Desert Gift (Side Roads) [Kindle Edition]

Sally John (Author)

Book Description

What does a nationally known marriage expert do when her own marriage falls apart? Just as Jillian Galloway sets out for a publicity tour to promote her new book, her husband drops a bombshell: He wants a divorce. Jill flees to her parents’ home in the California desert, wondering whether everything she’s built her career on—indeed, everything she’s built her life around—is a sham. Navigating this “side road” of life is an uphill climb that leads to new understandings about herself, her marriage, and her relationship with the One who created marriage.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

When you’re at the top . . . you’ve got a long way to fall. A nationally known marriage expert, Jillian Galloway is at the pinnacle of success. Her syndicated talk radio show is a hit and her first book is about to release. But just as she’s leaving for her West Coast publicity tour, Jill’s faithful husband of twenty-four years drops a bombshell: he wants a divorce.

As her world crashes down around her, Jill flees to her parents’ home in the California desert, wondering if everything she’s built her career on—and everything she’s built her life around—is a sham. She thought she’d done everything right. So how did her marriage slowly slip away? And will she ever get it back?

From best-selling author Sally John comes an insightful and inspiring story about the unexpected detours our lives can take, the lies we sometimes tell ourselves, and the hope that God is always at work, even in the desert.

Product Details

• File Size: 650 KB
• Print Length: 401 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1414327862
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (May 18, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004YED93S
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #348,722 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book delves deep! May 28, 2011

By vanna1970

Format:Paperback

This book starts out with a pretty jaw-dropping scene. The main character is about to leave on her book tour with her husband. This is her first book and it is all about how to keep a marriage strong. As they are about to leave the house for their trip, her husband tells her he wants a divorce, then sends her on her way for a five-week trip to promote her book.

If that isn't gripping, I don't know what is. The book takes you through the highs a lows of their journey, revealing bits and pieces along the way of what caused her husband to get to the point of wanting a divorce. It takes you through the aftershocks of his request and displays how the Holy Spirit can use anything, good or bad, to change someone.

This book will challenge you to look into yourself and look at your marriage. Unspoken words and underlying attitudes can wreak havoc in a relationship. This book inspires communication in marriage. I can see how this work of fiction could make a difference and really strengthen a relationship. I know I sure don't want to go through what the couple went through in this book. That is an inspiration in itself!

Thank you Tyndale for providing a copy of this book for my review. I highly recommend it!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Realistically Imperfect Characters June 6, 2011

By Baker Mom

Format:Paperback

Very early in Desert Gift, I peeked to see how it turned out. Even though I knew the ending, I still wanted to read the entire book to see how author Sally John brought the story from start to finish. And even though I knew the ending, I enjoyed the story just as much as if I hadn't peeked.

The characters, including Jack and Jillian, are realistically imperfect people. The supporting characters--their family members, coworkers, and friends--are not as developed, but are also imperfect.

Most of the story takes place while Jillian and Jack are apart, he in Chicago and she on the West coast. As someone who always wants to sit down and resolve problems immediately, I don't know if I would be able to handle that! However, it makes for an interesting, bittersweet, and sentimental storyline.

Desert Gift is not my favorite book of all time, but I don't regret a moment of the time I spent reading it.

(I received a copy of this book, at no cost to me, for review purposes. Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers and the Tyndale Blog Network for the opportunity!)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Reading.... August 11, 2011

By kristen4mk

Format:Paperback

Whew! This was a sometimes challenging book to read. Ultimately, I enjoyed it....but there were moments....Jillian, a marriage communication "expert" and her husband have been married more than 20 years when he blurts out that he wants a divorce - right as they are leaving to go on a part work (to promote her new book on, you guessed it, husband/wife communication), part vacation. He pushes her out the door with this new information and off we go on a journey of self discovery, re-learning how to relate to each other - Jillian becomes more and more aware of how she is perceived, and that good intentions do not always make wonderful results. I know I found myself relating more to her than her husband (who frustrated me - he spends years being a doormat, and then boom! 'I'm mad at how you've been treating me and we're done', instead of *saying something* as time passed) in this conflict.

I thought the recipe idea that is mentioned in Jillian's book is cute and that this would probably be a good book for those needing to be reminded that a: how we see ourselves is not always how others do, and b: just because a couple has been married for a million years, does not always ensure long term success - like every other relationship, it takes constant work, healthy communication, and concentrated effort. But will be worth it in the end!

More About the Author

Sally John is the best-selling author of more than fifteen novels, including the Safe Harbor series (coauthored with Gary Smalley), The Other Way Home series, The Beach House series, and In a Heartbeat series. A three-time finalist for the Christy Award, Sally writes contemporary stories that offer hope to readers in their own relational and faith journeys. She enjoys teaching writing workshops and spending time with her husband, adult children, and grandchildren. An Illinois native, Sally and her husband, Tim, live in southern California. Visit her Web site at www.sally-john.com.