It Happens Every Spring (The Four Seasons of a Marriage Series #1) (Paperback)

by Catherine Palmer (Author), Gary Chapman (Author)
Key Phrases: tea area, other stylists, potting bench, Deepwater Cove, Pete Roberts, Patsy Pringle (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Relational expert Chapman rewrites his core message in fiction, teaming with prolific Christian novelist Palmer in this first in a projected tetralogy highlighting the concepts taught in Chapman's The Four Seasons of a Marriage. The plot and characters evince Chapman's thesis that marriage is a journey back and forth through different "seasons," while the neighborhood of Deep Water Cove and little town of Tranquility, Mo., provide the settings. Five local women start a club ("TLC") to help one another through problems in their relationships and their community. In a squeaky-clean nod to Desperate Housewives, a charming handyman is steaming things up with Brenda Hansen. Meanwhile, romance is brewing for Patsy Pringle, who runs Just As I Am, a "faith-based beauty experience." Palmer's descriptions can go over the top; the obligatory "autumn" character "was a windblown shock of wheat, a ripe apple hanging heavy on the tree, a mourning dove that gathered her little ones close about her and cooed in the wind." A homeless, mentally handicapped man gives Palmer some engaging opportunities to flesh out the other characters as they respond to his plight. However, the novel's scenes too often conspire to illustrate a counseling point, and the included study guide reinforces the idea that this is self-help disguised as fiction. (Jan.)
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Review
Gary Chapman, author of the best-selling books The Five Love Languages and The Four Seasons of Marriage, brings his teaching and insight to a completely new audience with It Happens Every Spring, the first book in the new "Four Seasons" series.

In combining Chapman's practical knowledge with award-winning author Catherine Palmer's considerable writing abilities, Tyndale House Publishers may have found a winning team, if this first offering is any indication.

The fictional counterpart to Chapman's non-fiction book The Four Seasons of Marriage, It Happens Every Spring is set in Deepwater Cove, a small community on the Lake of the Ozarks. It tells the story of Steve and Brenda Hanson, a middle-aged couple who are drifting apart. Steve is consumed with his business, while Brenda is languishing from a lack of attention.

It Happens Every Spring is well-written and insightful. Many couples may just recognize themselves while reading the Hanson's story, hopefully in time to avoid some of the same mistakes. Recommended. Four stars!

-Craig Allen Hart -- Christian Fiction Online, February 21, 2007

Brenda Hansen is lost. The last of her three children have left home to go to college and she's facing the empty nest for the first time. She has looked forward to this time, puttering around and tending her husband, Steve. But Steve is totally engrossed in his real estate business and never at home. When he does come home, it's just to fall in bed exhausted. He never notices anything she does around the house, and doesn't seem to care.

Brenda decides to remodel the basement and hires handyman, Nick, to do the work. Nick is attentive and constantly complimenting her on her choices, her appearance, and he notices even the slightest little thing. Soon, Brenda is living for Nick's appearance at her house, and putting Steve's physical needs off. Will Brenda come to her senses before its too late, or are Steve and Brenda headed for divorce court?

It Happens Every Spring is book one in the Four Seasons series. It is a wonderful story with real characters. I laughed out loud at times in the book and cried in other parts. Even the secondary characters are real. I loved the quirky hairdresser just as much as I loved Brenda and Steve.

In addition to being a great story, It Happens Every Spring also teaches a bit about Gary Chapman's the languages of love. I recognized my husband and me in this book and could see where some of the problems can happen. Discussion questions are included at the end of the book, making it excellent for small groups. A teaser from the next book in the series (coming summer 2007) is also included. This is a series for the keeper shelf. Don't miss It Happens Every Spring.

Reviewed by Laura. -- A Romance Review - January 2007

Time to Read!

Since I went back to college full-time and started a part-time job a couple months ago my reading time got shoved to the back burner. Not that I haven't been reading, I've just been reading textbooks, and lots of them. During this time my `advanced reader copy' books have still been coming in, and boy have they ever piled up!

When I saw "It Happens Every Spring" I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It didn't look like a book I'd be very interested in, and I was hesitant to pull out that book during my very limited window of opportunity for reading. Once classes start back up in January, the piling up will begin again, and I didn't want to waste my chances.

Being fair, I decided I needed to go ahead and read this book in the order I had gotten it, and then I noticed that it was co-authored by Gary Chapman. That name stuck in my mind for some reason, so I scanned my bookshelf and noticed that I had another of his books-"The Five Love Languages." Since I really liked that book, I decided that it might not be such a bad book after all.

It Happens Every Spring The Four Seasons: Book 1 by Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer

Brief Synopsis Brenda and Steve Hansen have had a great marriage and a great life. Their kids are grown now, and that youngest has finally gone off to college. Brenda thought that this would be the best time of her life, time when she finally gets to do what SHE wants to do. She thought this would be the time for her and her husband to really spend some time together, to be a couple rather than being a parent.

As time goes by, however, Brenda is left feeling alone and lonely when her husband starts working more and more and she feels his love and presence less and less. It's like her marriage is dying a slow and painful death. Finally, she starts to think that she's ready for it, that if Steve was no longer in her life it would actually be a good thing.

