Customer Reviews

Made of Honor (Sassy Sistahood, Book 1) (Life, Faith & Getting It Right #9) (Steeple Hill Cafe)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Marilynn G. is my pal. I say that right off, cause I hate those gushing reviews that you KNOW came from friends of the author, reviews that wouldn't dare or possibly know how to be honest if you smacked the gusher over the head with a sack of truth-serum. They gush and spew praise, but say nothing useful about the work at hand.

I want to be useful to you here, because I do want you to buy this book...because IT IS GOOD.

I'm gonna gush, but I'm also gonna get critical, and I hope you trust that, despite my (not close, but affectionate) connection with the author, I'm not yanking your chain so you spend a few bucks.

I simple will recommend you READ THIS NOVEL, because it's terrific...if you get past the beginning.

That's the kicker: The first chapter pretty much sucks. It's strained, it's crammed, it's confusing, and some of the humor falls really flat. It's trying too hard to capture the quintessential Chick Lit voice, the one we heard in other novels, notably THE Chick Lit novel, Bridget Jones' Diary. (Which is fabulous, and you should read it, too! And the sequel.)

But Marilynn Griffith, in this work, fails at that tone and voice.

That's not a bad thing, though. Trust me.

Persist through the pages. Once you get past that bumpy opening, you get an astoundingly good ride, smooth, touching, with only minor setbacks to the strained humor, which, thankfully, is eventually forgotten well into the tale.

This is primo Women's Fiction. If you can get into a story of several women--and the men in their lives--and how they are all transformed by love, anger, jealousy, betrayal, forgiveness and the grace of God, you are going to dive deep into this truly human, warm-hearted, generous-souled effort.

Forget the beginning. Plow through it to the meat. The meat is well-spiced and you'll find nourishment.

You may already have grasped the plot, but here goes:

Dana/Dane is a single gal staring at 30, who opens the story as a bridesmaid (with weight issues, in a too tight, unappealing dress) at the wedding of one of ther two best friends (Tracey and Rochelle, the Sassy Sistahs, once in the hundreds of hundreds in email, now down to three in real life and email.) Dana has been betrayed and hurt by the men in her life--brother, beaus, notably her one true love. There are disappointments with her father, too, a gambler-drunkard. She's been betrayed by some of the women in her life, too. (Can we say skanky-ho sister?) But Dana's got God, and she's sure he ought to be enough. (One truly hilarious moment has her asking this question to a single's group.) While Tracey marries to a former boyfriend of Dana's (to find trouble from honeymoon's day one), and Rochelle, single mom of Jericho, has her world rocked by a reappearance of Jericho's papa, and while Dana's new business consumes her life and health, Dana's once-true-love reappears as knight in shining leather. Things get a mite complex. Temptations and trials abound. She starts to lose control of her business, home, and relationships.

But what is she about to gain, besides weight?

Will Dana persist in singlehood, grasping it against all leadings? Will all her relationships fall apart? Will a terrible thing that befalls her undo her... or re-do her? Will she let herself love again the man who broke her heart, who sinned against her terribly? And what is God doing while things are going to hell in a soap basket all around her?

This is a romantic novel--warmly, sweetly romantic. This is also a spiritual novel that doesn't shy away from depicting true faith, hypocritical faith, shallow faith, misguided faith, gentle faith, wacky faith, and shows how easily people can screw up their lives, and how gently and persistently God can put things back together.

Made of Honor is a heart-touching novel with mercy and grace pouring out of its pages. There's no judgment in here, really. Just love and hope.

Marilyn is gifted. Some of her passages sing to your heart, some whisper to your soul.

Her editor should just let her write Christian women's fiction and advise her to dump the Chick Lit-tian aspects. Her strength is telling truth and mercy about women and men and families and friends...with a more serious tone than chapter one would lead some to believe.

Ignore the tone and pitfalls of chapter one. First impressions can be wrong. The best is yet to come...

Mir
http://mirathon.blogspot.com

Dana Rose has been a bridesmaid a whopping ten times. After all of these weddings, Dana has gained nothing but weight and a closet full of ugly bridesmaid dresses. Dana's hoping her faith and friends will pull her through. But she is going to need more faith and prayer then she ever realized. Dana finally opens her own bath and body/wedding favors shop, but her ex Adrian opens his own shop right across the street. Things go from bad to worse when Dana's back-stabbing sister comes back into town, and her wayward brother shows up after leaving his woman and son so many years ago. With all this added stress on Dana, will she be able to handle it all?

Made of Honor is an exhilarating debut novel by Marilynn Griffith. Griffith creates incredibly hilarious characters that will have you laughing out loud (I was laughing from the very first page of the book!) I also like the way the author incorporated her own knowledge of soap-making into the storyline. You'll see how Dana transforms when she allows others to help her and when she opens her heart to love. Made of Honor by Marilynn Griffith is a beautiful yet funny novel that is fearfully and wonderfully made.

