Title: A Promise Kept
Author: Robin Lee Hatcher
Publication Date: January 7th, 2014
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Christian Fiction
Pages: 304
Synopsis (from Publisher): Robin Lee Hatcher draws on her own personal pain to illustrate God’s goodness.
In A Promise Kept, Allison finds herself divorced despite her long-held belief that God would save her marriage. She’s left asking, “What became of God’s promise?” Tony Kavanagh had been Allison’s dream-come-true. They were in love within days, engaged within weeks, then married and pregnant within a year. Her cup bubbled over with joy . . . but years later, that joy had been extinguished by unexpected trials.
The day Allison issued her husband an ultimatum to get and stay sober or leave, she thought it might save their marriage. She never expected he would actually choose to walk out the door. She was certain God had promised to heal; it was clear she’d misunderstood. Now, living in the quiet mountain cabin she inherited from her single, self-reliant great aunt Emma, Allison must come to terms with her grief and figure out how to adapt to small-town life. But when she finds a wedding dress and a collection of journals in Emma’s attic, a portrait of her aunt emerges that takes Allison completely by surprise: a portrait of a heartbroken woman surprisingly like
herself.
As Allison reads the incredible story of Emma’s life in the 1920s and 1930s, she is forced to ask a difficult question: Has she really surrendered every piece of her life to the Lord?
Drawing from her own heart-wrenching story of redemption and eventual reconciliation with her husband, A Promise Kept is Hatcher’s emotionally charged thanksgiving to a God who keeps His promises. “I hope readers will be encouraged to keep walking forward,” Hatcher says. “I hope, if they are in a troubled marriage, that they will seek God with their whole hearts and not act out of selfishness but out of obedience. I hope reading A Promise Kept will deepen their faith in a God who answers prayers, in His own way and His own time.”
In A Promise Kept, Allison finds herself divorced despite her long-held belief that God would save her marriage. She’s left asking, “What became of God’s promise?” Tony Kavanagh had been Allison’s dream-come-true. They were in love within days, engaged within weeks, then married and pregnant within a year. Her cup bubbled over with joy . . . but years later, that joy had been extinguished by unexpected trials.
The day Allison issued her husband an ultimatum to get and stay sober or leave, she thought it might save their marriage. She never expected he would actually choose to walk out the door. She was certain God had promised to heal; it was clear she’d misunderstood. Now, living in the quiet mountain cabin she inherited from her single, self-reliant great aunt Emma, Allison must come to terms with her grief and figure out how to adapt to small-town life. But when she finds a wedding dress and a collection of journals in Emma’s attic, a portrait of her aunt emerges that takes Allison completely by surprise: a portrait of a heartbroken woman surprisingly like
herself.
As Allison reads the incredible story of Emma’s life in the 1920s and 1930s, she is forced to ask a difficult question: Has she really surrendered every piece of her life to the Lord?
Drawing from her own heart-wrenching story of redemption and eventual reconciliation with her husband, A Promise Kept is Hatcher’s emotionally charged thanksgiving to a God who keeps His promises. “I hope readers will be encouraged to keep walking forward,” Hatcher says. “I hope, if they are in a troubled marriage, that they will seek God with their whole hearts and not act out of selfishness but out of obedience. I hope reading A Promise Kept will deepen their faith in a God who answers prayers, in His own way and His own time.”
Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She discovered her vocation after many years of reading everything she could put her hands on, including the backs of cereal boxes and
ketchup bottles. Winner of the Christy, the RITA, the Carol, the Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and many other awards, Hatcher is also a recipient of the prestigious RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the author of 70 novels and novellas with more than five million copies in print.
Hatcher’s own experience being married to an alcoholic led her down an unexpected path. Her divorce, though painful, strengthened her faith and gave God the opportunity to save not only her husband but her marriage as well. Their reconciliation became the answer to prayer Hatcher had been waiting for and it became part of the deeply personal story she wanted to share with her readers in A Promise Kept.
