“Letting Go” A Journey from Bitter to Better

4 STARS

There are few "religious" books that I truly enjoy reading. Many are laden with so many scriptures that I often think, "Why don't I just pick up the Bible and read that?" I find them to be somewhat choppy and the flow of the story is interrupted by the authors attempt to mold scripture around the points and events in the story. Although there were parts of this book that seemed "forced," on the whole "Letting Go, Pathway to an Amazing Life" was an exception to this rule. I was able to focus on the uplifting story of the author, Sandy Hancock, who wrote this book with passion and conviction. The book held my attention throughout.

This book is the telling of the migration of a life. The journey from being unfulfilled and hungry to one of being satisfied and having a purpose is chronicled and shared with the reader in an interesting and entertaining voice. The author tells of a life that was not necessarily bad but one in which no matter how many worldly successes the author achieved she remained unhappy. The migration to fulfillment is spelled out with the simple resolutions of being submissive to God and repulsion of Satan. Rather than just recite this simple notion, the concept is painted and illustrated with many different instances and examples from the author’s life.

There are many memorable moments in the author’s words and journey. There are many references to situations that most women will be able to relate to. The scriptural use compliments and illustrates her points without distraction and often is enlightening to the reader. I recommend this book to all women who seek to better themselves or simply reaffirm their spiritual journey. Although the author’s life and experiences are unique and even charmed in comparison to most, Sandy's search for love and acceptance is one that is universal in its rawest form.

Very often I will put a book down and all that remains with me is the plot or the story or the moral but this is not the case with "Letting Go, Pathway to an Amazing Life." After reading the book and reflecting back on the most memorable points, one particular reference remains implanted in my thoughts. "The only difference between BITTER and BETTER is "I." This poignant and truthful statement will remain with me forever.

AN IRISHWOMAN'S TALE

"An Irishwoman's Tale" is based on a woman's (MARY'S) quest to find her "truths." Mary is a woman caught between generations. She is the bitter caretaker of her "mother" and her daughter as well. She outwardly appears to have a good life dispite the fact that she has a mother/non mother which was quite confusing at first It took me a while to "get into" the book as I was having trouble relating to the blatent "off standishness" of Mary. That was very short lived as Mary opened up to her new friend and was able to confide through her vivid story telling and trave

This is a novel of fiction but based on a true story. This made the book intriguing yet I found to also be very distracting at times. In the of the book Mary seeminlg has a great life but has twinges of bitter resentment from her childhood. She prays for a friend and this prayer is answered when Southern Sally appears in her life, relatively early in the story. Sally is the opposite of Mary in that she interacts well with others, makes friends easily and encourages others to do the same. Mary is quickly able to disclose her feelings and thoughts through stories of her past to this new found friend. Beginning when she is moved from her Irish home to America.

This book follows Sally & Mary to Ireland and back to the states to investigate, learn and put the puzzle pieces of Mary's life back together. Mary finds closure and learns that God was with her all along through her many triumphs and tragedies. This book takes you from a troubled childhood , through coming of age issues and finally into a grown woman with a daughter of her own. The reader retraces her roots along with Mary and Sally in order for Mary to gain trust in others, herself and God.

I gave this novel 3 stars as it is worth the read but it is Not a "can't put down page-turner." I found myself drifting off in the beginning of the story and having to reread some of the pages for the words to "soak in." It does have some good twists and turns which makes it not as "predictable" as some other novels that attempt to cross generational lines and countries. I also found the writing "choppy" in some areas. I am guessing that is in the parts where fictional and historical imagry was added to the non fiction parts of the story to add color. I found the descriptiveness took away from the story rather than made it more relistic.