Come, Sweet Day: Thoughts and Poems from Hard Times to Hope: A Writer's Journey
by
Bestselling romance author Julianne Donaldson has written deeply emotional, sweeping love stories in Edenbrooke and Blackmoore,
often commenting that her characters were a reflection of what she
wanted a woman’s life to be: happy, secure, unconditionally loved, and
fulfilled. But in reality her own life was far more marked by difficult
challenges and disappointments. In her new book, Donaldson reveals her
thoughts and feelings from that unsettled time of despair and suffering
so women can know they are not alone and that there is hope even in the
hard times.
Compiled from years of inspirational words of encouragement to herself on social media—and even bits and pieces of random musings written on scrap paper, this is a unique writer’s journey through a life passage marked by cancer, a bitter divorce, legal battles with her ex-husband, mental illness, and persistent feelings of rejection and abandonment which also rendered her unable to pick up her career as a writer to support herself and her family. Overwhelmed by sadness and almost paralyzed into inaction by despair, she slowly finds her way back to her writer’s toolbox, unpacking the pain and sharing her innermost feelings as if revealing a character’s thoughts in a novel. In her writing she begins to find rays of understanding and acceptance and eventually finds strength from knowing that God’s love and His grace and guidance give greater meaning to our suffering and light the way to hope.
Compiled from years of inspirational words of encouragement to herself on social media—and even bits and pieces of random musings written on scrap paper, this is a unique writer’s journey through a life passage marked by cancer, a bitter divorce, legal battles with her ex-husband, mental illness, and persistent feelings of rejection and abandonment which also rendered her unable to pick up her career as a writer to support herself and her family. Overwhelmed by sadness and almost paralyzed into inaction by despair, she slowly finds her way back to her writer’s toolbox, unpacking the pain and sharing her innermost feelings as if revealing a character’s thoughts in a novel. In her writing she begins to find rays of understanding and acceptance and eventually finds strength from knowing that God’s love and His grace and guidance give greater meaning to our suffering and light the way to hope.
My review: 9/10
A quick read full of encouragement. Julianne Donaldson is one of my favorite authors. I am so sorry to hear, through this collection, a bit of what she has been going through these past years. But I am so so happy she is writing again, and encouraged by the faith she has clearly leaned on and bravely shared. The story about the garage is perhaps my favorite, so poignant and relatable.
A quick read full of encouragement. Julianne Donaldson is one of my favorite authors. I am so sorry to hear, through this collection, a bit of what she has been going through these past years. But I am so so happy she is writing again, and encouraged by the faith she has clearly leaned on and bravely shared. The story about the garage is perhaps my favorite, so poignant and relatable.
