Book Review and Giveaway: Pastors Wives by Lisa Takeuchi Cullen (extra giveaway too!)

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from the author,via Bostick Communications, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it

In 2007, former Time magazine reporter Lisa Takeuchi Cullen didn’t know what to expect when receiving an assignment to attend a religious retreat for the wives of pastors. However, what she found was that life as a pastor’s wife was much more complex than imagined. She attempted to make it into a reality series, but after much heartacje and tribunals, that idea fizzled and her husband said, "why don't you write a book with all that info you have?", and she did! Welcome to her dbeut book!

Synopsis: What’s it like when the man you married is already married to God? asks Pastors’ Wives, a novel set in a world most of us know only from the outside.

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen’s debut novelPastors’ Wives follows three women whose lives converge and intertwine at a Southern evangelical megachurch. Ruthie follows her Wall Street husband from New York to Magnolia, a fictional suburb of Atlanta, when he hears a calling to serve at a megachurch called Greenleaf. Reeling from the death of her mother, Ruthie suffers a crisis of faith—in God, in her marriage, and in herself. Candace is Greenleaf’s “First Lady,” a force of nature who’ll stop at nothing to protect her church and her superstar husband. Ginger, married to Candace’s son, struggles to play dutiful wife and mother while burying her calamitous past. All their roads collide in one chaotic event that exposes their true selves.

Review: In the book, the author makes the analogy of a pastor's wife to a magnolia tree. Magnolia trees have been around since before the bees, says the legend, and as such were made to be pollinated by heavy beetles.So their leaves and petals (which aren't called petal but tepals by the way), are built tough to withstand the heaviness of the beetle. Magnolia trees bend in strong winds, which is why they survive hurricanes!.It's a pretty good description, as many pastor's wives surely feel like they carry a heavy load of all the extra demands placed upon them by faith, marriage, duty, love and church members, who sometimes forget they are human, yet they must bend and flex to the needs to their family, husband and the congregation.

The story starts off a little slow but quickly takes root like the Magnolia tree, and winds itself around your heart. You will feel for all the wives and the stresses they have and how they strive to rise (or not rise as it may be) above them. It is an interesting read and I gifted a copy to my pastor's wife, and she said the same-"happy that it shows us as human, and how many pitfalls can come upon us, but there are different types based on the size of the congregation, and this book was a good starting point".

The book will definitely help you to see your pastor's wife in a new light, and an enjoyable Summer read.

About the Author: Lisa Takeuchi Cullen was a longtime staff writer for TIME magazine. She now develops television pilots for production companies. Born in Japan, Cullen lives in New Jersey with family. This is her first novel. Learn more about Lisa at her website.

We have not one, but TWO giveaways related to this book! First up: Enter Today - 5/2 - 5/23!

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen is celebrating the release of her debut novel, Pastors' Wives, with an iPad Mini Giveaway and connecting with readers on Facebook on May 23rd!

One winner will receive:

An iPad Mini
A $25 iTunes gift card

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 22nd. Winner will be announced at the "Pastors' Wives" Author Chat Party on May 23rd. Connect with Lisa for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Lisa will also be giving away books and fun gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of Pastors' Wives and join Lisa on the evening of May 23rd for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)