Blog Tour for Margaret McSweeney's, Pearl Girl Book: Mother of Pearl (Review)

Welcome to another stop on the blog tour for Margaret McSweeney's second Pearl Girl book, Mother of Pearl. This collection of Pearl Girl essays celebrates the collective iridescence of motherhood and ALL proceeds from books sales go to charity.

{More about Mother of Pearl}

Like oysters, women often encounter unexpected grit during their everyday lives. In response, God’s love and grace covers this grit and transforms the pain into a precious pearl that leaves a layered, luminous lining within a shell: Mother of Pearl. This brilliant luster is strong, lasting, and purposeful—just like the love, lessons, and legacies left by the special women in our lives. Mother of Pearl celebrates the collective iridescence of motherhood. Margaret McSweeney presents a collection of heartfelt vignettes from authors who communicate the importance of the unique relationships between mothers and their children, between granddaughters and grandmothers and between children and the mother-figures in their lives.

These stories tell of the power of faith, prayer, and values, exploring coming of age, the joy of becoming a mother, the importance of motherhood, the ways to heal from a bad relationship with a mother and weathering the death of a special loved one. Poignant and thought-provoking, the stories serve to inspire, encourage, instill hope, and strengthen faith.

The proceeds from the sale of Mother of Pearl will be donated to organizations helping struggling women and children. The charities include Wings (Women in Need Growing Stronger) to help fund the Safe House in the Chicago suburbs and to Hands of Hope to help build wells for schoolchildren in Zambia.


My Thoughts:

I was excited to be apart of this blog book tour, after having yet the synopsis of the book.  This book reminded me of the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul books, but was more faith-based.  It was so good that I read it cover to cover in less than 2 hours.  And, when my mother came to visit this past weekend, I shared it with her, and she too, found it hard to put down.  When she finished, we had a great conversation about the book, discussing our favorite stories and how we hope to leave a legacy for my children and her grandchildren.

I have always had a strong relationship with my mother, which I cherish.  She is one of the most caring and compassionate people I know, and some would consider this a fault, as others can take advantage of this quality.  But, I find myself acting like her, and when I help out others, I feel a deeper connection to her, as I know she would have done the same.

Out of all the stories, from mothers, grandmothers, daughters, etc., we found it hard to choose a favorite, as they all resonated and moved us in a certain way.  If you love to read inspiration, faith-based books, this book is a must read.  And, with the holidays right around the corner, why not surprise that special woman (mother, grandmother, daughter, or mother-like figure) in your life with a copy of this book.  It is a book that will not only be enjoyed when read, but will be treasured for years to come, and shared amongst family and friends.

Check out what others on the blog tour think of this book -- http://litfusegroup.com/

blogtours/13531423/motherofpearl

--BUY NOW--

Click here to order a copy of Mother of Pearl by Margaret Sweeney -- http://ow.ly/cTZAg  -- available in both soft cover and e-book.

--Margaret McSweeney's Mother of Pearl Facebook Party! {9/4} RSVP today.--

To celebrate the release of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith I'm hosting an evening of chat, laughter, and encouragement on Facebook! I've invited the Pearl Girl contributors to join us on the evening of September 4th. I'd be so honored if you'd come too! We'll be giving away a ton of fun stuff {books, gift certificates and a Beautiful Pearl Necklace set}. Mother of Pearl celebrates the collective iridescence of motherhood. We'll gather to connect, be encouraged and make some new friends! So RSVP today and then come back on September 4th (at 5pm Pacific, 6pm Mountain, 7pm Central, and 8pm Eastern) and join us for the "Pearl" party. Let's share our stories and encourage one another. We'll also have an update from the charities involved with Pearl Girls, Wings and Hands of Hope. (See what others are saying about Mother of Pearl.) {More about Margaret}

Margaret McSweeney is a well-published author often writing online articles for Make It Better (the former North Shore Magazine) and freelance articles for the Daily Herald, the largest suburban Chicago newspaper. In addition, she has authored and compiled several books including A Mother’s Heart Knows; Go Back and Be Happy; Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace, Mother of Pearl and Aftermath.
With a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina in international business, Margaret became a vice-president in the corporate finance division of a New York City bank and worked there 1986–93.


As founder of Pearl Girls, Margaret collaborates with other writers on projects to help fund a safe house for WINGS, an organization that helps women and their children who are victims of domestic violence, and to build wells for schoolchildren in Uganda through Hands of Hope. For the past 10 years she has served on the board of directors and leadership advisory board for WINGS. Margaret lives with her husband and 2 daughters in the Chicago suburbs. www.pearlgirls.com



Disclosure:  I was sent a copy of this book in order to write up an honest review.  The views above are mine and mine alone.