This book was certainly full of drama!! All of the characters had issues they needed to overcome, and they found the strength to overcome their problems through the glory of God. When Dana loses her job, she opens a shop that caters to future brides and other women who want to feel their best! In the meantime, her beloved ex-boyfriend, Adrian, opens a shop, right across the street from hers! And to make matters worse, it's a shop he opened with his now-deceased wife....a shop that both Adrian and Dana dreamed about opening together, and of course that didn't happen when Adrian ended up marrying somebody else!

Then there's Dana's sister, Dahlia. The two sisters are estranged since Dahlia has now shacked up with Trevor, another one of Dana's ex's. And Dahlia also has her eyes set upon Adrian. The two sisters try to work out their problems throughout the scope of the story.

Also, Dana is tired of being a bridesmaid. She's got about ten bridesmaid dresses lined up in her closet, and she wonders if she'll ever be a bride. She's saddened that her childhood sweetheart married somebody else, and now that his wife is dead, he's back in town, trying to woo her. She's not sure if she really wants to be with him and she talks about her feelings with her best friends. The sassy sisters are close, and they try to motivate each other through motivational postings over the internet.

Then there's Dana's brother, who's come back into town after being gone for a gazillion years. Dana and the rest of her family, knew he was playing sports for some time, but then he disappeared. They are stunned to find out he's been in a coma for the last four(?) years and has just awakened a short time ago.

Then there's Dana's father who has a problem with booze, but finds solace in cooking for his family.

This book was filled with a cast of characters who needed the Lord, or if they were saved, needed to be closer to Him and hear His voice about their problems. When Dana suffers from a traumatic experience, her faith is strengthened as she recovers and decides to have a ceremony, renewing her solid relationship to God. Griffith does an awesome job of showing how people with problems and issues can come to know the Lord.

Also, I loved her descriptions. I almost wanted to eat the facials, soaps, and lotions she describes! Dana makes batches of vanilla lotion, lemon poundcake facials, strawberry beauty products, apple cobbler soap, etc. She uses fresh ingredients, and when she describes the scents of her products, and the scents of Adrian's candles, I wanted to pull up a chair and grab a plate and eat! I know that sounds weird but her descriptions made my mouth water, even though she was describing the luscious scents as a part of beauty products and candles!

From the back cover:
Once, twice, ten times a bridesmaid!

I, Dana Rose, do solemnly swear to say "I won't" the next time someone asks me to be in their wedding party. My weak will has gained me a closet full of unflattering bridesmaids' dresses in various sizes to accommodate my ever-fluctuating waistline.

As if that isn't enough, the past is paying me a most unwelcome visit (my prodigal brother, my back-stabbing sis). Then there's Mr. Practically Perfect, the ex who not only married someone else, but opened the business of our dreams -- right across from my new shop! It's no wonder I've got problems! I'm thankful I've got my friends, the Sassy Sisterhood, to rely on . . .

The Sassy Sisterhood:
They get by with a little help from their friends.

Camy here:
This is the first of my "terrific books" read in 2006. It's so rich, I'm having a hard time summing it up into words that make sense.

This novel is drenched in forgiveness and redemption, but without the preaching and without making me feel like an inadequate Christian for hanging onto all my own baggage. Everyone in this novel has struggles and yet also somehow finds peace with their Maker. Nothing phony or cheesy. My favorite part of this book is that everyone is so incredibly REAL.

Dana is me, hang-ups and all. It's kind of weird, seeing myself in print, but it's like Mary is telling me, "I know you, cuz you're my sistah." Although I don't have Dana's ability to concoct those yummy bath and body products--Gimme some of that Vanilla Smella!

There were points in the story where I wanted to give Dana a hug, and other times I wanted to smack her silly (what's up with her giving away all her bath and body products to her uber-selfish cousins? No such thing as a free lunch, toots.) but Dana's self-depreciating and yet fired-up personality drove the book like she was on a Harley Davidson and I was hanging onto the back and screaming for my life cuz I couldn't drink in enough of the fun.

I think that's why I like this book so much. The characters are really rich. The story opens with already a ton of past hurts and conflicts and broken relationships. I kept reading and being surprised: "She dated HIM? And he married HER? Whoa, momma!" I love it when a book does that.

I don't know how she does it, but Mary has me laughing and snorting on one page and crying on the next, which is totally unfair because I'm not a sobby person. The book is a fragrant (haha) mix of chick-lit and women's fiction, and would appeal to both types of readers.

Even though I'm not from the 'hood, the characters sucked me in like they were my neighbors, my church, my family. Although I'd really like to attend one of those "singing" church services like in the book--that sounded so cool.

Bottom line--this is such a great book. Go out and buy this. Tell your church ladies to read it. Give it to your coworkers. We're all sistahs.

Dana has some pretty entertaining adventures in this wonderfully written novel. Some are pretty heartbreaking and all are life-changing. You will be hooked once you start reading this book. Most likely cheering for her and holding your breath as one disaster after another falls into her lap. Sadly, many of the betrayals she experienced are far too common, even in church settings. I found this witty novel refreshingly real and the subtle humor about ice cold showers made me smile. In the end, love won and she made the best choice and that's what makes for a fantastic story.

