of marriage and motherhood, the difficulties and the blessings. It offers women a behind the scenes glimpse of what a fairytale really looks like on the average day for the average wife and mom. Poignant, funny, and even cathartic, Vicki shares mistakes made, lessons learned, and memories to keep. Most of all, she reflects the hope and promise that God meets us in the middle wherever we are in the journey.
My rating:
My thoughts:
Ever After was a really good nonfiction read. I liked how honest Vicki was about life and marriage. I'm not married, so most of the things in this book aren't applicable to my life right now (and there were a couple chapters I had a hard time reading because of that), but there were still some things that I could relate to and/or apply to my life (for instance, the chapter on beauty, "I Love Me; I Love Me Not" was great and informative).
Overall, Ever After is a book that I think married women will find refreshing and honest. There were some funny things in the book, in addition to some serious topics. It definitely shows how many challenges and difficulties come with married life and parenthood and that true joy and peace can only be found in Jesus Christ. I recommend Ever After.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
Ever After was a really good nonfiction read. I liked how honest Vicki was about life and marriage. I'm not married, so most of the things in this book aren't applicable to my life right now (and there were a couple chapters I had a hard time reading because of that), but there were still some things that I could relate to and/or apply to my life (for instance, the chapter on beauty, "I Love Me; I Love Me Not" was great and informative).
Overall, Ever After is a book that I think married women will find refreshing and honest. There were some funny things in the book, in addition to some serious topics. It definitely shows how many challenges and difficulties come with married life and parenthood and that true joy and peace can only be found in Jesus Christ. I recommend Ever After.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
Sounds like a good nonfiction! I love the name of the book!
ReplyDelete