A Million Little Choices Paperback – November 7, 2023

Wow. It's hard to know where to start with this emotional story of Claire and Stephen, all hurting from bad choices that make such an impact on lives as a stone thrown in a pool of water makes waves. Claire and Stephen are going through a difficult time because of a mistake Stephen made breaking marriage vows. Claire has unresolved issues she hasn't faced but not to excuse Stephen by any means. Claire did not want to leave Denver, but Stephen accepted a position in Atlanta, bought a house sight unseen, and all without consulting Claire. This antebellum house turned out to be a good thing for Claire in the end but with pain and hurt along the way. In a fit of anger, Claire hits a wall in her bedroom discovering a secret room and the life of Charlotte, former owner of the home 150 years ago. She read about Charlotte's life in the pages of her journal. Such pain and sadness are poured on the pages of her journal with the story of her lost beloved husband and five babies and her life with an abusive husband. Both women are going through such pain and hurt, and Charlotte's life and faith are touching to Claire and her new friend Bernice, with the local historian group. This story is so intertwined with the characters' lives and experiences touching each other with a sense that only God could have brought them all together for redemption, healing, and resolution that only He can do. The is a rich story that is touching and memorable with so many great faith lessons to take away and wonderful secondary characters. Lovely and highly recommended.

I could not put this down. Such a moving story of forgiveness. I will certainly recommend this to my friends.

Tamera Alexander is one of my favorite authors. I have read all her books and appreciate the quality of character and story she brings to her writing, writing that is accomplished in every way. Although this is her first contemporary novel, the life issues are timeless. She interweaves a depth of biblical wisdom and insight that had me highlighting passages--and I've been a Christian, and studying the Bible, for over 40 years. Like another reviewer I did NOT want to like Stephen, especially compared to Alex (swoon), but as the story progresses we see the redemptive wisdom and nature of a God who never lets us go. While tempting to place all the blame on Stephen, Claire's character is not without her own issues that contribute to their difficulty. These are not cardboard characters. Charlotte's and Nettie's story is heartwrenching and endearing. Easy to love all the players. Couldn't put this book down.This is a beautifully written and crafted story, timeless in theme, that brings a depth to Christian fiction not often found. There's even an alluded cameo appearance of "ancestors" from an earlier novel--fun. While I'm still a little confused as to the exact nature of some of the relationships, the characters are engaging and I simply don't have to know everything.

This book sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions, from excitement when a hidden room and it's secrets are discovered in an antebellum southern home to tears when a marriage dissolves on the pages. As I read about a contemporary Claire struggling with a cross-country move in a difficult situation, my heart broke for her as she found new footing over and over again. I loved discovering the history of her newly purchased house and seeing the deep faith of those who had lived through suffering but never lost their hope in Jesus. A Million Little Choices is not a quick, light read, but a book about hope and strength in the brokenness of life, about choices and how they affect not only our lives but those around us and after us.

