Book Review: Love and War

I recently received the book Love and War by John and Stasi Eldredge to read and review from WaterBrook Multnomah. I am so very glad I requested this book. It was excellent.

Here's the description sent to me by the publisher:

What the Eldredge bestsellers Wild at Heart did for men, and Captivating did for women, LOVE & WAR will do for married couples everywhere. John and Stasi Eldredge have contributed the quintessential works on Christian spirituality through the experience of men and the experience of women and now they turn their focus to the incredible dynamic between those two forces.

With refreshing openness that will grab readers from the first page, the Eldredges candidly discuss their own marriage and the insights they’ve gained from the challenges they faced. Each talks independently to the reader about what they’ve learned, giving their guidance personal immediacy and a balance between the male and female perspectives that has been absent from all previous books on this topic. They begin LOVE & WAR with an obvious but necessary acknowledgement: Marriage is fabulously hard. They advise that the sooner we get the shame and confusion off our backs, the sooner we'll find our way through.

LOVE & WAR shows couples how to fight for their love and happiness, calling men and women to step into the great adventure God has waiting for them together.

I was amazed at how honest and real these authors were from the very beginning and I often found that they were describing to me some of the very things I have been struggling with lately. They cover some very tough subjects, but do it in a light hearted, easy to read way that engaged me and made the reading go quickly.

I greatly appreciated that the author, husband and wife, have been married over 25 years, yet have struggled and been on the brink of divorce twice. I love reading and learning from other people's experience, rather than their good ideas or theories. I want to hear about what worked for them personally, not what should work.

This book is full of great advice, stories and tips that would be beneficial to any marriage, whether newly married or 20 years in. Because the authors both wrote the book, it speaks well to both men and women and would be excellent read together. I mainly agreed with everything I read and would HIGHLY recommend this book!

I'd love to be able to share a copy with you, but I only received one and I just love it too much to give up (plus I'm now reading it through with my husband). Sorry! :) But maybe it would make an excellent last minute Valentine's Day gift for you and your spouse!