Customer Reviews

Through Every Storm

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4 star:		(2)
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Through Every Storm blew me away. First of all, the author's ability to pull you into the emotional struggles of the characters was amazing. Often I find that emotion in novels feels more contrived than real. Not so with this story. The actions and reactions of the couple were frighteningly real. The withdrawal, the inability to communicate, the misinterpretation of things said. All are classics signs of marital trouble. When Maddie and Jeff each individually re-experienced their memories, I was there with them. I identified with how they were feeling. The attraction between them was almost as strong as the hurt, but they had forgotten what they had originally loved about each other. That's so true with grief. The need to blame someone else as well as ourselves. If only he had this...if only I had that...

Jeff was a true man in every situation and I felt like I understood where he was coming from. He just wanted his wife to respond to him, not push him away. The author did a bang-up job representing the male point of view. Then there is little Timmy. I fell in love with this boy genius who Jeff teasingly nicknamed "Einstein" because he was too smart for his own good. He reminded me so much of my own kids, especially my eldest son. I loved how Timmy was perceptive enough to see the couple's pain and how he tried to bring them together. He was so innocent and endearing.

Through Every Storm is a well-written, well-paced novel that is loaded with tension. The conflict felt real to me, and the spiritual progression of the characters was highly believable. In fact, this story was so well written I couldn't find a thing that pulled me from the story. I especially loved the bikini top joke. What a hoot. There were so many tender moments that touched my heart--especially toward the end--that I literally felt my heart warming as I read the touching, healing words. This story is a real winner and is as beautiful as the cover, if not more so. Highly recommended!

Jeff and Maddie Bowman lost their precious daughter, Emma. Although
the death was an accident, both struggle with feelings of guilt.
Sometimes grief will pull two people together, but in Jeff and
Maddie's case, it only drives them farther apart. Now their marriage
has deteriorated to the point they are discussing divorce.

Rose, Maddie's cousin, has cancer. She needs someone to take care of
Timmy, her seven-year old son. Maddie reluctantly agrees to take
Timmy, but Jeff is furious. He doesn't want to deal with a small boy
on top of everything else. Timmy is a precocious, extremely
intelligent little boy who loves God and can't understand why Jeff
and Maddie fight all the time. He decides to give them the benefit of
his advice.

Sharlene MacLaren's Through Every Storm is a heartwarming story of
two people so overwhelmed with grief they almost destroy themselves
and their marriage, until a concerned little boy shows them the
importance of love and trust. Indeed, a little child shall lead them.
God has a plan for Maddie and Jeff, but first they have to be open to
His leadership. Through Every Storm will grip your heart from the
first page, as Jeff and Maddie fight their way out of the darkness
that threatens to consume them into the light of God's love.

Barbara Warren
Author, Gathering Storm
Jireh Publishing

All the adult advice in the world fails to help Jeff and Maddie Bowman recover from the death of their daughter. Almost fulfilling the statistical data on divorce for bereaving parents, their world is further turned upside down by a little boy, Timmy.

Timmy is staying with Jeff and Maddie while his mother continues to cope with the effects of chemotherapy for cancer. But Timmy is highly energetic and speaks straight from the hip. What he has to say, told with such frank honesty, hits Maddie the most initially and she can't respond in the usual victim way, no matter how real that is.

Timmy initially and then others teach Maddie that there is a Comforter who is far bigger than the awful event she has endured. She in turn begins to change and the results touch her husband, who has already filed for divorce, and produce many more totally unexpected effects.

It has been said that when one most needs love, one should give it to someone else in need of it. For that is the nature of the God Maddie newly learns to trust and to whom she responds, so naturally receiving healing in the process.

This is a beautiful story which Sharlene MacLaren has crafted with sensitivity and frankness.

Constantly engaging with a fast-moving plot, Through Every Storm will touch the hearts of every reader - in expected and unexpected ways!

Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on January 14, 2007

Through Every Storm was a wonderful book. The story captivated me from page one. I just couldn't put it down! The author wove a powerful tale love and forgiveness that is unforgettable. It is a must read.

"Through Every Storm" is the perfect title for this heartfelt, heartwrenching novel by author Sharlene MacLaren. A young couple loses a beloved child in an unforeseen tragic occurrence, and the devastation to their spirits, and their marriage, is captured in sensitive, compassionate detail through the pages of this emotional story. When the marriage has all but died as a result of neglect and emotional distance, a precocious seven-year-old comes into their lives and touches hearts frozen in grief and bitterness.

Ms. MacLaren captures the spirit of each character beautifully. It's obvious that she has a heart for children; Timmy's character was delightful, and brought back memories of my own children at this age.

Her insights into a marriage tested in a way that (thankfully!) few must endure are poignant and dead-on.

This was the first book by this author that I have had the opportunity to read. I won't be signing off tonight until I have the remainder of the books in her catalog on order!

Highly recommended!

This was the first Christian Romance novel that I have read, and I adored it! I was so sad when the book ended, because I really became attached to the characters. Sharlene MacLaren did an incredible job bringing the characters to life. I loved that just like all of us, the characters were not perfect. I was constantly stealing moments to read. I can't wait to read another one of her books!

It's a very realistic and everyday reality book. Anyone looking for a wonderful christian story, this is it.

MacLaren's debut book is a page-turner. A compelling plot, her characters are deep, both fragile and strong--especially the little boy, Timmy. MacLaren portrays the genius child with a depth of insight I found completely believable. He was still a child with childish ways, in spite of his brilliant mind.

Without giving away the end, both Maddie and Jeff find their way back to God in a manner I found natural and in harmony with the story. I applaud MacLaren for not overwriting this. This heartrending tale unfolds at just the right pace and carries the reader through to a very satisfying end. Novel Reviews gives Through Every Storm a high recommendation.

Reviewed by Ane Mulligan
[...]

This is another blockbuster from my favorite author. We all have storms in our life and this book will involve the reader immediately into the joys, sadness and resulting fulfilment of the characters. Anyone who has lost a child will agonize with the character. But the book is not one of despair when a seven year old little boy changes everything. Please read this book, you'll not regret it!