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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Heart and Soul of Marcellea: A continuous Journey" by Marcellea A. Dorsey.]

A quote from the book of Proverbs in the Bible reads as follows: As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. I think it means that there is nothing you can hide from your heart. It holds every precious moment, bears every scar, and hides every hope and unrealized dream. The Heart and Soul of Marcellea: A Continuous Journey by Marcellea A. Dorsey is a book of poetry and prose that lays bare the heart of the author in all its raw, emotional realness. Dorsey is a Christian, and her book is about the journey of her heart through love, loss, heartbreak, and disappointment. The book culminates in the unconditional love she has found in Jesus Christ and explains how in knowing Him, she has found a love that will not fail her.

The Heart and Soul of Marcellea is different from any other poetry book I have ever read. It goes from the author's deep love for Christ and her faith in Him to her raw desire for a man to love. It talks about the heartbreaking loss of her beloved sister and the wound it has left on her soul. It shares the strength she found in a man who stepped into her life to take the place of the father who left her. The book goes from prose to poetry and back to prose. It preaches and teaches at times, and at other times it just opens up the author's heart and spills out her most intimate thoughts.

The Heart and Soul of Marcellea is the versification of more than just the author's life. Christians, in general, prefer not to discuss subjects such as physical desire even within the boundaries of marriage. As a result, these topics are often suppressed or considered tasteless to converse about. In her poems, Dorsey unabashedly addresses these issues while asserting that these needs need to be fulfilled within the bond of marriage. She addresses other controversial issues as well, such as the anger and questioning she felt at the loss of her beloved sister and her disappointment at the men in her life abdicating their responsibilities for cheap worldly pleasures.

It is difficult to critique the poems themselves since poetry is always subjective and not bound by the rules of prose. However, if the purpose of poetry is to make you think, make you uncomfortable, then the book did its job.

The book is directed at Christians, but its raw honesty could be enjoyed by any woman who has felt the loss of a loved one or the pain of a broken relationship. The book teaches the importance of "learning to wait"; I would recommend it to older teens struggling with the influence of our over-sexualized society. I did find a few grammatical errors in the prose sections of the book, but they did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.

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The Heart and Soul of Marcellea: A continuous Journey
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As a Christian, I have come to the realization that life is hard and not worth living unless all is given up to Christ. As Jesus said, "He that seeks to keep his life will lose it, and he that gives up his life for my sake will gain everlasting life". Christian books and poems such as these help me in my Christain walk as I can look into how other fellow believers have dealt with trying times, temptations, and other-worldly issues. Glory to God for authors such as Marcellea A. Dorsey who have urged on the message of Jesus to the world in their own unique but Christ driven ways.

This book is meant to be read by Christians, so I'd pass on this one.

This review is enough conviction that this book is a unique book. What I find most attractive about this book is the author's frankness, and her honest heartfelt outpouring of raw emotions. I also like that she upholds her religion with practicality. Like how she move from talking about her love for God to her desire for a man in her life. It's also a plus that the book is not monotonous, it doesn't center on just religion or love or loss. I hope I get the chance to read this book.
Beautiful review!

Normally I do not read poetry, but this book seems very interesting. Great review!

I am always excited to ready any book with a 4 stars rating. I appreciate the effort put in, in writing the review. I would definitely love to read the book

I like that the book is about poetry with Christian undertones. Thanks for the enjoyable review.

Heart and soul of macellea, a book of proverb. And i mean great and weird speech in direction for glorious stand. I think recomending book like this will be nice!!!

Kevivas03 wrote: ↑02 Sep 2020, 04:18 As a Christian, I have come to the realization that life is hard and not worth living unless all is given up to Christ. As Jesus said, "He that seeks to keep his life will lose it, and he that gives up his life for my sake will gain everlasting life". Christian books and poems such as these help me in my Christain walk as I can look into how other fellow believers have dealt with trying times, temptations, and other-worldly issues. Glory to God for authors such as Marcellea A. Dorsey who have urged on the message of Jesus to the world in their own unique but Christ driven ways.

I agree! We are Christians but we also live in the world and honest testimonies help us understand other believers struggles and how they overcome.