This book has 23 little vignettes, each two or three pages long, intended to offer comfort to people going through stressful times. Most are personal anecdotes recounting occasions when the author herself was able to offer advice to help someone gain the strength to go on.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Quite a few of the accounts were simplistic, even seeming patronising at times. I’m sure they weren’t intended that way, and that they did help the people concerned. But each person has different needs. A story that might bring immense hope to one person might bring another to despair.

There were a handful of the stories that I found thought-provoking, and I can see that for some people this book might provide a lifeline; particularly if they are asking questions about the Christian faith and want some reassurance and guidance. ( )