Color the Sidewalk for Me

Rating:
Summary: An inspiring read
Review: "Color the Sidewalk for Me" is a well-written inspirational novel of family struggles and disappointments. Ms. Collins uses flashback effectively and her characters are believable.

This is a story of failure and forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption. After years of heartache and rejection, Celia finally discovers the reason for her mother's coolness and seeming lack of love. Faith (and the lack of it) is portrayed believably and without preachiness.

The competition between her grandfather and his friend is a humorous touch that is interwoven throughout the story.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: I can see why this book is an award winner!
Review: Color the Sidewalk For Me is about a woman, Celia, who returns home after a 17 year absence to nurse her father back to health after having a stroke. She struggles through her tumultous relationship with her mother and unresolved feelings for the love of her life, Danny.

This book was so good that I had a hard time putting it down. The way the author wrote the romance and the love between Celia and Danny made me ache and root for this couple. This couple clearly loved each other very much.

I liked how Collins used the past/present sections of the book. Some authors lump the past in with the present in a chapter, and it becomes confusing to read. But the way this author wrote about the past was excellent, giving us a good foundation of the problems between Celia and her mother, and what went wrong between Danny and Celia.

I loved how Collins brought in the characters from Book 1 of the Bradleyville series. Jessie and Lee had gotten married, Mrs. B was portrayed as a nosy busybody, and she continued the "feud" between Jake and Thomas. That feud added humor into a book with so many serious overtones.

The character development was wonderful. The characters weren't goody-goody characters like in some Christian books, but are real people with flaws, hurts, etc. From this book, I had a good idea of why Estelle was so coldhearted at times and why Celia led such a lonely existence.

And the Christian theme came out really good, about turning your eyes towards Jesus and not letting the past destroy you. There was also the theme of forgiveness and reconciliation.

I can't wait until I read the next book in the Bradleyville series. I know that the focus of the book will be on another group of characters, but I am hoping to find that Celia and Danny have worked things out and gotten married.

Rating:
Summary: I can see why this book is an award winner!
Review: Color the Sidewalk For Me is about a woman, Celia, who returns home after a 17 year absence to nurse her father back to health after having a stroke. She struggles through her tumultous relationship with her mother and unresolved feelings for the love of her life, Danny.

This book was so good that I had a hard time putting it down. The way the author wrote the romance and the love between Celia and Danny made me ache and root for this couple. This couple clearly loved each other very much.

I liked how Collins used the past/present sections of the book. Some authors lump the past in with the present in a chapter, and it becomes confusing to read. But the way this author wrote about the past was excellent, giving us a good foundation of the problems between Celia and her mother, and what went wrong between Danny and Celia.

I loved how Collins brought in the characters from Book 1 of the Bradleyville series. Jessie and Lee had gotten married, Mrs. B was portrayed as a nosy busybody, and she continued the "feud" between Jake and Thomas. That feud added humor into a book with so many serious overtones.

The character development was wonderful. The characters weren't goody-goody characters like in some Christian books, but are real people with flaws, hurts, etc. From this book, I had a good idea of why Estelle was so coldhearted at times and why Celia led such a lonely existence.

And the Christian theme came out really good, about turning your eyes towards Jesus and not letting the past destroy you. There was also the theme of forgiveness and reconciliation.

I can't wait until I read the next book in the Bradleyville series. I know that the focus of the book will be on another group of characters, but I am hoping to find that Celia and Danny have worked things out and gotten married.

Rating:
Summary: VERY IMPRESSED
Review: I am so thrilled when I find a new author that has the ability to push me from page to page, and I have found one here. I will definately continue to look for more books by Ms. Collins.

This book was impressive to say the least. I love the way she forced me to look at myself and others in a new light. I will coloring many a sidewalks from now on. Sidewalk chalk will be a staple in my car for that one that needs to know how special they are!

Rating:
Summary: VERY IMPRESSED
Review: I am so thrilled when I find a new author that has the ability to push me from page to page, and I have found one here. I will definately continue to look for more books by Ms. Collins.

This book was impressive to say the least. I love the way she forced me to look at myself and others in a new light. I will coloring many a sidewalks from now on. Sidewalk chalk will be a staple in my car for that one that needs to know how special they are!

Rating:
Summary: No Doubt - A Bestseller!
Review: This book will be another bestseller for Brandilyn Collins. This sequel to "Cast a Road Before Me" carries the reader through the travails of Celia, a thirty-five-year-old woman who fell away from her faith in God years ago.

Celia, a high-powered advertising executive, finds out that her beloved father suffered a stroke and needs her help. She must return to Bradleyville to nurse him, yet she dreads the inevitable confrontation with her mother. As a child, she attempted to show love to Mama and was coldly rebuffed. Now, years later, the painful past comes back and must be reckoned with.

The book alternates between the present and Celia's past. Revealing only enough to make the reader want more, the story fluctuates smoothly between eras. The climactic scene lies hidden and the reader breathlessly awaits the culmination of this family's ordeal.

"Color the Sidewalk for Me" reads like a book club selection. Filled with emotional turmoil, agony, and sorrow, Celia bleeds her heart out to the reader. We feel her pain, sympathize with her, and yearn for her to heal. Her suffering acts as a catharsis for our own yen to be understood and loved unconditionally.

reviewed by Terri for Christian Bookshelf

Rating:
Summary: No Doubt - A Bestseller!
Review: This book will be another bestseller for Brandilyn Collins. This sequel to "Cast a Road Before Me" carries the reader through the travails of Celia, a thirty-five-year-old woman who fell away from her faith in God years ago.

Celia, a high-powered advertising executive, finds out that her beloved father suffered a stroke and needs her help. She must return to Bradleyville to nurse him, yet she dreads the inevitable confrontation with her mother. As a child, she attempted to show love to Mama and was coldly rebuffed. Now, years later, the painful past comes back and must be reckoned with.

The book alternates between the present and Celia's past. Revealing only enough to make the reader want more, the story fluctuates smoothly between eras. The climactic scene lies hidden and the reader breathlessly awaits the culmination of this family's ordeal.

"Color the Sidewalk for Me" reads like a book club selection. Filled with emotional turmoil, agony, and sorrow, Celia bleeds her heart out to the reader. We feel her pain, sympathize with her, and yearn for her to heal. Her suffering acts as a catharsis for our own yen to be understood and loved unconditionally.

reviewed by Terri for Christian Bookshelf

Rating:
Summary: Spiritually Inspirational
Review: This was the first book I have read from Brandilyn Collins and I was impressed beyond words. An avid reader, it takes a very talented author to have their writting affect me clear to my soul. I usually dislike the past/present method of writing, but Collins used this method so successfully, and this story could not have been written using another.

This is by far one of the best books I have ever read. I thank the author for sharing this story - one that was inspired by a family tradition. Spending time on this book has been such a pleasant expereince.

I recommend this book to anyone who has loved and lost and who won't mind feeling sentimental...and for one who acknowledges how God always brings us through our trials. And everything always works for the best in His time.

Rating:
Summary: Spiritually Inspirational
Review: This was the first book I have read from Brandilyn Collins and I was impressed beyond words. An avid reader, it takes a very talented author to have their writting affect me clear to my soul. I usually dislike the past/present method of writing, but Collins used this method so successfully, and this story could not have been written using another.

This is by far one of the best books I have ever read. I thank the author for sharing this story - one that was inspired by a family tradition. Spending time on this book has been such a pleasant expereince.

I recommend this book to anyone who has loved and lost and who won't mind feeling sentimental...and for one who acknowledges how God always brings us through our trials. And everything always works for the best in His time.