Amazon.com Book Description:
Sometimes the greatest gifts in life are little miracles you’d never expect to receive.
Nicole is a strong-willed, thirty-five year old wife and mother who is still trying to cope with her devastating loss. A year earlier she had suffered a miscarriage shortly before Christmas, and now, her once indelible faith in God has all but vanished. Concerned about his wife’s distress, Nicole’s husband decides he must gather his family around the Christmas tree and weave a story—a tragic tale of two families who are also struggling with God’s baffling providence—in the hopes that Nicole can find forgiveness and understand that God has a plan in all He does, even the heartrending events in life. After finishing his allegory, Nicole’s husband is still unsure if she can forgive God. That is until a mysterious gift containing something extraordinary is discovered under the Christmas tree that helps Nicole rediscover what she thought she had lost—her faith.
The inspiration behind The Butterfly Key and why it was written:
Shortly before Christmas of 2008 my wife suffered a miscarriage of what would have been our 4th child. Devastated, she experienced not only a loss of faith in God, but also a vast range of emotions toward Him. The hardest part for me was to watch all this transpire and feel completely helpless to allay her pain. I wanted to somehow show her that God has a plan in all He does, even the heartrending events in life. I wanted my wife to find her faith in God once again. And that’s when I decided to sit down and write her a story, a heartfelt novel that I gave to her as a gift the following Christmas which she would then entitle “The Butterfly Key” (Yes, I let her pick the title).
About the author: Andrew Neudecker is a husband and father to three daughters and one son (newborn). He lives just north of the Twin Cities in Hugo, Minnesota. Andrew is an avid reader who loves many genres of books. When He’s not too busy reading or chasing after his wife and kids, one might find him writing anything from poetry to his next heartfelt novel.
My Book Review:
This book is the July selection for a monthly book discussion group that I belong to, and when I read the Amazon.com book description, I knew this was going to be a special book to read. Mr. Neudecker wrote an amazingly inspirational story to help his wife cope with the struggle with her faith following a miscarriage. I can relate to his wife's struggle as I had a miscarriage many years ago and also recently lost the most important person in my life, my mom , and it does cause one to question their faith when dealing with a devastating loss. I was completely drawn into the story of the Bryson and Havily families. The story was beautifully written, it makes you laugh, cry, and cheer on both families as their intertwined lives goes through the highs and lows that life brings them. This story is one that will make you reflect upon your own beliefs in your faith, and the miracles of life and the sacrifices that come with it. The message that I take away from reading this book is that if a person has faith and belief in their life, there will always be hope to hold onto and strength to guide you through any difficulties that may come your way. Kudos to Mr. Neudecker for giving this beautiful gift to his wife, and for sharing it with the rest of us as well.
RATING: 5 STARS *****
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