I’m one of those people who just don’t seem to find the time to read fiction on a regular basis. I get that it’s supposed to be good for your brain. I know it is fun to read stories written for entertainment.

I just don’t have time very often.

My latest book review was an indulgence of sorts. I was sent a copy of Five Brides by Eva Marie Everson.

Five Brides is the sweet story of five young women who leave the homes of their parents to begin a life of their own in a big city.

From the back of the book:

Five Brides…

Five single, fiercely independent women live together in a Chicago apartment in the early 1950’s, but they rarely see one another.

One Dress…

One Saturday afternoon, as they are serendipitously together downtown, they spy a wedding dress in a storefront window at the famous Carson Pirie Scott & Co.
After trying it on- much to the dismay of the salesclerk and without a single serious boyfriend between the five of them—they decide to pool their money to purchase it. Can a brush with fate and one beautiful dress forever stitch together the lives of five very different women as they take their own journeys to love and whatever comes happily ever after?

Joan, Evelyn, Betty, Magda and Inga’s lives intertwine as they develop friendship, and later relationships that lead to their marriages.

As you follow their days of making their way in a big city, you find they learn hard lessons, they make good memories, they find out where they are weak and learn to appreciate where they are strong.

The Bible verse that is quoted a couple of times sums it up best: Isaiah 45:2 “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight.”

Through each of their lives, you read of reward for hard work and the consequence of sin.

Their lives are forever connected when they decide to purchase an extravagant wedding dress that each will wear for her own wedding. The story follows each young woman as she learns about love and sometimes, heartache.

Their stories are all different, and so real.

As I read I was drawn to each character. The author did a fabulous job of developing these young women in the story. You feel as if you want to know each one in person. I wanted to ask them questions and offer them advice. I saw a lot
of myself beginning life- trying to figure out who I was and where I wanted to be in life. Even then, you never really know where you are headed. We are all on a journey but even the best made plans often change. It’s just life.

I was offered a copy of this book for my review, but the opinion is all my own. It was a charming book!