Meet the characters that live, work, dream, and love in the community of Deepwater Cove. Best-selling authors Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer team up to show how four married couples, all in different stages in life, experience the joys and hardships of marriage as examined in Gary Chapman’s The Four Seasons of Marriage. In book one, Steve and Brenda face a common problem among middle-age … couples: empty nest syndrome. Steve works too much, and with their two children out of the house, Brenda feels lonely and unfulfilled. In order to save their marriage, the two must learn to reconnect. Readers are also introduced to many charming characters, like Cody, the mentally challenged homeless man that shows up on Steve and Brenda’s porch; Pete, who owns the Rods ’N’ Ends tackle shop; and Patsy Pringle, who owns the Just As I Am beauty parlor, where much of the action takes place.
The series is based on the marriage principles found in Gary Chapman’s non-fiction book The Four Seasons of Marriage. Similar in tone and light-hearted, quirky humor as Jan Karon’s Mitford series, Fannie Flagg’s books or Steel Magnolias. Each book has a study guide that talks about the four seasons of marriage and the healing strategies depicted in that volume’s story.
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This is a simple, generally charming tale that grows stronger as it develops. Steve and Brenda are in the throes of a typical marital crisis: he’s a chronic overachiever and her feelings of neglect have caused her to grow hostile and cold toward him.
There’s not a lot of dramatic tension in the story since there’s very little suspense to the obvious plot and solution. Of course the couple works things out by compromising in the middle; he eases up at the realty office; her affectionate former self returns. Both realize they have some serious forgiving to do.
There are minor flaws throughout, as pointed out by some reviewers. The cast is lily-white, and for sure having a small-town beauty parlor as a setting is the oldest cliché in Christian publishing. Some of the dialogue seems firmly set in the 1950s rather than 2007, when this was published. There’s a lot of “Howdy” and “I declare, Mary Sue.” That kind of thing.
The book does offer one perhaps unintended blessing. Some readers appreciated the mentally challenged “Cody” character, a simple fellow who intrudes into the tale and keeps punctuating it with his endless pronouncements about chocolate cake and how Christians owe him a big square piece. Truth be told, in the audiobook version, I found those scenes more than a bit tiresome. Which served as a poignant reminder to me that this innocent naïf is a child of God and worthy of our care.
By the way, Jill Mueller gives a bravura performance as the narrator, capturing the angst of the two main characters, the hands-on-hips sassiness of those in the hair salon, and Cody’s soliloquys about more cake, please.
This was a delightful read!
How I love Cody. He is so sweet and just wants to be helpful.
Brenda knows this and lets him help, not realizing she needs more help than she even knows. Her marriage is rocky, she’s an empty nester and life is not where she thought it would be.
Steve, her hubby, is a good guy. He has no idea what the issues are. But that’s totally a guy thing.
These characters feel so real. Like my neighbors, whom I have known my whole life and can see the stress in their lives. I feel it.
Definitely love the ending! I love when things come together just as you would expect them too.
Yup, people are gonna love this one!!
This book is full of great characters who really care about each other, especially the handicapped young man who seems to bring them all together. And the stories are based on biblical principles. So, I am off to start book two tonight!
I picked up this audio book because it was the only one I could find that would be appropriate for a car ride with kids. I knew nothing about it.
It turned out to be a really fun book! I loved the unique cast of characters (especially because each character was so different) and the setting. It was VERY Christian (more so than most), but so entertaining. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.