Hatcher enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, reading books that make her cry, and watching romantic movies. Her main hobby (when time allows) is knitting, and she has a special love for making prayer shawls. A mother and grandmother, Robin and her husband, Jerry, make their home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with Poppet, the high-maintenance Papillon and Princess Pinky, the DC (demon
cat).
ketchup bottles. Winner of the Christy, the RITA, the Carol, the Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and many other awards, Hatcher is also a recipient of the prestigious RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the author of 70 novels and novellas with more than five million copies in print.
Hatcher’s own experience being married to an alcoholic led her down an unexpected path. Her divorce, though painful, strengthened her faith and gave God the opportunity to save not only her husband but her marriage as well. Their reconciliation became the answer to prayer Hatcher had been waiting for and it became part of the deeply personal story she wanted to share with her readers in A Promise Kept.
Hatcher enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, reading books that make her cry, and watching romantic movies. Her main hobby (when time allows) is knitting, and she has a special love for making prayer shawls. A mother and grandmother, Robin and her husband, Jerry, make their home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with Poppet, the high-maintenance Papillon and Princess Pinky, the DC (demon
cat).
A Promise Kept is by far one of the most touching books that tugged at my heartstrings the most this season. As many know, The Indigo Quill has been on a short hiatus because I myself just experienced a heartbreaking divorce. While everything became finalized just last week, I had begun reading this book. Tears came with the pages as I feel the confusion and pain right along with the main character Allison. The realization that God is what you hold onto, especially when God is the only constant while your world is crashing and changing. However, I can also see how He is working through my life even through the midst of the uncertainty. Although I do not see my situation having quite the same outcome as Allison's, I could feel what she was feeling, and experience many of the same things she was experiencing.
We walk through Allison's journey of realizing that sometimes your faith in God is what's important, and even when you can't see it, His plan is perfect. In the beginning we experience with her the feelings of despair, loneliness, and abandonment. She wasn't necessarily losing faith in God, but she felt confused and more than anything, defeated. We go through the stages of grief with her, even catching herself experiencing the human thoughts of momentarily finding attraction in another man. Then she finally breaks a barrier and begins to count her blessings. As we continue through the story, we see how God sometimes breaks things down to create something new, bigger, and better. Sometimes He starts over to recreate perfection out of the messiness that we cause in our lives. Afterwords, you see the product and perspective of Heaven in a way you may not have ever experienced before.
I do not have many complaints about this book. One of things I caught were that it was more than implied that guys overlooked Emma just because she wasn't pretty. Were ALL the guys in her life honestly that shallow? With as godly and talented and brilliant as she was, it's a bit discouraging that her attributes were overlooked her entire life just because of what was on the outside. This seems slightly unrealistic and honestly, a bit depressing!!
The one other thing I noticed is that often times Miss Hatcher was very vague and lacked a certain amount of descriptives. For instance, on page 85 it talks about how "The company Meredith worked for had sent her back to Boise to oversee an important project," what company? What project? Why is it important? How convenient that it's over all the Holidays? I know it's difficult for an author to decipher between what's just "fluff" and what is important, but the vagueness of passages like these removed me from the story and felt unnatural. Those are my only two complaints.
This is such a beautiful book. Everyone should read it. My heart is very much attached to this book on such a deep level, and I know so many of you have experienced or are experiencing the loss and heartbreak of a failed marriage. I urge you to read this. Be encouraged. Be reassured about God's love for you and His perfect plans for you. Be blessed. Please do yourself a favor and pick this book up for yourself and a friend.
* * *
Notable Quotes
"A faith that can't be tested can't be trusted."
"...while the Bible said God hated divorce, He did not hate the divorced."
"...feelings aren't right or wrong. They're just feelings. They just are. What matters is what you do in response to those feelings. Let God do His work in your heart. He will turn things to good in your life when you follow Him. Even divorce."
Robin Lee Hatcher will be hosting a Facebook party on Thursday, February 6, 2014 at 8:00 PM EST to chat with readers about A Promise Kept, give away copies of the book, and reveal the grand prize winner of a social media giveaway. More details are available on her Facebook Page!
There is also a giveaway for a KINDLE FIRE HDX! Enter to win and RSVP to the party!!
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