Wednesday, September 8, 2010

A Tardy True Love Tuesday

First of all, I apologize for being late in posting this. I've been keeping busy with homework and such, so I didn't quite find time for it until now--and it's only 15 minutes until Wednesday! Talk about waiting until the last minute (or 15)!

I had been thinking about doing a post on North & South for today, but I think I might reserve that for another day. ;) I definitely need time to compose a well-thought out post for such a beautiful, grand movie as that!

So today (which will be Wednesday for most of you!) I thought we could talk about the examples of true love that we've seen in the books we've read recently or are in the process of reading right now.

*There might be spoilers in the next part of this post, so if you haven't read the books I discuss proceed with caution!*

I'll start with Love, Charleston. I finished this book last week, and as hard to read as it was, there was one especially memorable example of true love within those pages.

One of the main characters, Della, and her husband are going through a rough time. The country is in a recession, and both of them are "artists" (one's a writer and one makes sculptures) who don't make very much money. Della detests their home and the way they are forced to barely get by. She is especially concerned about the welfare of her daughter. And so, she finds herself giving attention to the man she had turned down years before--a man who can afford a comfortable, "normal" life.

The relationship between Della and her husband is put to the test. Will they remain faithful to each other? I think it's so important, especially for those of us who are still single, to consider the "happily ever after" part of the story--the part that comes after you say "I do." I haven't yet experienced marriage, but from what I can tell it can be both wonderful and at times very difficult. It is so important to have openness, honesty, and patience in any sort of relationship, especially in marriage.

For those of you who are already married, perhaps you can give some pre-marriage advice to those of us who have yet to experience it. ;)

One thing I really loved in Surrender the Heart was its reminder that true beauty lies in the spirit of a person, and true love will see beyond the outward appearance. What a valuable lesson for us to be reminded of in this day and age!

I also appreciated the reminder that true love doesn't judge. Perhaps true love will take time to fully grow to this point, but when it does it shows understanding and compassion, realizing that there is much that one doesn't know about the other. This can be applied to many different relationships, for sure, but it certainly is an important aspect of romantic relationships!

I think I'm a little over a third of the way through with Making Waves, and I've really been enjoying it so far! =)

The heroine and the hero are really fun, and some elements of true love that I've seen are the importance of caring for each other and the importance of recognizing each other's dreams and passions (and encouraging them!). This has mostly been on the side of Trip (the hero), as he has come to Marguerite's rescue, shown her that he is willing to stand up for her, and appreciated her apparent love for sailing.

As for Roger, the other potential love interest . . . let's just say that I've been reminded that true love isn't selfish and it respects the other person. (Take the hint, Roger!) ;)

So, what have you been reading lately? Have you learned or been reminded of anything about true love that you could share with us? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

11 comments:

Kav said...

Amber, I just finished reading 'Making Waves' and you are in for such a treat. You're going to get to the point where you don't want to put it down because...well, that would be telling. :-) I think Lorna did a great job of showing how true love can grow from friendship and respect...and how it can crumble under the weight of deceit.

Right now I'm reading The Bridge of Peace by Cindy Woodsmall. I just started so we're still establishing character and setting, but I'm certain there are going to be some 'love' messages wrapped in there somewhere.

Amber Holcomb said...

Kav,

Thank you for getting me even more excited about the book! I've got some homework to do, but I think if I get enough done today I'll have a good amount of time to read soon! ;) I'm already starting to see the "deceit" problem, and I'm curious how everything is going to be resolved. So glad you liked the book!

I remember that you really enjoyed the first book in that series by Cindy Woodsmall, so I hope you enjoy this second one, too! :) I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on it. And I'm sure you're right about the "love" messages--they've got to be in there, right? ;)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

~Amber

Ariel Wilson said...

I got Love, Charleston in the mail today :) Looking forward to it!

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

Girl we must have the same reading list! I just finished Making Waves and Love, Charleston and I have Surrender tthe Heart on mt TBR pile. I must admit that I didn't enjoy LC as much as I thought I was going too but I loved Making Waves. I'm sooo sooo glad you loved North and South and I can't wait to read your thoughts on it!

XOXO~ Renee

Lorna said...

