Composing Amelia

Composing Amelia

by Alison Strobel

Description from the publisher: 

Newlyweds Amelia and Marcus Sheffield are recent college grads trying to stay afloat in L.A. while searching for their dream jobs. Marcus hopes to become a mega-church pastor. Amelia has an esteemed music degree and longs to play piano professionally. The Sheffields are clearly city people. But when a small town church offers Marcus a job, the couple's dedication to their dreams and each other is tested. After a risky compromise is made, Amelia falls into a dark emotional place, where she finds skeletons she'd fought hard to deny. In desperation, she calls out to God. But why can't she find Him? While Amelia struggles, Marcus learns news that nearly crushes him. He must lean on his faith to withstand the pressure...or risk losing his wife forever. 

My take:

I enjoyed reading this book. I was hooked fairly early on, and found myself thinking about it during the day, wondering what would happen to Marcus and Amelia's marriage. Some days I couldn't wait for lunch or the evening when I could sit and read for awhile! I felt this book portrayed the struggles of a young couple's life, dreams, and faith in a fairly realistic way. What I didn't understand was Amelia's mental illness as portrayed in the book. I realize that a lot of times mental illness comes out in times of intense pressure and struggles in life, but it didn't seem like the author developed Amelia's pre-marriage volatile emotions. I could be wrong, but I don't remember reading a whole lot about that. Just an observation on my part. But I really did love this book and enjoyed it thoroughly. 

I give this book a 4. Anyone who enjoys Christian fiction that touches on real life would enjoy this one.

About the author: 

Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Alison began writing stories in elementary school, following in the footsteps of her journalist/author father, Lee Strobel. She moved to Californiawhere she was inspired to write her first novel, "Worlds Collide," which released with Waterbrook Press in 2005. Her sophomore release, "Violette Between" came the following year and earned her a Rita Award nomination from the Romance Writers of America. After writing "Violette Between" Alison took a break from writing to enjoy life with her new baby girl Abigail. She now has another daughter, Penelope Jane, and two more books published--"The Weight of Shadows" (with Zondervan Publishing) and "Reinventing Rachel" (with David C. Cook), as well as two more releasing in 2011. To learn more about her or to sign up for her newsletter, please visithttp://www.alisonstrobel.com. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from David C. Cook. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."