Customer Reviews

Shades of Morning: A Novel

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This is a story of love, loss and family secrets. Marnie had moved to California 16 years ago and opened a book/coffee shop. She thought that secrets of her past were just that, secrets, until she gets a letter from a lawyer she knew from her past, telling her that her sister,Rose, had died in a freak accident and that she was now guardian of a 15 year old nephew, that she did not know she had. Marnie has no desire to be a guardian or parent of anyone, let alone a nephew that turns out has Down's Syndrome. Marnie has a box called her 'regrets' box that she has used for momentos and slips of paper of memories and regrets that she would like to forget. Emmitt keeps opening this box and with his insistence Marnie is able to face the regrets and sorrows that this box contains.Emmitt proves to be a handful and Marnie is stressed to the breaking point trying to do the right thing by Emmitt and still run her business. Marnies life is turned upside down what with having no clue how to take care of a Down's child and deal with the secrets of her past which include Taylor Cole, her sister's lawyer. Taylor had once been a man that Marnie had loved and it is because of this love that Marnie flee's across the country. As time goes by Emmitt and Taylor work their way to her heart and she learns to find the love that she thought she would never know again. Her faith in God has been tested over the years and Marnie is not sure what she should believe in. The ending, which of course I will not write about as that would spoil the story for the reader, I was totally unprepared for. Needless to say the whole story comes together in the end. I feel that Emmitt restores her faith and she is able to do what is necessary to find and keep the love she thought was lost to her. I really enjoyed this story and like I said was very surprised at the ending..

Years ago, Marnie Wittier moved across country and started a new life, but when her sister is tragically killed in an accident, she leaves her 15 year old son, Emmit, to Marnie. The plot thickens as Marnie's old boyfriend, her first and only love, Taylor, is the lawyer charged to make Emmit's transition successful. Emmit shows up in California with an extra surprise when Marnie meets him and discovers that he has Down Syndrome. She doesn't believe that she can be someone's mom, let alone deal with the extra needs of this child; so she and Taylor start an email communication, and they both remember the past.

I loved this book, mostly because of the characters: Emmit with Down's Syndrome, Marnie with her boxful of regrets, and Taylor who just watched and waited. I have a heart for special needs kids, so Emmit just touched me; the way he loved and the joy he had was beautiful. I personally found one of the major twists in the story was unnecessary, and because of that twist, there was, what I felt to be, a bit of a discrepancy. Even with this one complaint, I would highly recommend the book.

The narration flows smoothly from present day Marnie to her memories, to present day Taylor and his memories. Each event and memory works together to develop and grow the characters. God works on the hearts of all the characters, but especially Marnie who begins to understand the strength of God's forgiveness. The novel had a strong theme and life application. I finished the book attached to the characters and thanking Jesus for his grace and second chances. He is an amazing God, and He regularly uses circumstances and people to bring us closer to Him.

"Some people were meant to love. Others only watched from the outside....because once, a long time ago, she had a single chance to love. One glimmering impossible opportunity. And she'd blown it. Big time."

Today Marnie meets her sisters' child for the first time. He's fifteen and has Downs's syndrome. How could her sister Rose, keep a secret like this? Taylor, the executor of her sister's will and former friend was asking the impossible; she couldn't raise Rose's son, Emmit. Marnie was single and had a coffee shop to run, people depended on her. Her life was full, and no room for anything else. But the longer Emmit stayed and the more she learned about him, a surprising thing happened. Marnie realizes she needs him. "Emmit was showing her the way home. He was showing her how to trust," in people and in God again.

Taylor realizes he has his own struggles with God and Marnie...."God, who wanted him to let go. God, who had never stopped pursuing him. God, who wanted the past for Himself." Why couldn't he let go? What was he afraid of?

I'm so glad I received a review copy of this amazing, powerful, heartfelt story. Marlo has a talent to captivate you from the start and immediately draw on your heart strings, because her characters are believable and they deal with circumstances beyond themselves. I felt for Emmit's situation as he was forced to live with an Aunt he'd never met.

This author captures the endearing qualities of Emmit and the real issues he struggles with being a Down's syndrome teenager, but at the same time you'll see the simple way he views life and knows what's important. He hopes Marnie realizes it before it's too late. I was absolutely taken in by Emmit praising God in church, how he loved life and I laughed at his obsession with doughnuts!

When you meet Emmit and get to know him, you won't look at another Downs' syndrome child the same. I highly recommend this novel. The story and its characters will stay with you long after the last page is read.

Nora St. Laurent
The Book Club Network [...]

I loved this book! I had a hard time in beginning getting into it, but after I figured out what was going on then I couldn't put it down. Was a beautiful story of old love found again and coming back to Christ! I also loved how Marnie was able to find love for a child with Down's which in tured helped her to face her past.

This was a great Christian romance, and just when I thought I had it all figured out. There was a huge twist and I was so wrong. LOL! Great read for summer!

This book was provided for review by Waterbrook Multnomah. All opinions are my own.

Summary:


Marnie Wittier has life just where she wants it. Quiet. Peaceful. No drama. A long way away from her past. In the privacy of her home, she fills a box with slips of paper, scribbled with her regrets, sins, and sorrows. But that's nobody else's business. Her bookstore/coffee shop patrons, her employees, her friends from church--they all think she's the very model of compassion and kindness.

Then Marnie's past creeps into her present when her estranged sister dies and makes Marnie guardian of her fifteen-year-old son--a boy Marnie never knew existed. And when Emmit arrives, she discovers he has Down syndrome--and that she's woefully unprepared to care for him. What's worse, she has to deal with Taylor Cole, her sister's attorney, a man Marnie once loved--and abandoned. As Emmit (and Taylor) work their way into her heart, Marnie begins to heal. But when pieces of her dismal past surface again, she must at last face the scripts of paper in her box, all the regrets and sorrows. Can she do it? Or will she run again?

