Customer Reviews

Essie in Progress: A Novel

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I enjoyed this book because the characters are so lively and full of personality. This book has the winning recipe and brought out a wide range of emotions. It was funny and sad, but very entertaining. I appreciate the author for her writing abilities. I am an avid reader and can get more than a little annoyed with typos, run-on sentences and poor grammar. You won't find any of those here, Marjorie has done a great job of telling her story, and telling it well. Can't wait to see what she does in her next novel. This one is a fun read!

This book was quite a surprise to read. From the front cover and description, I immediately assumed this was going to be another mommy-lit book where the wife has the unruly children and the husband seems to be oblivious to his wife's struggles. Luckily though I was in for a treat as this was not the case. Yes, there is a pregnant mom trying to juggle her kids and her life but there's a twist. She's a working mom and not a SAHM . Essie is a character that you immediately like as you read about her tackling life out in the work force and how to take care of the kiddies back at home. Meanwhile she has to watch her husband face a midlife crisis as he actually goes out and buys the stereotypical Porsche. An incredibly funny scene happens when Essie comes home one day and finds her beloved SUV replaced by a hulking Hummer. The story is also about Jack's estranged father Hamilton and how his life has become unfulfilled. He's had numerous wives that have come and gone. His new catchphrase could be "I'm on a boat!" as that has become his permanent home. He has found out that his so called easy way of life has completely alienated himself from getting to know his only son's family. It's interesting how living on the boat is a metaphor for how unstable and unpredictable Ham has made his life.

The story is very entertaining and it's filled with lots of humor. There were times when I would get a bit miffed with Jack and his lack of concern for Essie's life at times. However their marriage is quite healthy and it's refreshing to see a family who actually enjoys spending time with each other. I believe this is the author's first novel and I really enjoyed reading it. It's fun, light, non preachy and teaches one what's meaningful in life. I'll be looking forward to reading the rest of Majorie's books.

Marjorie Presten is a fabulous wordsmith! This is one of the best books I have ever read -- totally entertaining, and with wonderful values applied to real-world situations. It has that Southern humor that makes you laugh out loud. At the same time, I could relate to the feelings this young woman has as a working mother with all the relationships and work projects she has to juggle. Her conversations with her husband, her sister and the lady with all the chihuahuas are delightful! A great wit, a sensitive story, and a fun read. Every woman needs to find herself in this fast-paced world, especially when life seems so overwhelming at times. Having children and a career are two full time jobs. I think this story would make a great movie - so many visuals. (I want Robert Duvall to play Hamilton. What a character!) I am looking forward to anything else Marjorie Presten writes. She's a winner!

I'm sorry I procrastinated so long before buying this book. My kids are older than Essie's so I can't even use that as an excuse. I started reading it and couldn't put it down. I enjoyed Marjorie's writing style. It was a perfect balance between humor, personal reflection, reasoning, faith and insightfulness. Moving back and forth from character to character created a sense of anticipation. The progression of each character and the sequence of events that propelled them was inspiring. Essie is a working mom but you don't have to be a working mom to enjoy and gain insight from this story. Each of us can relate to at least one of the characters.

I really loved Essie In Progress. Plain and simple. I loved how she was very real and how the other characters in the book had plenty of flaws at the same time they really had a lot of life to them.

I also thought it was refreshing that she was a working mom, juggling work and family, and not necessarily wanting to be a SAHM. One of the things that I loved most about Essie was that she wasn't a whiz at cooking and cleaning and didn't necessarily find her fulfillment in life doing those things.

Overall I thought this was a very enjoyable, fun, entertaining read.

Can I tell you that I relate to Essie so much in this book? Good thing there wasn't a highlighter around while I was reading it! I'm not into marking up my books, but I didn't want to forget the things I could relate to.

In the first part of the book, she spanks, yes spanks, her son. Not only that, she does it outside, where the world could see her!! She also wonders how other women, like her sister, can keep it all together, while she (I) can barely muster up the desire to pick up all the kids' toys.

The dynamics between other extended family members and Essie and her husband Jack spill over into their relationship. Essie's mother Pearl lives as though her children and husband stole her dreams and aspirations as a young woman. Jack's dad comes back into the picture when least expected and needed most.

Marjorie has a lot of detail in her book so I skimmed in a couple of parts. Honestly, it wasn't a problem, I think I've just been so busy I wanted to get to the meat of the story. I do like Marjorie's style of writing and can easily connect with her characters. I'm excited to see what is next from her!

