The Attractiveness of Wisdom by Judy Kelly Book Review

About the Book:

After a tumultuous marriage and a struggle trying to keep it together, Hamilton, a university dean, sets out on a perilous emotional journey to change his life and seek the love he's always wanted. He has tried to control his life and the lives of others. Hamilton meets Franny, a troubled dance teacher, and accepts her job offer of organizer in her studio. When Franny injures her foot, Hamilton must step out of his secure place to help. His trepidation increases when he meets a research journalist who falls in love with him. But her life isn't what it seems. He fears controlling her, and after her convent life, she needs his love.

Will Hamilton wise up and learn how a man truly loves a woman, the value of friendship and the need for prayer?

The Attractiveness of Wisdom is a Christian literary fiction, heart warming, enthralling novel with endearing and unforgettable characters.

My Review:

This is quite an exploration of a personality in need of transformation. Hamilton starts out as very controlling. He thinks he knows best and tells others how to do things, including his wife. That turned out to be a disaster and led to a divorce. Even when he takes a sabbatical from his university position and works in a dance studio, he thinks everything should be done his way.

The novel follows Hamilton's experiences as he learns the damage his attitude has caused. This novel is his story of learning he can't control everything. He ultimately, though very reluctantly, comes to find God is in control. He has the healing experience of finally loving another while letting go of his controlling attitude.

Kelly has given readers a touching story of possible romance. It is also about loss and how people make their way through it. Primarily I think it is about coming to grips with letting God have His way, shown through the life of Hamilton. Kelly's writing style is straight forward and easy to understand. The plot moves at a consistent, methodical pace. This novel would appeal to readers who like a novel centered on the events experienced by one man as he learns to let go of control in order to experience love.

 

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Judy Kelly is an award-winning author. Her second novel, Blessings and Curses, is a Finalist in the Readers Favorite Award for 2020, in the Top Ten Most Popular Novels at the Frankfort, Sharjah, and Guadalajara International Book Fairs, 2018. Her first novel, That Ever Died So Young, was a finalist in the Somerset Literary and Contemporary Fiction Award for 2014. She presents at conferences, libraries, and meetings. She teaches fiction writing at Montgomery College, and Frederick Community College. Judy is an adjunct professor at Montgomery College teaching speech, college reading and English. She enjoys walking, live theatre, and museums.

Black Rose Writing, 301 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Wow! Women in Writing Blog Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)