What do an estranged brother, a backstabbing sister, and a childhood buddy have in common? In some way, they have all hurt Miss Dana Rose, the main character of Marilynn Griffith's novel, Made of Honor.

A Christian woman, Dana has become embittered by life's circumstances. One of Dana's struggles is with relationships. For one, although Dana has been in numerous weddings as a bridesmaid, (but never a bride), the whole concept of marriage has left a bad taste in her mouth. Why? What is it about weddings, dresses, and men that enrage Dana so much?

Not to mention, Dana's world comes crashing down when she loses her job. Where will she go? Who will help her get back on her feet?

Meanwhile, Dana's brother, Jordan comes back after being away for years, and leaving behind a son whom Dana has helped to raise. Also, Dahlia, who is far from a beautiful flower, is Dana's confused and shady sister. She comes back to town with a surprise bombshell.

What else could happen to Dana? One name, "Adrian." This man is Dana's past, present, and well... He decides to put his business near Dana's place of employment. "Why?" wonders Dana.

Does Adrian still care for Dana after marrying another woman instead of Dana? How does Dana really feel about Adrian?

There are so many questions in Dana's mind that need to be answered.

Marilynn Griffith's writing style is comical and light-hearted, yet realistic. She brings serious issues to the surface such as betrayal, friendships, baby-mama drama, alcoholism, and ultimately the power of God's restoring love and grace.

Made of Honor proves that God is able to correct problems and bring healing to every broken heart and relationship.

Great job, Mrs. Griffith!

I really appreciate an author who writes nice, clean Christian Literature but that doesn't mean it has to be BBBOOOORRRRIIIINNNGGG! This book is way too long, way too drawn out, and the story is way too boring. I really think the first chapter is the worse, because that is usually when the author tries to draw you in on an interesting storyline, but this book failed to do that. The first chapter is a long, drawn out wedding reception discussing boring topics like punch and an ill-fitting bridesmaid gown. I thought if I read another description of this infamous punch I would scream! I usually finish all of my books in one day. I had to MAKE myself read this book. Like it was a job or something. Some parts kept my attention, but others had me dreaming of a Latte so I could stay up to finish the book. I think the author is a great writer in terms of describing setting and the book was edited well, but I just think that it could have been "More." I won't give up yet though, I will see if the author's clean writing style, which I really admire, can keep me focused and interested with the next book. I don't give up easily, especially when I think an author has great potential!

Dana Rose is virtually a professional bridesmaid after serving in 10 weddings. After the latest fiasco during which the bride Tracy, also her best friend and former roommate, hits Dana in the eye with a still thorny rose bouquet, Dana is ready to retire from her supporting role. As she is nursing her injury and her pride, her ex-boyfriend Adrian shows up.

Dana and Adrian have been friends and more since they were neighbors as children. Adrian's reappearance sends Dana into an emotional tailspin as Adrian was and is the love that got away. Dana has tried to move on with her life after a series of disappointments including Adrian's marriage to someone else years ago, his launch of a store that she is convinced was her idea, a falling out with her younger sister and the disappearance of her professional basketball playing brother. Adrian's reappearance is only the first of a series of events, including the loss of her job and the pursuit of her own bath and body store, that force Dana to rely wholly on God as she reconciles with her past and a number of broken relationships.

Through it all Dana is both supported and challenged by her two best friends, the aforementioned Tracy and her brother's ex-love and mother of his child Rochelle. The interactions between Dana and her friends and family members form a funny, endearing basis for a solid Christian fiction tale. Not wholly chick-lit, nor fully a romance novel, "Made of Honor" exemplifies the evolution of Dana from a self critical to self loving woman and friend.

Marilynn Griffith is a fresh new entertaining author who welcomes us into the Sassy Sistahood where sassiness definitely rules. Meet Dana Rose, a full-figured sister who has been a bridesmaid but never a bride for the tenth time. Travel with her as she takes on a soap and body products business, a prodigal brother, a hoochie sister, and a bald headed ex-boyfriend who suddenly reappears after marrying someone else.

Dana is a down-to-earth everyday character that we can all identify and empathize with as she struggles with the realities of Christian life. I read the entire book in two days because I didn't want to put it down. The story flows from start to finish like a finely tuned automobile, and Sistah Mary is the only one doing the driving. So keep your motors running until the next episode in this three-part series.

Barbara Joe-Williams
Author of "Dancing with Temptation"

The book was written from a single woman in her 20s which I love. It started light and humerous. But with every page, it became heavier and heavier. It was TOO serious!! This is not the "chick-lit" I expected to read from the excerpt. I was disappointed with it overall. And the story seem to drag along. I honestly would put the book down and wonder should I continue. There were too many characters. The chapters were VERY long. The whole book was one bad situation after the next. I know God puts us all through tests but the plot of this book was over the top. I purchased this book with the hopes of reading something humerous, light, and spiritual. My expectations were not met except for the spiritual. The references to how God speaks to us in a quiet voice was nice and the Scropture references were nice as well.