Author Bio:

Marlo Schalesky is the author of several books, including Beyond the Night and Empty Womb, Aching Heart. A graduate of Stanford University , Marlo also has a masters of theology with an emphasis in biblical studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. Married over twenty years, she lives with her husband, Bryan, and their five children in California .

My Thoughts:

What an unbelievably great book!! Heart-wrenching - to say the least!! I was hesitant that this book was going to be very good. Guess that proves you don't judge a book by its cover. This is such a beautiful story about a young woman out on her own finding her way after having many hurts in her life. As the story unfolds you will find yourself wanting to call Marnie up and tell her what she should do. For Marnie, a quiet life in a peaceful neighborhood is the perfect life for her. Then her world turns upside down as she finds out her sister has passed away and has left her (Marnie) the guardian of her teenage down syndrome child. What a huge step for this single woman! The sweetness of this child will utterly bring you to tears. Watching the daily struggles in this life is so overwhelming! Along with this, she is reconnected with her past love that she abandoned. She wants desperately to get away from him and move on but this story keeps her hanging on in one way or the other.

I highly recommend anyone to read this book!! It is definitely a keeper!!

The advanced press all sounded positive so I was excited to begin Shades of Morning by Marlo Schalesky. It wasn't disappointing, the story of Marnie Wittier proved to be a great summer read with just the right amount of twist, turns and back story to keep me interested and wanting to finish the book. I would perhaps even go so far as to term this book a page turner!

There is love and loss, a young child with a disability that steals her heart. Throw in a bit of family conflict and add the elements of God"s love and the struggles of ones heart, it all makes for a fantastic story line! I fell in love with young Emmit, his seeking the sun, or was it the Son? was simply touching and probably something that will stay with me forever.

I recommend this book as an easy read that will leave you with a bit more than you are expecting. It will also make you realize that families are not perfect. That love can triumph. That God is always there. That's pretty good for a novel.

Waterbrookmultnomah provided me with a free copy of this book in return for my blogging my review here and on my blog. My opinions are my own. You can purchase this book either on this site or by contacting WATERBROOKMULTNOMAH.

This gripping novel was well-written and I loved the plot twists. It was a page-turner, especially towards the end. I truly enjoyed that Marnie and Taylor had a love story in this novel yet were in different cities for all but one scene! That created a mystery and suspense for me, the reader. Marlo answered a question in each chapter then asked another one, creating a heightened sense of curiosity to keep me reading. I was intrigued by this style and loved it!

I have been so busy this summer that I haven't had much time to read, but this is one book I couldn't put down. In Shades of Morning, the main character, Marnie, having went through a lot of regrets in her past, must learn to let those regrets go and move ahead with her life. She is thrown into things that are beyond her comfort zone within the story.The storyline was easy to read even when it combined past with present and the characters were relatable. There is a twist to the story in the end that you will either love or hate. I won't give it away, but I liked the surprise ending. It wasn't what I expected and it's refreshing to have a story throw me for a loop like this one did.

Shades of Morning by Marlo Schalesky is filled with hints of romances and much intrigue through many, many twists and turns! Marnie Wittier is living the seemingly dream life as the owner of a peaceful coffee shop and quiet book store in beautiful California. She has moved miles and years beyond her past regrets, hurts, sins, and sorrows and has become the picture of kindness and compassion to her new patrons. Any hints from her past are quickly stuffed into a secret box where she dares not face them.

Marnie's life is suddenly turned upside down with the notice that her sister has passed away leaving a child in her custody. Emmit arrives and Marie unwillingly dives into a life of caring for a 15 year old boy with Downs Syndrome. As Emmit slowly wins Marnie's heart, more and more of her past secrets are brought to life. Marnie is given a chance to heal from her regrets and experience restoration. But will she take the opportunity or continue to run?


The story is wonderfully woven with tales of sins and regrets which can only be resolved through the forgiveness, grace, and redemption offered through Jesus Christ. Malachi 4:2 The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.


I would highly recommend this book for fun summer reading. Not only is this a great story which you will be glued to, but you will be encouraged and challenged with spiritual lessons woven throughout the book. A huge bonus for me was the reader's guide in the back. Every theme and spiritual nuance is explained with Scripture and discussion questions are provided.

To an outsider looking at Marnie Whittier's life, she seems content with fulfilling her dream of becoming a coffee shop/bookstore owner in California. Furthermore, she is compassionate and forgiving of others, offering many "second chances" at life by employing them in her business. Yet for a church-going woman so adept at extending kindness toward others, Marnie is living a life filled with regrets she is refuses to face yet cannot forget. Yet her memories and regrets simply must be finally confronted when she receives a letter from a lawyer informing her that her sister has died and she now has custody of a 15 year old nephew she never knew she had. Can she parent him? Can she face her regrets and memories? Will God forgive her? Will she learn to forgive herself?

This is one of the best Christian fiction titles I have reviewed to date. I found the story and characters convincing and interesting, and the manner in which the story was relayed in the present with flashbacks to memories as seen through the eyes of Marnie and Taylor actually came together quite well. A bit of theology was naturally woven into this story, yet in a natural, non-preachy way. I also loved the fact that this novel contained some twists in the plot which I never saw coming. Like the memories shared within this novel, this story and its message of forgiveness will be lingering in my thoughts for some time. The 6 page readers' guide makes a wonderful addition for use a book study discussion guide, as well as for personal use. You may purchase Shades of Morning here.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Waterbrook/Multnomah Books. No other compensation was given, and this review represents my honest opinion.