Hi Amber,

Just wanted to drop by and say thanks for posting about Making Waves! And Renee, I'm glad you liked it. I'm watching North and South myself right now and I'm loving it.

Thanks again! Lorna

Amber Holcomb said...

Ariel,

Oh, good! :D I hope you enjoy it and are encouraged by it. Have a great day!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Renee,

I think you're right! ;) I'm planning on finishing Making Waves really soon (looking forward to reading more of it!), and then I'm planning on reading A Hope Undaunted!!! Woohoo!

I agree that I didn't really enjoy Love, Charleston as much as I would have liked to, but I think it mostly had to do with its hard-to-read content, not with the author's writing ability.

I'm so glad I heard about North & South on Laura's blog! :D Thank you for being interested in hearing my thoughts. ;) You're so sweet!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Lorna,

Thank you for stopping by! It's always fun to have authors visit m blog! :D And so happy to hear you're watching North & South--isn't it amazing?

Anyway, I'm planning on posting my review of Making Waves on Sunday. It was fun posting about my thoughts on it so far!

~Amber

Amanda Stanley said...

Apparently "tardiness" is contagious, LOL ;) Sorry, I'm late. I've been trying to get over here but I've been so busy lately- and I don't even go to school! I don't know how you do it, my friend, but God bless you!!

Anyway, this is a lovely post :) I agree with everything you said about Surrender the Heart (the only book I've read so far out of that 3). True love sees with the heart, not the eyes. That's what made Marianne and Noah's story so special to me. To see their love gradually develop, in the midst of insecurities and prejudices and sort of catch them by surprise, really touches the heart. And, what really spoke to my heart was when Marianne realized Noah actually cared for her, actually loved her. My heart joyfully weeped and soared free and high right along with her! It's amazing how love can erase insecurities and make the "plain" absolutely radiant!!

And, right now I'm halfway through Within My Heart, and enjoying it so very much! Rand (the hero) is so gentle and selfless, and respectful of Rachel's (the heroine) late husbands memory. Rachel is a little stand-offish right now, but you can see the wall she has set up around her heart beginning to crack and soften as she starts to see Rand in a different light. Then there's a sub-story going on with a couple of the supporting characters that's truly heart-wrenching, and I mention it because there is such deep, abiding love between these two people. They've actually played an important part in the story so far. To be honest, this ones a tearjerker, so keep some tissues close by ;)

I just love reading all your beautiful insights about the books you read :) It's such a blessing (not to mention, so much fun!) discussing books with you! Praying you have a beautiful weekend, my friend! Off to go read more WMH... can't wait to write a review on this one!

Blessings,
Amanda Stanley

Amanda Stanley said...

Wept. "Joyfully wept"- thats what I meant. Is "weeped" even a word? It sounds funny. LOL, my brain is on overload, I'm surprised I can spell my name right!

Blessings,
Amanda Stanley- looks ok... I think? ;)

Amber Holcomb said...

Amanda,

It's great to "see" you! ;) Don't feel bad at all--I know we've all been keeping busy! As far as how I do it, I've been pulling quite a few late-nighters (not that it's that much different than summer, but I didn't have school then!). Of course, I blog off and on throughout the day when I can, and a lot of my late-nighters involve reading and such, not just blogging. ;)

Anyway, I just love your descriptions of the romance in Surrender the Heart! :D I especially love when you said, "It's amazing how love can erase insecurities and make the 'plain' absolutely radiant!!" LOVE that idea--you always have such a way with words. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Oh boy, Within My Heart does sound like a tear-jerker! I'm definitely looking forward to reading it (Tamera does such a wonderful job of creating real, heartbreaking characters), but I know it's going to be a bit more of a somber read. (Not that that's a bad thing at all, because I know the message is going to be powerful!) I appreciate you sharing how you like it so far, and I can't wait to read your review!

I hope your weekend is wonderful, too, and thank you so much for the encouraging words! It is such a pleasure to discuss books with YOU--your descriptions and thoughts on them are lovely!

~Amber

P.S. I think "wept" is right. ;) I really don't like it when I look at a word that I write all of the time and suddenly question it...so frustrating! Haha, oh well! So happy you could stop by! :)