Official Review: It's All About the Heart by Lenore Schur

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Cecilia_L
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Official Review: It's All About the Heart by Lenore Schur

Post by Cecilia_L »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "It's All About the Heart" by Lenore Schur.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Why do people do what they do? What’s the difference between a job and a calling? How can we effectively deal with pain in our lives? In her debut novel, It’s All About the Heart, author Lenore Schur explores the answers to these questions through the eyes of Jannie, a college student who is at a crossroads in her life.

When Jannie expresses doubts about finishing her current degree plan to her close friend, Derek, he suggests that she meet one of his father’s friends, elderly Mr. Sherman. At first, Jannie is somewhat puzzled by Derek’s suggestion, but she reluctantly agrees. However, after they meet and Mr. Sherman welcomes Jannie into his home and begins to share stories from his life with her, she realizes Derek’s insight.

Mr. Sherman quickly endears himself to her, and a friendship is formed. Jannie looks forward to their tea time and mentoring sessions with anticipation. She admires his ease of sharing his personal thoughts and his devotion to his dear wife Isabella, who was moved to a nursing home after breaking her hip. As Mr. Sherman continues to share his experiential wisdom on various matters of the heart, Jannie gains clarity regarding the decision that had previously been troubling her.

Another aspect of the story unfolding is the relationship between Jannie and Derek. As he spends more time with Jannie and her family, their long-time friendship develops into something deeper, with the hint of romance on the horizon. The romantic in me would have liked to have read more on their blossoming relationship, but perhaps that will be addressed in another book.

Schur masterfully weaves the threads of well-written fiction, scriptural principles and resources from her research to craft well-developed characters. I found myself wishing I could curl up in one of the comfy chairs in Mr. Sherman’s library with a cup of tea while soaking in his wisdom. On a personal note, I found the friendship between college-aged Jannie and eighty-five-year-old Mr. Sherman a welcome change from the disrespect and ageism that is common in our society, today.

There are several rather lengthy sections in the book where the author quotes other sources, and usually, I would have the tendency to lose interest. However, because the information is interesting and supports the story’s plot, it held my attention. Furthermore, I didn’t notice a single grammatical error. I rate this uplifting book 4 out of 4 stars and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys inspirational fiction. Though it contains a lot of scripture and biblical teaching, it doesn’t come across as preachy and the book is well written enough that I believe it would appeal to Christians and non-Christians, alike. Also, there is a resource reference section at the end, for those who are interested in digging deeper into the spiritual principles taught in the book.

******
It's All About the Heart
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strawberrysab
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Post by strawberrysab »

This book is definitely my cup of tea!! Thanks for your gorgeous review, I enjoyed it and it made me fall in love with the book already. I’m looking forward to the friendship between Jannie and Mr. Sherman and I thoroughly appreciate that the romance with Derek was only hinted (it would have kind of weakened the main relationship)
Berry :wine:
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Post by Marissa Michael »

This is a good read indeed about making decisions in life and supported with Biblical scriptures. I'm interested to read more on Mr Sherman's wisdom. Thank you for your informative review!
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Post by Samantha Simoneau »

There is literally nothing in your review that I don't like! I can't wait to read this book now. I find well-written friendships between older and much younger characters heartwarming and unique. Thanks for the great review!
Samantha Simoneau

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Post by daniya__shah3 »

This review breaks my heart since I tried getting this book to review. Unfortunately, the book is unavailable in my country and there's nothing I can do to read it. Great review!
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Post by Dahmy 10 »

I love novels that portray the beautiful shades of romance as it begins with friendship; I am just wondering as to the involvement of the elder man and his mentoring.

It seems this book would be a very great mix. Thanks for this beautiful review!!
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Post by Kentex »

Interesting approach to this issue. It gives the reader high expectations about what is going to happen.
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Post by kfwilson6 »

Older people have such wisdom. More of us should sit down with a cup of tea and actually listen to that wisdom. I like that the primary relationship is between Jannie and Mr. Sherman rather than Jannie and Derek. I think it emphasizes the importance of Mr. Sherman in Jannie's life; that's just a hunch.
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Post by Ana-Maria-Diana »

Interesting how the author managed pain in order to create a n inspirational story. Thank you for the review.
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Post by Cecilia_L »

strawberrysab wrote: 26 Jun 2018, 23:12 This book is definitely my cup of tea!! Thanks for your gorgeous review, I enjoyed it and it made me fall in love with the book already. I’m looking forward to the friendship between Jannie and Mr. Sherman and I thoroughly appreciate that the romance with Derek was only hinted (it would have kind of weakened the main relationship)
Sounds like you'll enjoy it! Thank you for reading my review and for your kind words!
If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.
Frances Hodgson Burnett
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Cecilia_L
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Post by Cecilia_L »

SamSim wrote: 27 Jun 2018, 10:44 There is literally nothing in your review that I don't like! I can't wait to read this book now. I find well-written friendships between older and much younger characters heartwarming and unique. Thanks for the great review!

Thanks so much!
If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.
Frances Hodgson Burnett
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Cecilia_L
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Post by Cecilia_L »

kfwilson6 wrote: 27 Jun 2018, 20:48 Older people have such wisdom. More of us should sit down with a cup of tea and actually listen to that wisdom. I like that the primary relationship is between Jannie and Mr. Sherman rather than Jannie and Derek. I think it emphasizes the importance of Mr. Sherman in Jannie's life; that's just a hunch.
Your hunch is correct! :coffee3-smiley:
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
C.S. Lewis
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Cecilia_L
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Post by Cecilia_L »

Ana-Maria-Diana wrote: 28 Jun 2018, 04:59 Interesting how the author managed pain in order to create a n inspirational story. Thank you for the review.
Thank you for reading my review and your comment.
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