A Million Little Choices is the first four-star review I'm going to craft "backward." Understand, this doesn't mean it's a bad book. Tamera Alexander has always written quality historical fiction, particularly historical fiction set in the Civil War. This being her first foray into split time fiction, I can confidently say it's different, but no less good. I never wanted to walk away from A Million Little Choices.Still, Tamera's first try at split time fiction did have a few pitfalls that had me questioning my choice of rating a few times. The first and perhaps biggest issue is that it's not an even split. Only a few key chapters are told from Charlotte's point of view in 1863. I understand to some, maybe many, this is not an issue and that's fine. But for me, "split time" indicates a basic 50-50 split, or as close to it as the time parameters will allow (the eras, not the author's personal time to get everything in).Charlotte's chapters are strong in themselves. They play an interesting role because, while they aren't split 50-50 with Claire's (the book is more 80-20), Charlotte's chapters are an invisible "glue" holding both the modern and historical threads together. I also applaud Tamera because readers get to know a lot about and from Charlotte in a short amount of time. Still, I was disappointed because the book's blurb made it sound like I was going to get to see Charlotte interacting with the Underground Railroad and its passengers on a somewhat frequent basis. It sounded like I was going to get to see her take a stand for abolition against a pro-slavery husband, in both overt and covert ways.Without spoiling anything, this is not what happens. Charlotte's journey is much different, and Tamera took a gamble that paid off in having that journey go as it did. To wit, Charlotte could've been little more than a victim of abuse, and she is justifiably victimized in harsh ways. At the same time, she's also strong in a soft, "quiet will of iron" way I love from any and all heroines. I loved that. What I did not love, was the misleading path her plot thread took and how "easy" some of it seemed (e.g., Achan Crowley is a great villain, but seems too easy and almost caricature-like. I adore the relationship between Charlotte and Nettie, but it also seemed "easy" or "done before," as in, the Black nursemaid growing up with and caring for the white baby she has always adored. It works out great, but...hmmm, I just wasn't the biggest fan of the foundation).Additionally, I couldn't give A Million Little Choices a higher rating because Claire spends so much of the story stuck in one place and on one thing. Now again, I completely "get it," logically. Claire was betrayed, and she lost a child at a heartbreakingly tender age. (Seriously, the scene at Bryan's grave had me misting up like crazy). But as Maggie points out, Stephen apologizes over and over and over. Claire claims to forgive him for both the affair and Bryan's death, but any reader can see she's lying, if unconsciously. Meanwhile, she herself almost gets pulled into the exact betrayal Stephen committed against her, but is angry when he gets upset. I have to admit, for about half this book, I could not like Claire Powell. I could pity her, but I needed more from her.And that's why A Million Little Choices still gets four stars. It's because as annoying as she could be, Claire is human. As in, she's human in the way that in the end made me go, "Would you react any differently?" (Probably not, although I can tell you right now I can't lift a sledgehammer). It's because as much as I wish I had more of Charlotte's story, I had enough to know, "This is a determined, victorious woman who can speak to Claire through the centuries--and with better words than, 'Sit down and be quiet, at least your husband never hit you,'" which is where this could've gone and thank the Lord it did not.No, Claire and Charlotte actually have a multifaceted story and deep personal journeys, weaknesses in plot notwithstanding. Watching them go through the travails they did and ultimately choose to come out stronger, even when both women's time periods said they could not (Charlotte) or should not (Claire) gratified me. Charlotte could've just let Achan run his home his way and treat the slaves as he pleased, shutting down the rail line out of fear. Claire could've persisted in unforgiveness and bitterness that changed her into a materialistic, shallow, mean woman a la Susan Johnson. The fact that Tamera let them choose the opposite paths, the Godly paths, without being preachy, kept my pages turning, and at a good clip, too.I'm a sucker for hidden history in both historical and contemporary stories, so the room and rail line were huge selling points for me on Claire's end. On Charlotte's, I still loved her relationship with Nettie and the complications it endured, from Charlotte's choice to marry Achan, to the Civil War itself, to Charlotte's final choices regarding her family and legacy. Plus, the twists and turns with both Charlotte and Claire blew me away.Beyond the actual plot though, I loved and rooted for all the relationships in this story. I started out feeling obligated to root for Claire and Stephen (because you know, Christians are supposed to cheer on married couples as long as love or cordiality exists? At least, that's what culture seems to think). But Tamera pulled off a great coup in that by the second half, I rooted for them for real. I enjoyed every minute I spent with Claire and Bernice, too. As fraught as white and Black relationships can be in real life these days, let alone fiction, that could've gone all kinds of sideways. Yet I know Tamera pulled off an authentic friendship. I particularly applaud her for letting these women talk about and work through what is ugly or confusing, just so they could strengthen the glue holding them together and trust more in the God Who brought them together.Finally, I love how Tamera handled the themes and spiritual threads in A Million Little Choices. That is, this book could've been a straightforward story of, "This is what happens when people lie, cheat, engage in abuse and prejudice, and hide the truth." Tamera took those themes and made them her own. She took the spiritual threads, such as no one tearing apart what God joins, and made them unique to Claire, Stephen, Maggie, and even Charlotte and Nettie. Even minor characters like Maisie, or offstage characters like Bryan, play significant, convicting, and heartwarming roles in how God restores two families across time. As Bernice puts it, *how* He would do it was the question that kept me up late reading. And thanks Bernice, for teaching me that the question is not, "Why doesn't God rescue us," but, "How will He do it," because His heart is love. His heart is for rescue and freedom and restoration. Always.A Million Little Choices then, is a complex book hiding under the layers of simple truths. It was my hardest to pin down in a while, rating-wise. Depending on mood and what I'm focusing on, it could swing anywhere between a perfect 5 and a 3.5-3.75. So I'm going to stick to a solid 4-4.5 and offer a confident recommendation. This book is off the beaten path whether you're a big Tamera Alexander or split time fan, or not. But it mostly works wonderfully, and it made me more than eager for Tamera's next project.

Loved every page! This is such a beautifully written story. Cried happy tears during the final chapter. So good!!

5+ stars - Read via Kindle eBook but also listened to the audiobook at the same time. Erin Bennett is a favourite narrator of mine. She is fabulous in this novel, as I knew she would be.Strangely enough, I had never read Tamera Alexander before this book. I heard about it many months before the release date. Something about it, from the exquisite cover to the summary, spoke to me. I had it pre-ordered for months.Though I’ve never experienced infidelity, heart pain and betrayal are things we can all relate to on one level or another, in one situation or another. This book crosses into many places of the heart.I felt so many emotions as I read and found myself challenged, convicted, reminded, inspired, and so much more. This is a novel for all people from all walks of life. I believe it is a book that has lessons for everyone. I truly do. It is God-inspired. It’s painful. It’s beautiful. It’s oh-so-real. For everyone.

Brilliant!

An excellent book with a great balance between past and present. You can’t help but feel for Claire and all the changes happening in her life. But her discovery of a secret room in the house she just moved into gives her a mystery to solve. Themes of forgiveness and trust are well developed. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Tamera Alexander is one of my fav authors and I always find her newest book through Amazon!I order it and it is usually here w/in the time noted!