Winter Turns to Spring-Catherine Palmer & Gary Chapman

Winter Turns to Spring
Catherine Palmer & Gary Chapman
Tyndale, Jul 2008, $13.99
ISBN: 9781414311685

Brad and Ashley Hanes are each considering ending their marriage. They are tired of constant fighting over bills and habits. They rarely do anything meaningful together.

Their neighbors want to help the couple, but they have their own relationship issues. That is everyone except elderly widower Charlie Moore, whose spouse Esther just died. As he grieves his loss, the Hanes see someone who has lost his long time companion; both want the same long time from each other as the arguments seem trivial, but will either take that first step towards intimacy or will each assumes it is too late.

The final novelization of the Four Seasons of Marriage is an interesting contemporary look at a couple struggling with seemingly overwhelming issues and major differences re how to deal with them. The story line is well written as winter roars like a lion but spring with its renewal promise including marital vows and love is coming. In some ways Charlie steals the show as the Hanes in spite of their fights seem too sweet. Still this is a fine entry in a solid series that reflects on marriage through the parable of the seasons of life.

Harriet Klausner