Living Separate Lives

Living Separate Lives by Paulette Harper Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting novella about 4 friends from college who get together for a weekend reunion years later. It is advertised as Christian so expect that, please. It does have a mature theme to it and is intended for adults, I believe. The 4 friends were at different places in their lives, some married, some successful, others not and each was at a different level of belief. The story is told from each woman's view of things. It is a novella so it was hard for me to connect with any one person. However I was invested in the story and it did hold my attention. It even left me wanting more. I was able to figure out where the story was headed but not how the author would handle it. I was impressed that she kept that real. There was not a holier than thou attempt at forgive and forget. Real reactions played out. Even a time frame for healing. No one was miraculously healed overnight. I really appreciated that. I think it gives readers a realistic look at being a Christian faced with a painful situation. You need to work at relationships, you need to work at forgiveness. You can be hurt, angry, lose it and still be a Christian. I think that is the power in this short story. You will make mistakes, you will hurt, you will fall as a Christian and you will get back up, be forgiven and grow as a Christian.

Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book for review purposes. I review a wide variety, mostly non Christian books. This review contains my honest impression of this title. My beliefs are my own and may or may not be Christian. I received no compensation for this review.

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