Book Review: To Live Again

To Live Again

written by Catherine Marshall

336 pages // published in 1957 // Christian Biography

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Catherine Marshall's world caved in when her husband Peter died in his sleep. Suddenly it appeared as if her own life had ended--as all alone she faced a future seemingly devoid of hope and love. This is her own story of how she emerged triumphant to live again.

I'm so impressed with Catherine Marshall's book To Live Again. There's way more to her and her husband's story than just what appears in the famous book A Man Called Peter. So much more.

There's another whole tale that follows Peter Marshall's death, one of Mrs. Marshall finding herself again after the tragic loss. His story isn't over yet, and neither is hers. She shares more stories of Peter, and their life together. She's shares every emotion she went through after his untimely (or so it may seem) passing at the age of 46. Her memories of grief can be sad or even depressing to some readers who have experienced similar loss, I'm sure. But what Mrs. Marshall shares with us is that there's hope. And hope can grow into unimaginable and amazing things, if God is in it. I even liked how she told of stories of life after death, some supernatural occurrences, and how she connects with Peter, even though he is in heaven.

What I really loved about To Live Again is that she starts telling all about the entire publication process of A Man Called Peter. It's like behind the scenes bonus material on one of my favorite books. How lucky am I to have gotten to read more about the making of that wonderful book that touched the lives of so many? Even I could start to see how his death wasn't the end of his legacy, for his legacy had only just begun.

And then? We get to the part where Mrs. Marshall tells all in relation to the making of the 1955 film based on A Man Called Peter. Even MORE fun, I tell you. She shares all about her hesitancy at accepting the idea of a Hollywood movie... to the screenwriting process... to the final fanfare. For me, it was a lot of fun to read about. (And to that one lady who wrote to Mrs. Marshall saying that Clark Gable would been a good fit to play the titular character in the film, I say no. No, he would not have. Richard Todd filled the role perfectly.)

NOTE to the discerning reader & to parents: One chapter in particular deals with subject matter of the “mature” adult nature. It came out of the blue for me, but the topic was obviously one that bothered Mrs. Marshall during various stages of her grief. For this reason, I have to raise the age level of readers who could enjoy the book to at least high-school age or adult.

Overall? Catherine Marshall has a clear, simple voice in her writing. It's as if she is having a conversation with someone in the same room, instead of through the context of the printed page, decades after the ink has dried. And now I need to both re-read the book A Man Called Peter, and re-watch the movie again.

Highly recommended to read as a sequel to A Man Called Peter. << See my review.

"....our God can handle even the worst that can happen to us as finite human beings. Since Christ is beside us, no troubles that life can bring need cast us adrift. This is knowledge that can release us from lifelong bondage to fear."
-Catherine Marshall, To Live Again (Chapter 1)

Available on Amazon in paperback format.

This is book #11 for me in the Back to the Classics 2017 challenge.
[CATEGORY: Classic by a Woman Author]




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