Book Review: Sunrise on the Battery

ABOUT THE BOOK:

  She wanted her husband to attend the town's society-driven church.

God answered her prayer in a radical way.

An emptiness dogs Mary Lynn Scoville.  But it shouldn't.
     After all she's achieved what few believed possible.  Born in the rural south, she has reached the pinnacle of worldly success in Charleston, South Carolina.  Married to a handsome real estate developer and mother to three accomplished daughters, Mary Lynn is one Debutante Society invitation away from truly having it all.
     And yet, it remains-an emptiness that no shopping trip, European vacation or social calendar can fill.
     When a surprise encounter leads her to newfound faith, Mary Lynn longs to share it with her husband.  But Jackson wrote God off long ago.
     Mary Lynn prays for him on Christmas eve...and her husband undergoes a life-altering, Damascus Road experience.  As Jackson begins to take the implications of the Gospel literally, Mary Lynn feels increasingly isolated from her husband...and betrayed by God.  She only wanted Jackson beside her at church on Sunday mornings, not some Jesus freak who evangelizes prostitutes and invites the homeless to tea.
     While her husband commits social suicide and the life they worked so hard for crumbles around them, Mary Lynn wonders if their marriage can survive.  Or if perhaps there really is a more abundant life the Jackson has discovered, richer than any she's ever dreamed of.

MY THOUGHTS:
I had a hard time getting into this book.  Mary Lynn and Jackson seemed to care so much about their social life that it made me uncomfortable, it made me feel a bit empty and lost, I imagine this is how Mary Lynn felt in her own life.

The people in the book cared so much about what others felt about them that they forgot what was most important...taking care of themselves and their family.  Mary Lynn seemed to be on the right track, but Jackson was a bit more work, and then when Mary Lynn's prayers were answered she seemed lost again, only in a new way.  These are some characters who need to find peace.

I could see the message here, but this just wasn't a smooth read for me, I think I just didn't get along with the characters very well!


*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for review from the B and B Media Group.