Sensible Shoes: A Novel [Paperback]

Sharon Garlough Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 14, 2010

Come take a sacred journey.

Meg Crane has never had a longing for adventure. She's never even traveled more than two hundred miles from home. But when she receives an invitation from the New Hope Retreat Center to travel deeper into the heart of God, Meg finds herself saying yes.

Against her better judgment.

What will she discover if she begins to walk the winding path through the broken pieces of her past?

Meg isn't the only one who feels apprehensive about the journey. Though the other people gathered at New Hope appear to have life well put together, each of them has a story to tell.

Join Meg, Hannah, Mara, and Charissa as they become unlikely companions on the road to healing, transformation, and self-discovery. Because the long walk leads through the unpredictable terrain of the inner life, the travelers will need courage, patience, perseverance, and of course...

Sensible Shoes.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sharon Garlough Brown is a graduate of Smith College (B.A.) and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.). A pastor and spiritual director, Sharon lives in West Michigan with her husband Jack and son David. This is her first novel. For book club resources and more information about Sensible Shoes, please visit http://www.sensibleshoesclub.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: WestBow Press (June 14, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449701884
• ISBN-13: 978-1449701888
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #804,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sharon Garlough Brown is a pastor, spiritual director, and retreat leader who is passionate about shepherding others deep into the love of God. She and her husband, Jack, have served congregations in Scotland, Oklahoma, and England (in that order). They currently co-pastor in West Michigan. Sharon enjoys all things British--especially tea--and loves when her son says, "Mom, would you like me to put the kettle on?"

For more information, visit her website: www.sensibleshoesclub.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written and spiritually challenging September 3, 2010

By Sage

Format:Paperback

This is one of those rare Christian novels where the quality of the writing is matched by the quality of the spiritual reflection. So much of what passes for Christian fiction these days can be very well written but spiritually bereft, or sometimes intriguing on a spiritual level but written so poorly the message is lost.

Not so with "Sensible Shoes." I have to say that I was not only engaged by the writing style and the beautiful story (stories, really) being told, but my Christian faith was challenged in a way that I'm still processing. If you enjoy good fiction and you're looking to draw closer to God, I can't recommend this book high enough.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a powerful book! August 23, 2010

By D. E. Burnett

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I picked this book up looking for some light summer reading, but found a book I'll be rereading and recommending to friends for years to come. Not only is the storyline powerfully engaging, but the insights into spiritual development are truly priceless. I found pieces of myself and many other people in the four women the story follows. If, like me, you have a tendency to "tear up," keep the Kleenex handy. There are powerful deep waters explored in this amazing journey.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource for spiritual formation August 5, 2010

By PadreCov

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This novel traces the spiritual journeys of four women, each with baggage and issues that need healing and transformation. It skillfully weaves their stories with powerful teaching and illustration of spiritual disciplines, allowing the reader to connect with the book on both an emotional and spiritual level in a way I've rarely seen.

This is a book you want to read twice (at least): once to enjoy the moving and engaging storylines, then again to revisit the spiritual insights that the reader can apply to their own lives. It's also a great book for study groups, women's groups, and book clubs. Highly recommended!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Journey Worth Taking August 2, 2010

By Sally A. Toney

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This novel is remarkably right on the mark! There is something about Meg, Hannah, Mara and Charissa that resonates individually and collectively to our own journey through life. This novel is thought provoking and keeps us wanting to know more about these women as well as about ourselves. It is a marvelous novel-- well worth reading. It leaves you hoping for a sequel!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fans of books like THE NOTICER should not miss this one! July 12, 2011

By Laura Kurk

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book unmasked me. I've been thinking a lot lately about the use of fiction to convict and compel. Although there are those who would argue fiction has no place in teaching God's truths, I would point them easily to Brown's writing. Without leading readers to rote, memorized theology, Brown leads her readers to questions. We watch her characters struggle to find the right questions to ask and we feel their profound relief when they begin to see the clear path--the one they were led to slowly, gently, and lovingly. Sensible Shoes is soaked through with the story of redemption like a cake soaked in milk or rum. It's full and heavy with the message, but it's sweet and goes down easy. It's smooth.

What is so masterful about Brown's book is that she draws from a long and active career in the ministry to pull her characters and her readers through murkiness to dawning awareness to poignant discovery. So often while reading Sensible Shoes I found myself wishing I'd had a hard copy instead of an e-book so I could underline and annotate. I wanted to call friends and read them the tender lines that meant something to me. Brown's heart for people shines through and in reading her story it felt as if I was sitting at the feet of one much wiser than me who wanted me to be comforted, and to learn.

Jesus taught with stories. We all know this and yet it seems that sometimes we shun stories and look only to non-fiction to teach us truth. Sensible Shoes, in the vein of The Noticer, blends fiction and allegory and comfortable familiarity with scripture and ancient truths, to help us see the world around us in a new light. I highly recommend the book and hope Brown continues to write and share in this way.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely journey September 13, 2010

By Martha J. Bradley

Format:Hardcover

"Sensible Shoes" begins with four women whose lives are stuck because of grief, fear, perfectionism, doubt, and stress. Each of them reluctantly enrolls in a Spiritual Disciplines class.

During their two months in the class, the women become closer to each other and closer to being the unique individuals God created them to be. They discover that God seeks out the lost, comforts the broken hearted, patiently waits through our spiritual (or literal) temper tantrums, finds us in the wilderness, sits beside us in our grief, celebrates our breakthroughs, and loves us no matter what.

Sharon Brown creates a beautiful vision of God's transforming process in this book. Every page glimmers with grace, mercy, and love. You will treasure your journey alongside the characters of Sensible Shoes: A Novel and want to read it more than once.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging spiritual direction and formation January 2, 2011

By Harry W. Camp

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Without reiterating the other reviews with which I agree, I would like to call this book to the attention of anyone interested in the arts of spiritual direction and spiritual formation. The author is knowledgeable and comfortable in this environment and, without compromising the "novel" character of her book, skillfully illustrates such ancient Christian practices as paying attention, holy listening, individual and group lectio divina, sharing silence, labyrinth walking, personal retreat, journaling, spiritual direction and friendship. I think the book will be recommended by spiritual directors and guides to many who are on the journey, and will provide many conversation starters.