Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck

The Sweet By and By is a book that bears the name of Sara Evans as the author “with” Rachel Hauck. This is a chic-flic in book form, and it will satisfy those in need of emotional angst that ends in emotional giddiness. It’s not a bad read, really, just predictable. The daughter, Jade, basically despises her hippie mom, Beryl. She’s getting married. Her mom comes to the wedding three weeks early. And thus the drama begins.


This story is as much about Jade facing her past and being honest with her fiancé as it is about she and her mom finally coming face to face with their own very difficult relationship. This is a story of mistakes, bad ones, that finally surface and demand to be dealt with. It’s about a messed up family facing God after facing their own frailty.


I enjoyed the story for the most part, but for the first time, the design of the book got on my nerves. Sara Evans name overshadows the title of the book itself, and then a full length body shot, complete with cowboy boots and a white cotton dress, adorns a third of the back cover. Sara’s face is even on the book spine…can we say vain? A tad egocentric if you ask me. I guess Sara’s country music fame is supposed to sell the book Anyway, it was a bit over-the-top.


So, if you like chic-flics, you’ll like this book. Drama abounds. There are some spiritual moments, but even those tend to be dramatic. Did I mention there is lots of angst? And drama? Okay….on to something else.


You can pick up your own copy HERE today.



ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Multi-platinum recording artist Sara Evans has been honored with numerous accolades, among them the 2006 Academy of Country Music’s Female Vocalist of the Year and the Country Music Association’s Video of the Year for “Born to Fly." Evans has been named one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People" and won the hearts of television viewer's as the first-ever country star to compete in ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Sara is a Cabinet Member of The American Red Cross.



Best-selling and award-winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband, Tony, a pastor. A graduate of Ohio State University, she left the corporate software marketplace in '04 to write full time.


2 comments:

Mocha with Linda said...

LOL - loved your thoughts. This wasn't one of my favorite books.

Carole said...

I agreed with your comments about the cover, Kim. The original cover - an empty porch swing - was much more appealing, at least to me. And "Sara Evans" does stand out a bit much.