I read the description of this novel and was intrigued. I thought the cover told the story. A husband and wife together, but so far apart. I started reading and I wanted to love this novel. I wanted to escape into their world, their way of life. I wanted to connect with the characters and fall in love with them. But, it didn't happen for me.
It's campaign season. Seems like everything goes. Priorities are all mixed up. I can totally understand why this couple had so many issues. I found the characters to be selfish. Each wanting what they want and not really concerned about the needs of others.
This couple has a teenage daughter who is now helping dad out with the campaign. Mom isn't thrilled. She was young once and doesn't want her daughter to follow in her footsteps. Some might call her a helicopter mom. Others would say she is just trying to protect her daughter from the evils of the world they live in.
There are many characters in this novel. I found that the story didn't really flow easily. It traveled from day to day and the reader is being tossed about from situation to situation. If I can be honest. I didn't really care about these characters. There wasn't enough heart and emotion. It seemed everything stayed on the surface and never really dug deep. Yes, the issues this couple and other characters are facing are brought to the readers attention, but like I said, they seemed so selfish and inconsiderate of others.
If there was a character that I was touched by it would be Tuck. He comes from a prominent family. He has never had to do anything, but live his fun and his fun is really soaking in the hurt he is desperately trying to cover up. His grandfather doesn't really consider him important. He's almost just a name. My heart went out to this character. Circumstances occur and change is comes for this young man. He wants to be more than a name. In fact, he wants to do more than make his grandfather proud. He wants to make himself proud and make a real difference.
If the writers were trying to convey the hurry and selfishness of running a campaign they did a wonderful job. Integrity is huge and it's missing in most of these characters. I did enjoy seeing them grow and come to realize what is truly important in life.
I was so excited to receive this copy, but when I began reading I never connected. I tried to be understanding to these characters, but they really weren't people I enjoyed reading about. You may pick up this selection and feel totally different. You may connect in ways that I wasn't able to. You may enjoy the fast past and hurried characters pulling you here and there. I would have enjoyed getting to know the characters more closely. I think that would have made a huge difference for me.
This book was a gift from Thomas Nelson for sharing my review with you.
