A bold, personal collection of a pastor’s wife’s experiences and advice.
An inside look at the life of a pastor’s wife, along with advice on how to succeed in such a role.
“Marriage is under siege,” warns Whitaker in her debut self-help guide—and people need to be prepared to “live beyond fairy tales.” Whitaker strings together anecdotes, advice and axioms in this guide, specifically geared to pastors’ wives; as a pastor’s wife herself, she recognizes the challenges unique to women in this role. She writes about America’s rising divorce rate, and in a section titled “Waterproof Matches: Enhancing Intimacy,” she details the numerous ways readers can bring passion back into their marriages, as well as steps they can take to prevent conflict. Helpful reminders, such as having a “win-win” approach to arguments, stand alongside apt advice, such as avoiding turning everything into a spiritual discussion. In “Life Vests,” the author urges that readers eat right and exercise and discusses how it’s crucial to care for one’s body as well as one’s soul. Citing Benjamin Franklin’s adage, “To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals,” she writes about the psychological impact of good health while owning up to her own struggle with her weight. She also takes on topics such as finances, infidelity and grief, offering practical advice intermingled with personal stories and colorful examples. This candid, relatable book dishes out honesty and humor on every page. Whitaker’s highly accessible style and appealing personality make the book read more like an intimate chat with a close friend than a self-help guide replete with criticism. Most of all, her guide has the resounding ring of truth.
A bold, personal collection of a pastor’s wife’s experiences and advice.Pub Date: May 20, 2013
ISBN: 978-0978995300
Page Count: 354
Publisher: EARSEN Publishing Company
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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