As the title suggests Essie in Progress is primarily a story about Essie Wells. However, the narrative also focuses on the important people in her life and their journeys, both together and separately, to find their true destinies . . . and each other. As a pregnant Essie struggles to keep it together as a mother of two children, wife to a husband who is having his own identity crisis, and a full time employee whose job description has just changed, she finds herself surrounded by people who speak encouragement to her just when she needs it. A few divine appointments along the way reveal God's involvement in her life in a tangible way.

Essie in Progress is a beautiful composition with several quotations well worth remembering. My favorite is on page 144-145 when Mrs. Tuttle tells Essie:

"Honey, we have to be willing to pour out our lives in order to find them. If you characterize your life by what you give rather than what you get, you will discover that extraordinary, image-bearing child of God you were designed to be. A shining reflection of his glory. Remember who you are child. You were born to shimmer!"

Essie in Progress is filled with real people with real struggles. The inclusion of Essie's children adds a special touch of humor and charm. Cole's fixation on heroes was a thread that added depth and some great lessons. And Juliet's love of sparkly shoes was a sweet reminder of little girls in my own life. Essie in Progress is a story of spiritual growth and restored relationships. I believe that it has something special to offer everyone.

Special thanks to Marjorie Presten for sending me a review copy.

Marjorie Preston does a great job in her first novel of making her characters believable in Essie in Progress. I enjoyed the humor that was brought into this book through Essie's 5 year old son. It was good to read a fictional book that was about a real family, dealing with real life problems. Most of the characters come with their own baggage that is slowly dealt with as the story progresses. The readers see how following the Lord's leading helps Essie and her family deal with life's ups and downs.

**I received a free copy of this book to write a review on my blog. All opinions are my own. No other compensation was received.**

REVIEW: Jack and Essie both work for the same company. They've been happily married for many years. Their world starts changing when they discover there is a third child on the way. Jack and Essie start to think about live differently with another mouth to feed and more responsibility. Change! It was happening on all fronts in their lives. Essie and her husband felt overwhelmed and insignificant.

Essie seeks the counsel of a friend she says, "Your job doesn't make you who you are. What you believe is what makes you who you are." Ada's pronouncement about the image-bearing child of God she was designed to be. "You were born to shimmer!"

Oh yeah, Essie was pregnant, shimmer was the furthest thing she was feeling right then. Funny though this confirmed the very thing her husband, Jack, had just told her a short time ago, "Honey, what I'm saying is your job doesn't make you who you are! You're a daughter of the king whether you take his new job assignment or not."

I enjoyed how Majorie Preston showed Essie's struggle to make sense of her changing world. A new baby was exciting but it really changed things. As a mom it's easy to get lost in the cares and concerns of her family and lose focus of the bigger picture. Her job was making things complicated as well. Essie felt in control now but she was slowly losing it as the thought of this little one and her new job focus, how was she going to manage all of this? Her life was out of her control, the very place God could so His best work in our lives if we let Him!

I like how Ms. Tuttle talks to Essie, "If you characterize your life by what you give rather than by what you get, you will discover that extra ordinary, image-bearing child of God you were designed to be. A shinning reflection of His glory."

God says we are to live in this world but not be of it! We have a choice to make daily, sometimes hourly--are we going to walk in what the world says we should be and what is important or are we going to listen to our heavenly Father (our creator), and what He says we are and how we are should live? It's a struggle but well worth the fight to keep the main thing the main thing! I really liked how the author brought this out in the story through her colorful but believable characters.


ACFW Book Club Coordinator
Finding Hope Through Fiction

I liked this book. We are privy to the life and thoughts of two characters: Essie and Hamilton. Essie in her 30's is the mother of 2 and 3/4 children, a wife, and a corporate team member. Hamilton is her father-in-law. A man who lives an apparent lazy life on a boat and is estranged from his son. Essie views herself as a failure since she is positive that she has disappointed her mother because she isn't a stay-home-mom and she doesn't see herself as a Proverbs 31 woman. Ham has opted out of life because it threw him some curves in his early adulthood. The story is how they come to terms with their current life and discover just what it is that God wants of them and how to change their view of what it means to be successful in God's world. The book is well written, the jumping between the two main characters is accomplished smoothly and with relevance to the flow of the story. An easy read with some thought provoking passages.