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“This was a really good book. ”
Daddy's Girl wrote this review Friday, June 26 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I really liked this book a lot Ruth Wilcox is the daughter of a prominent Chicago Minister her mother is known simply as Queen Esther and the name seem to fit. Ruth is experiencing problems with her husband Daniel who she probably should have never married he had one finger in the church door and the rest of his body out however he liked the fact that she was a good Christian good with good values. Over the years Daniel is spending more and more time outside of home it is obvious that he is seeing another women but Ruth being the praying woman that she is continues to be faithful in her marriage she tries everything a new style of clothes, a new hairstyle only to be left at the front door of her home by her husband because he has other things to do that don't include her. Her brother is like the prodigal son except his father has not yet made a decision to welcome him back into their lives until he finds out the health issues his son as. Daniel decides to move in with his woman Lenora and marry her she seems to be the perfect catch for him she is so different from Ruth his fear is that she is a younger woman and so he is not able to keep up with her sexually so he takes Viagra which leads to disaster. Bishop is hoping that his son will take over the ministry that he has worked so hard to build who will fill the Bishops shoes next? Queen Esther is a women of many secrets and they will all come out and attack her at the same time can this family survive all of this and move forward? Will Ruth ever find the love and happiness that she deserves and yearns for? ”
Tahra R wrote this review Sunday, March 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Wonderful story of love, forgiveness, loss, and disappointment. Ruth a great mother and wife, who is facing divorce after 35yrs marriage to Daniel. He in love with a woman that about the same age as one of his children. Daniel think that Ruth have put him to the side because all she does is take care of her children, home and church and she ill brother, that she have no time foe him. She put him out, he moves in with his love, who set on having his baby before she turns thirty.And he soon find out that the grass is not always greener on the other side. Did Ruth muster the forgiveness it will take to overcome the marital crisis, I say she did in the end! This book is really great with issues that are really going in church, family kept sercets,loss, love that keep them bind together. Excellant book, highly recommended this book! ”
sweetcakes wrote this review Wednesday, May 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“What a great christian story! One is pulled in right from the beginning. ”
Sandra D wrote this review Thursday, January 31 2008. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Keeping Misery Company
Apex Reviews wrote this review Wednesday, January 16 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Michelle Larks
ISBN: 1601629486
Urban Christian Books
Reviewed By Marcus Harris
Imagine this:
A man and woman have been married for thirty-five years. They have three beautiful children, even more adorable grandchildren, successful jobs, supportive friends, and an extended family network that helps them weather every storm. Their life couldn't be any more perfect, right…?
All of a sudden, skeletons start coming out of the closet like it's Halloween: surreptitious affairs come to light, decades-old simmering grudges begin to heat to the point of explosion, and even the paternity of one of their three kids gets called into question...
You'd think that things like this only happen to people on Jerry Springer: low-class, amoral pleasure-seekers looking out only for themselves who couldn't care less about love and forgiveness and don't give a second thought to going to church on Sunday, right...?
Wrong. Meet the Wilcox family: husband & wife Daniel & Ruth, and their three children DJ, Sarah, and Naomi, all avid church goers - even heirs to the throne of one of the largest, most influential churches in the greater Chicago area...for those who think that Christians are somehow above the day-to-day drama that we all tend to face, Keeping Misery Company is sure to change your mind.
What's most impressive about Larks's tale, though, is the humanistic light in which all its characters are presented. There are no exaggerated demonizations here; only realistic portrayals of how we truly become the products of our own choices, living examples of cause-and-effect. Rather than simply being written off as a heartless, duplicitous cheater, Daniel evokes sympathy - and even some empathy - from readers who can relate to his abandonment by a wife who devotes more time and energy to pleasing her church than her man. Likewise, Ruth could easily be seen as a frigid pseudo-homemaker were it not for a deeper understanding of the prolonged restrictions of her upbringing. Larks's deft, sensitive presentation of her characters as well-rounded, flawed individuals makes it more likely that we'll see our own lives reflected in theirs as opposed to pointing a judgmental finger in their direction.
Which, of course, leads to the greatest lesson of Keeping Misery Company: the inescapable consequences of karma. Given the fact that we are products of our own choices, we must in turn accept responsibility for the choices that we make - no matter how painful that responsibility may be. Larks shows this immutable fact in a number of ways: from the agonizing, AIDS-related death of Ruth's brother, Ezra, to the disownment of Daniel by his own kids, even to the surprise fate that awaits Daniel himself, coupled with the question that he should have asked himself long before...
Keeping Misery Company is a refreshing addition to the Christian fiction genre, one that should be welcomed for both its raw candor and unflinching honesty. Mostly, though, it is a humbling reminder of the common humanity that unites us all, reflected most poignantly in these profound words from Naomi, the babe of the Wilcox clan:
"I always thought our family was perfect, especially because Bishop and our forefathers are ministers...now I'm finding out that we're no better than anybody else."”
“I loved the Wilcox & the Clayton family. Not Daniel too much though. lol. Their misery did keep me company. I did not want this book to end. I love d that I could not predict what would happen next. I was like "Wow" regarding different events like Queen & Sarah's secert. This book never made me lose interest. It also ministered to me. That 'God is good all the time, All the time, God is good. Michelle, Thanks for this spiritual journey. "Who's your daddy is on my shelf now.”
TheBeautiful wrote this review Thursday, December 20 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
