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About the book . . .
What’s it like when the man you married is already married to God? asks Pastors’ Wives, an often surprising yet always emotionally true first novel set in a world most of us know only from the outside.
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen’s debut novel Pastors’ Wives follows
three women whose lives converge and intertwine at a Southern
evangelical megachurch. Ruthie follows her Wall Street husband from New
York to Magnolia, a fictional suburb of Atlanta, when he hears a calling
to serve at a megachurch called Greenleaf. Reeling from the death of
her mother, Ruthie suffers a crisis of faith—in God, in her marriage,
and in herself. Candace is Greenleaf’s “First Lady,” a force of nature
who’ll stop at nothing to protect her church and her superstar husband.
Ginger, married to Candace’s son, struggles to play dutiful wife and
mother while burying her calamitous past. All their roads collide in one
chaotic event that exposes their true selves. Inspired by Cullen’s
reporting as a staff writer for Time magazine, Pastors’ Wives is a dramatic portrayal of the private lives of pastors’ wives, caught between the demands of faith, marriage, duty, and love.
About the author . . .
Lisa Takeuchi Cullen was a longtime staff writer for TIME magazine. She
now develops TV pilots for production companies and recently sold her
first pilot for "The Ordained" to CBS. Born in Japan, Cullen lives in
New Jersey with family.
Reader review . . .
Ruthie, a lapsed Catholic, is not prepared when her husband announces his call to the ministry, and when he answers that call by joining the staff of a megachurch, she feels as though she has been dropped into a foreign country. Ginger, the pastor's daughter-in-law, also struggles with the pressures of being a pastor's wife while trying to hide secrets from her past. Everything is held together by Candace, "First Lady" of Greenleaf, who is clearly the power behind the throne. When scandal erupts and threatens the Greenleaf empire and the happiness of the women, each one discovers her own strengths and weaknesses.
First, just let me make this clear. This is not, technically, Christian fiction, but fiction with a religious theme. Not a negative, you understand, but I just want potential readers to understand before they start reading. The characters are a little more realistic than you would find in Christian fiction, with real struggles and problems that are not always addressed in typical religious genres. Combine that with a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of those in the ministry, and you have a fascinating, if possibly controversial, novel.
Although I have never been a pastor's wife (and don't want to be), I have known many, been friends with some, and even related to a couple of them. Just like the novel, they are real people with the same problems we all face. Pastor's Wives brings these struggles to light, although the characters in the novel are a bit over-the-top; but then, it is fiction, after all.
I appreciate the candidness with which Ruthie struggles with her faith, but at times there is a faint anti-Protestant feel. We are not all nuts, and all mega-churches are not run like Hollywood studios; those are just the ones who make the headlines. I did enjoy the blunt honesty of their conversations, and the phrase "sanctimonious ninny" made me laugh out loud. Some may find the inclusion of somewhat strong language offensive, but in this case, I felt that it added realism.
Overall, a fascinating look at a subject not often explored.
4.5 stars
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Litfuse Publicity Group<http://www.litfusegroup.com> book review bloggers program. 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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
1 comments:
Thanks for review, it was excellent and very informative.
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