A 2013 Midwest Publishing Awards Show Honorable MentionSharon Garlough Brown tells the moving story of four strangers as they embark together on a journey of spiritual formation:Hannah, a pastor who doesn’t realize how exhausted she is.Meg, a widow and recent empty-nester who is haunted by her past.Mara, a woman who has experienced a lifetime of rejection and is now trying to navigate a difficult … difficult marriage.Charissa, a hard-working graduate student who wants to get things right.You’re invited to join these four women as they reluctantly arrive at a retreat center and find themselves drawn out of their separate stories of isolation and struggle and into a collective journey of spiritual practice, mutual support and personal revelation. Along the way, readers will be taken into a new understanding of key spiritual practices and find tangible support for the deeper life with God.If you want to travel this journey with others, you will find a group study guide and book club resources at sensibleshoesclub.com.
more
I have to highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a way to deepen your spiritual walk while reading an entertaining story at the same time. This book rocked my world.
Sharon Brown takes a unique approach in this novel. She combines her own personal ministry as a spiritual guide in the Christian faith along with her characters’ fictional journeys. So you walk away with not only a well-developed story of interesting characters whose lives intersect at a retreat center, but also with tools used at the retreat …
This book reads like fiction and non-fiction combined. While parts of the suggested journey may seem a little out there for some readers, I found parts of myself in each of the four women who are portrayed. The story was thought-provoking and made me consider how we can be too busy or too academic or too filled with guilt in our walk with the Lord.
Sharon’s characters are wonderful – absolutely wonderful. And you can connect with every one of them in some way. There’s a great depth about this book that can be life-changing.
Superior story of faith journeys.
What a story! This isn’t the first book I’ve read this year that I want to reread, but it’s likely the first fiction title that’s struck me that way.
I loved the depth in here—the characters felt like real people, their backstories were intricate and realistic, and the writing style was very well done. This book is fairly long. It also is a very …
Real characters with realistic challenges. This reads somewhat like a Bible study at times so I found it difficult to read if I was not wanting deep thoughtful reading. The characters are very realistic and I appreciated that!
Remarkable
I enjoyed how the characters bonded and how their lives were changed by the Lord!
My Daughter recommended this book and I really enjoyed it.
It’s a book more women can relate to with the variety of the characters. I didn’t want the book to end!
Practical insight into how we hide from ourselves and our past.
4.75 star. An unforgettable book which deserves to be read many times. I suspect you’ll get more out of it each time.
4 different women embarking on realistic journeys of faith complete wtih issues of anger, disappointment in God, dysfunctional relationships …
The loss of a part of a star is that there were several pacing issues with the …
Not what I expected. Four women are drawn to a retreat center, for a spiritual journey. At first I was afraid it would be preachy, but soon got caught up in the lives and foibles of the main characters. All of us, inside and outside the church, on different stages along our own spiritual paths, have our own mixes of quirks and eccentricities …
I very seldom give five-star ratings but Sensible Shoes earned it. I’m glad though that I read it in softcover print form, as the four characters deserved to not be mixed up in my mind, and I often referred to the back cover for the first few chapters where there’s a brief description of each. Many works of Christian fiction just give an …
If I could give it a 10, I would. I read LOTS of books, but this stands alone. I hesitate to say this is fiction, because the spiritual truths, lessons and characters are so overwhelmingly real. Prepare to read the trilogy – if you start, you won’t want to stop at one.
Although a fiction book, it teaches us that we all need to be part of a supportive community to encourage us in our spiritual journey. Through narrative, Sensible Shoes shows us how. Though this book will appeal more to women than men, I think the message is more important for guys. Aside from Sensible Shoes being an enjoyable read and …
best read in a long time!
A great book on finding oneself spiritually. Sensitive and interesting.
I’m still thinking about the characters in the story. I think the author gives someone for everyone to identify with.