And It Was Beautiful - Book Review

When I opened the package that held Kara’s latest (and last) book I cried. Today, as I finished reading the last chapter, rereading words that I read almost a year ago, I cried again. In the past year, Kara’s words have played such a huge part in my life. The Holy spirit still working through her even after her passing has had such a profound impact on me and many others. 

I do not know if you normally start out a book review with a thank you, but who knows. I want to send a huge thank you to the editorial team at David C. Cook. You had me in tears (of joy and thankfulness) just in the first twelve pages of this book. Thank you so much for putting together such an amazing compilation of Kara’s beautiful writing. Thank you for loving her just as much as we (her blog readers, her friends who never got a chance to huge her in person) did and still do. 

Oh man, this book. Without sounding horribly cliche or a like a major fangirl - this book was nothing less than just purely amazing. Even the physical size (just a great seven by five inches) brought such joy. It is so easy to just pop it into your handbag to enjoy while waiting in the carpool line or sitting in a doctor’s waiting room. 

I am a blogger and many times have wondered what I would want my blog to look like if it ever made it into a book form. Well, And It Was Beautiful is now that goal, the marker to which I will now judge all blogs turned into books. Not all the writing was originally on her blog and those entries brought such delight to this devout Mundane Faithfulness reader. 

I loved having short, little snippets of Kara. I found myself saying, “I’ll just read a couple of chapters”, then realizing I had read a dozen. I just didn’t want it to stop. Oh my goodness, this book, I just didn’t want it to end. I found myself having the same feelings I had marathoning through a great television show on Netflix (like gilmore girls), I just didn’t want to finish because I knew that was the end. That once I read that last line I would have completed the last book that listed Kara’s name so beautifully across the front cover. I’ve never been so thankful for a deadline in my life (thank you, litfuse publicity). Without it I would have purposely not finished this book. 

From writing to her children to the poem to Jason on his birthday I feel like a gained knowledge and perspective in every small chapter. I needed the reminder of how Kara embraced life, “celebrating in the midst of the long good-bye.” I love getting practical tidbits like the thank you bite in chapter 37. 

I love the opportunity that this book as given me to get to know Kara better, but also the great opportunity to see more of Jason, her dear husband. I wish I could just list quote after quote from this book, but then, why would you want to read it if I give it all to you here? So, when you do read it I want you to pay close attention to last paragraph of chapter 6 entitled, “My Hero”. In my book is it circled and starred and I even went so far as to write, “oh my heart, that is such a perfect paragraph.” There are three things that Kara made perfectly clear to the world: her love for God (and Jesus), her love for her four sweet children and her love for her husband, Jason. I love seeing through her eyes Jason’s passion for his ministry, for life. I loved seeing his real, true battle to remain positive when facing the loss of the love of his life. I’ve always had a connection to Jason because six years ago I married my dear husband who had braved the walk of burying his first wife after she too lost her battle with cancer. 

What else do I want to tell you about this book? Well, let me just say that you do not have to be battling a fight for your life through cancer or another disease and you do not have to be a caretaker to be impacted by the way Kara embraced life. I am positive that this book will leave every reader changed because Kara had a way of doing that, leaving you just slightly (if not profoundly) changed by her presence, by her life. 

Oh, how I wish I didn’t know how this book would end, that it there would be a plot twist I wasn’t aware of and that I would be headed to an author book signing this evening, but I am so thankful for the life of Kara Tippetts. This book, And It Was Beautiful, is such an amazing celebration of her and the Holy Spirt working through her. 

I strongly urge you to go meet Kara at her blog: http://www.mundanefaithfulness.com/ and at http://litfusegroup.com/author/ktippetts

And you can purchase And It Was Beautiful here: http://www.mundanefaithfulness.com/books/

I was given the opportunity to review this book from Litfuse Publicity, who so kindly sent me to the book. You can visit them at http://litfusegroup.com/. 

And It Was Beautiful was published by David C Cook: http://www.davidccook.com/