Review: Sweet Sanctuary by Sheila Walsh & Cindy Martinusen Coloma

Title: Sweet Sanctuary
Author: Sheila Walsh & Cindy Martinusen-Coloma
Released: August 9, 2011
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pages/Format: 362 (Trade Paperback)
Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction
Source: Booksneeze

In tiny Cottage Cove, on the coast of Maine, Wren Evans is raising her gifted son, Charlie. A single mom, she’s fought to give Charlie a stable, secure home life. When a prestigious music academy in Boston expresses interest in Charlie’s talent, Wren is willing to move them again to make his dreams come true.

But Wren doesn’t know that Charlie has been praying for her. And the answer to her son’s prayers will change both of their lives. As Wren plans their move to Boston, life in Maine begins to fall apart. Her job is threatened with budget cuts, and Wren’s grandmother, Ruth, arrives unannounced, with an outlandish request.

Ruth wants the family gathered together one last time, at the summer home where, years before, an accident shattered Wren’s peaceful childhood. In the tumult, Wren finds a friend in a handsome, kind-hearted local, Paul Callahan.

When the family gathers in Cottage Cove, old wounds will be healed, new love will blossom, and the innocent prayers of a child will be answered in a most unexpected way.

One Sentence Review: I found the plot and character development lacking, but Sweet Sanctuary is still a very enjoyable read that highlights important aspects of the Christian walk.

In-Depth Review

Northeast Harbor, Maine

Sweet Sanctuary caught my attention because of its setting. I grew up near Boston and spent a lot of time in Maine during summer vacations. Walsh and Coloma’s description of Cottage Cove reminds me an awful lot of Northeast Harbor, just eighty miles south on the coastline. The familiar landscape made the story resonate with me in a way it might not have otherwise. I also enjoyed the literary and film references dropped every once in a while, including a salute to The Princess Bride, which, as I have stated before, improves any book.

Another aspect of the story that endeared it to me is the analysis it provides of today’s reading technology. Our protagonist, Wren, is a librarian who deeply values the printed word and when a technology expert questions the relevance of brick and mortar libraries in the twenty-first century, She delivers a blistering commentary.

The implication that libraries might not be relevant in the technological age didn’t sit well with Wren. She believed in books. She couldn’t imagine snuggling in bed with an electronic device. She was convinced that in ten years, doctors would report how all the gadgets people used caused cancer from the electrical waves buzzing through the human body. Suddenly everyone would be returning to real thing . . . like books. {Sweet Sanctuary, page 70}

Aside from the cozy setting and social commentary, I love Charlie and Wren’s relationship and how single motherhood is portrayed. The dialogue between them at the beginning of the novel really captured my imagination and I wish there had been more development of Charlie’s character. I felt like the authors started out great introducing me to Charlie and showing his personality, but then they dropped the ball and for the remainder of the novel he came across as a fairly two dimensional character, serving only in a functional role.

Wren’s relationship with her bristly sister is developed nicely and her romance with local renaissance man Paul Callahan is sweet, realistic, and understated. The message of faith in the story is subtle and well written, focusing on the power of prayer, forgiveness, and the importance of “letting go and letting God.”

Throughout the story, allusions are made to a childhood accident which fractured Wren’s family. There is a lot of suspenseful buildup before the details of the accident are finally revealed, and when they are, it’s pretty undramatic. I was left wondering why this event had such a long lasting divisive impact on the Wren’s family.

What made this book enjoyable for me was the setting, social commentary, and cultural references, plus the charming romance and the fact that I have a lot in common with the main character. Sweet Sanctuary is about three hundred pages long, and I wish the authors had padded it with another fifty pages of character and plot development. The anticlimactic ending was a also disappointing, but despite these significant flaws, I still found myself glued to the page from start to finish.

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About Sheila Walsh:

Sheila Walsh is a best-selling author with over 4 million books sold. A featured speaker with Women of Faith, more than 3.5 million women have heard her speak. She lives in Texas with her husband, Barry and their son, Christian.

About Cindy Martinusen-Coloma:

Cindy Martinusen Coloma is the best-selling author of several novels including, Ruby Unscripted, and Orchard House. Salt Garden was chosen by Library Journal as one of the five best Christian fiction books of 2004.