Review: A Marriage Carol by Chris Fabry & Gary Chapman

January 22, 2014

Title: A Marriage Carol
Author: Chris Fabry & Gary Chapman
Publisher: Moody/ River North
Pages: 121
ISBN: 978-0-8024-0264-6
Publication Date: August 19th, 2011

Synopsis:
On Christmas Eve twenty years earlier, Marlee and Jacob were married in a snowstorm.   This Christmas Eve, they are ready to quit, divorce is imminent. Their relationship is as icy as the road they're traveling and as blocked with troubles as the piling snow. They take a shortcut to get to the lawyer's office, on a slippery, no-fault path. She thinks they need to stay on the main road. He disagrees. They fight. Story of their lives and they slam into a bank of snow , spinning, drifting, falling, out of control. Just like their lives. Reluctantly, freezing cold, hungry, scared, she trudges up the hill. Jacob is nowhere to be found. Her ears frozen, fingers and hands red, she comes to a house on the hillside, built like a Bed and Breakfast, a green wreath on the red door and the door-knocker is in the shape of a wedding ring.

The red door opens and the first thing she notices is the fire in the room, blazing hot, a warm, inviting, friendly place and the voice of an old man welcomes her in. There are three golden pots on the hearth, shining, glimmering things. The old man claims that they are used to restore marriages. She laughs-and begins a journey through her past, present, and future that will test how she views her lifelong love. There are two futures available. Which will she choose?
Review:
Jacob and Marlee Ebeneezer have been married for 20 years. Their marriage started out as they had hoped. They were happy and in love, then life started happening. They had three children, the house, and work to think about. As the years passed, the distance between them grew as well. On their twentieth wedding anniversary, which also happened to be Christmas Eve, Jacob and Marlee are on their way to the lawyers to sign their divorce paperwork. Their children don't know what they are doing, and Jacob and Marlee decide to wait till after Christmas to tell them.

On a short cut that Jacob wants to take, they wreck. Marlee can't quite grasps what happened and is frantic when she can't find her husband after the wreck. With no sign of him anywhere, Marlee starts looking for a working phone to call for help. after a walk, she stumbles on a quite house. She is greeted by an older man who helps her get settled. The phone lines are out, and the older man offers Marlee to look for Jacob. He returns with out Jacob. Marlee doesn't know what to do. The older man offers what ever he can to help Marlee. As they talk, Marlee starts to reveal the story between her and husband. It seems that this is the place Marlee needed to be at. The older man is a marriage counselor. As they talk, Marlee is willing to try the suggestions that he offers. In doing so, Marlee is able to look back on her marriage to Jacob, then sees what is happening to her family in the present. The story wouldn't be complete with out a look into the future.

A Marriage Carol offers a wonderful homage to Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, but it also offers a fresh look into the trials of marriage. When it seems all is lost, it really isn't. There is always hope. If it seems like divorce is the only option, see what brought you to this moment.

Even though this is a short story, it offers a powerful message. It offers a lot to think on. If you think marriage is solely about love, love will save it all, and what is the use when the love is gone, this story offers more to think on. Many people can connect to what Marlee is going through. It is a wonderfully written story that offers an interesting twist at the end.

Too Read
4 out of 5

About the Authors:
Chris Fabry is an award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program Chris Fabry Live! on Moody Radio. He is also heard on Love Worth Finding, Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, and other radio programs. A 1982 graduate of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and a native of West Virginia, Chris and his wife, Andrea, now live in Arizona and are the parents of nine children.

Chris’ novels, which include Dogwood, June Bug, Almost Heaven, Not in the Heart, and his latest release, Borders of the Heart, have won two Christy Awards and an ECPA Christian Book Award, but it’s his lyrical prose and tales of redemption that keep readers returning for more.

He has also published more than 65 other books, including nonfiction and novels for children and young adults. He coauthored the Left Behind: The Kids series with Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, as well as the Red Rock Mysteries and The Wormling series with Jerry B. Jenkins. RPM is his latest series for kids and explores the exciting world of NASCAR.


Dr. Gary Chapman is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Five Love Languages. With more than 30 years of counseling experience, he has the uncanny ability to hold a mirror up to human behavior, showing readers not just where they go wrong, but also how to grow and move forward.




Thank you to Moody/ River North, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.


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