3 out of 4 stars
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For Better, For Worse by Elaine Norman is a memoir about the author’s struggles and how her faith in God helped her persevere through them. Elaine describes her life from her childhood until the present day. Her childhood was idyllic, with supportive, loving family. Her first marriage marked the beginning of Elaine’s adversity.
She writes honestly about the bad choices and struggles that ended two marriages. One husband ignored her, was unfaithful, and made her feel worthless. She married again, and this marriage lasted much longer, but financial strain also ended it. Elaine also writes about her medical struggles. Her description of the emotional strain caused by a spinal injury will resonate with anyone who has had similar struggles. Through it all, Elaine kept her faith that God would help her through it all.
I enjoyed the book. Elaine described her marital struggles honestly while acknowledging her own mistakes in the relationships. I found her journey inspiring. She remained optimistic and faithful that God would help her through all her struggles, no matter what happened.
I did think the book struggled to get started. The beginning was almost an intro summarizing her life. It was unnecessary. The book also lingered to long on her childhood. Some background was necessary, but it bogged down the book. Elaine’s childhood wasn’t the point of the book.
The book is also filed under Science Fiction and Fantasy for some reason. This is obviously incorrect. As a memoir, it should be under nonfiction.
There were a lot of formatting issues with the book. There were some strange hyphenations and spaces in the middle of hyphenated words. I did see some spaces in the middle of paragraphs as well. Some of the formatting issues seemed to be caused by changes in the page alignment. There were also a few places where the wrong word was used.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Starting from childhood and continuing until the present day worked well for this memoir. The reader can see how choices and experiences in the past contributed to decisions Elaine made. She was brutally honest about her struggles, creating an inspiring memoir. When the reader knows how much pain she was really in, they understand how much strength it took to maintain her faith. I can’t rate the book 4 stars because of the formatting issues. It would be a good book for anyone struggling with their faith while going through a traumatic experience.
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For Better ForWorse
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