It Happens Every Spring
by Dr. Gary Chapman & Catherine Palmer
Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.(February 2007 release)
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Reviewed by Jamie Driggers
Marriage has many seasons: Spring which is full of hope and anticipation, Summer and its comfort, Autumn and its negligence and Winter with its dissatisfaction. This fictional work, based on Dr. Gary Chapman's The Four Seasons of Marriage, explores the seasons of marriage in a small-town setting where the couples revolve around one another and are probably far too involved in one another's business.
The Lake of the Ozarks is full of character and so are the people who inhabit it. In this fictional town set at "The Lake" readers get to know several couples in various stages of marital love. In particular readers meet Brenda and Steve, who are having trouble adjusting to their empty nest. More accurately, Brenda is having trouble adjusting as Steve seems to have created a life without her just as she reached a point where she could look forward to the additional time they would have for one another.
Well written without being preachy, It Happens Every Spring does a good job of introducing characters in the different seasons of marriage and even gives them a good reason for knowing one another. I especially loved the setting. I've been to The Lake so the setting was vivid in my mind, but anyone who has been to a teeny lakeside community could relate to the intimacy of its inhabitants.
I look forward to the rest of the series.
Armchair Interviews says: This neat book explores the facets of marriage in a realistic setting.