Things in Brenda's life get turned upside down when a strange man appears at her door during a power outage. Frightened at first, Brenda realizes that Cody isn't a danger, he's `simple' but needy and he fills the need to `mother' in her life. Of course, his presence only causes problems between Brenda and Steve-at first.

Brenda starts walking down a slippery slope when she has a handyman refinish her basement to make it a crafter's dream space. She starts to connect with the handyman, feeling the relationship from him that used to be felt from her husband. When everything comes to a head what will become of Steve and Brenda? Will there even be a `Steve and Brenda'?

I really was surprised at how much I enjoyed "It Happens Every Spring." Almost from the moment I opened it up I was drawn into the cast of characters and the idyllic setting of Tranquility, Missouri. Growing up, and still living in, a small and close-knit community myself I could really identify with the interconnectedness of the community and the way everyone looked out for everyone else.

As much as I enjoyed the overall story, what eventually won out for my favorite aspect of "It Happens Every Spring" was the relationship between Steve and Brenda. I don't know a single married couple who hasn't gone through a time in their marriage where it feels like winter. There's no life left, no hope and everything looks bleak. Both Brenda and Steve had their faults, and both of them contributed to the devastation of their marriage. At the same time, both of them viewed the other as being the primary source of the problems. What married person doesn't think the other is to blame? It just felt so real, almost like I could have lived it myself.

As thought-provoking as "It Happens Every Spring" can be, it also has it's lighter, more entertaining moments as well. It's an excellent story and there are some parts of this story that will warm your heart-especially the child-like Cody. You won't be able to help falling for him.

Conclusion

I simply loved "It Happens Every Spring." Despite its serious theme, it had its lighter moments as well and balanced out to make an excellent story. The writing is top-notch, easily keeping up with the excellence of the plot itself.

I would recommend "It Happens Every Spring" for every Christian married woman, and even for those women not yet married. Even though it's a piece of fiction, there's a lot to be learned from it about the realities of marriage.

Reviewed by CindyJean -- Epinions - Dec 22, 2006

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers (January 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414311656
• ISBN-13: 978-1414311654
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #598,578 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stages of marital love, February 1, 2007

By	armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Marriage has many seasons: Spring which is full of hope and anticipation, Summer and its comfort, Autumn and its negligence and Winter with its dissatisfaction. This fictional work, based on Dr. Gary Chapman's The Four Seasons of Marriage, explores the seasons of marriage in a small-town setting where the couples revolve around one another and are probably far too involved in one another's business.

The Lake of the Ozarks is full of character and so are the people who inhabit it. In this fictional town set at "The Lake" readers get to know several couples in various stages of marital love. In particular readers meet Brenda and Steve, who are having trouble adjusting to their empty nest. More accurately, Brenda is having trouble adjusting as Steve seems to have created a life without her just as she reached a point where she could look forward to the additional time they would have for one another.

Well written without being preachy, It Happens Every Spring does a good job of introducing characters in the different seasons of marriage and even gives them a good reason for knowing one another. I especially loved the setting. I've been to The Lake so the setting was vivid in my mind, but anyone who has been to a teeny lakeside community could relate to the intimacy of its inhabitants.

I look forward to the rest of the series.

Armchair Interviews says: This neat book explores the facets of marriage in a realistic setting.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven portraits , May 5, 2008

By	kellytwo "kellytwo" (cleveland hts, ohio) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: It Happens Every Spring (The Four Seasons of a Marriage Series #1) (Paperback)

I've read and enjoyed many Inspirational/Christian novels that fall into the romance category. But this one is not the most enjoyable I've ever read. I did read it all, to see where it was going, but found it to be very repetitious and preachy.

On the other hand, there were several important life lessons to be learned here, some of which the characters never did seem to get a really firm grasp. Cody is treated well by the authors and the characters, as is Patsy Pringle. Brenda, however, gets lambasted no matter what she does. She wasn't the only one who contributed to the bad and good of her marriage, but her husband Steven is whitewashed to the point of thinking he's the poor, put-upon long-suffering man who just wants a good wife. He doesn't seem to realize he can't expect that without reciprocating, and spending time with his wife.

Depression comes in many guises, and Brenda was fortunate to have good friends and neighbors to help her out of hers; Steve's friends weren't given the opportunity to help him see the errors of his ways. I suspect men who read this book will agree with Steve, while women will tend to see Brenda's side of things more clearly.

I think this is an interesting concept--pairing a non-fiction author with one more well-known for fiction--and using the former's self-help books as a basis for this series. Having not read any of the others--yet--I can't speak to how well they succeed in future volumes. I suspect I'll try at least one more of the series, as the characters and the setting are very appealing. I can't help but hope the women develop a bit more backbone, however. Women are not subservient, and I think it's harmful when they're presented as such. Equal partnerships are much better, and way more fun, especially in a loving relationship.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't Put It Down, July 9, 2007

By	Carole W. Patterson "Carole W. Patterson" (Winston Salem, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book caught my attention from the very first line I read, and it just got better and better. The characters were unique; the plot was very suspenseful and it kept building and building. Wonderful story teller, and based on the works of Dr. Gary Chapman. Great combination!!!!