I like the way Jennifer AlLee writes. I have never been disappointed with anything I have read of hers. This is a lovely story of how two sisters head across country on Route 66 to see their parents. The one sister, Natalie, is a marriage expert who has just been told by her husband that he wants a divorce, and has been called by her father to say she needs to come home to see her failing mother and to please bring her estranged sister, Lindsay with her, who Natalie will find is pregnant and living with a guy. It was enjoyable to read and see how these two sisters learned how to appreciate and love each other all over again. Natalie has a lot she has to deal with and so does Lindsay, but between the two of them they will learn to heal and appreciate the other. There was a strong emphasis on forgiveness and how healing comes when we learn to forgive. Not so easy sometimes, but the end result is so freeing.

If you like to travel and want two interesting people to travel down Route 66 with, then I highly recommend you jump in the car and take a ride with Natalie and Lindsay. It was a great trip for me. ( )

The Mother Road by Jennifer AlLee
First thing that interested me about his book was Route 66. Tom Brockaw had done a special on TV about the places on that route.
Natalie Marino married for 18 ears had the perfect welcome home dinner ready on the table when her husband came home from his business trip. Instead he informs her he's with his assistant and she is pregant and he, Tony wants a divorce.
She is a Christian romance writer, how to books about marriage and how will others see her now that she won't even be married?
Jade her assistant helps pack up and move his clothes to the porch and even finds her a lawyer.
Nat stops at her sisters apartment an hour away and finds her things packed, a bruise under her eye and 4 months pregnant. She convinces her their Dad needs them to come home to see their Mother while she may still remember who they are.
The start out at Santa Monica Pier and travel along Rt 66 to get to their parents home in Illinois.
Upon after an elderly couple take a video of them standing near the sign they find out their car with all of Lindsay's belongings is stolen.
They get a nice convertible with a radio as a loaner.
Fascinating thing is the travel agent has highlighted all the places along 66 that they just must stop at. While Nat is videotaping she reads along from the tour guide so I feel like I'm seeing/hearing about the places as if I am right there.
As the sisters have not been in contact with one another the trip is going to be a long one especially when Lindsay is 4 months pregnant and always has to use the bathroom.
Sleep in a Wigwam has got to be the ultimate thing to do driving cross country! Sisters are bonding and talking more as they also sightsee along their journey.
Upon arriving home they see for themselves what the disease has done to their mother.
They have a lot to work through but with faith anything is possible.... ( )

The Mother Road by Jennifer Allee is a book about Natalie who is cheated on by her husband and tells her one evening that he wants a divorce. He not only had an affair with his assistant but he has gotten her pregnant. Natalie is of course devastated by this news and of course is angry, angry at her husband, angry at herself and angry at God. Natalie is a published author and expert on marriage so she feels because of the divorce she will be jobless as an author. She gets a phone call from her father telling her that she and her sister, Lindsay, who she has not seen in years, need to come home to see their mother. He tells Natalie that her mother has Alzheimer's, and that he is concerned that she will not know her daughters.
Natalie contacts her sister and they plan on driving from California to Illinois and plan to travel as much as they can on Route 66. Lindsay is pregnant and Ben the father of her child does not want children so Natalie does not trust him at all and thinks that Ben is abusing Lindsay.
I have been divorced and I can understand the feelings of anger and betrayal and I could feel along with Natalie her mistrust of men and feeling like a failure. The other issue in this story is the subject of Alzheimers. I have also been influenced by this horrible disease that robs a person of cognizant thought and functions. I felt that the author touched on these sensitive issues with grace and compassion. We all have to learn forgiveness in ourselves and others before we can be truly happy in life and The Mother Road does just that, I do not want to give anything away but I was happy with the ending of the story. The Mother Road is also the name for Route 66 and I found it interesting that the author included this in the story..like a new beginning. ( )

Natalie Marino is a top selling Christian romance novelist / motivational speaker, aka "the marriage expert." Life as she's known it comes crashing down when Tony, her husband of eighteen years asks for a divorce. He confesses that he's had an affair with Erin, his administrative assistant, for the past two months and she's pregnant. Natalie is at a crossroads, unable to continue with her motivational speaking career, she doesn't know what to do next. Her father suggests she come home to Illinois for a visit, one that she hasn't made in four years, mainly because she doesn't want to face the pain of watching her mother deteriorate from Alzheimer's. Her father asks her to bring her younger sister, Lindsay, who she hasn't seen in seven years, but there is one problem, Lindsay is six months pregnant and won't fly, so they have to travel via a road trip down the Mother Road, the famous Route 66. With thirteen years separating them, the sisters barely knew each other as kids, and now as women they don't know each other at all, essentially they are two strangers. As they travel down Route 66, Natalie and Lindsay go on a journey of discovery, reflection, forgiveness and redemption.

The Mother Road is a wonderful Christian inspirational novel about family, relationships and self-discovery. This is a beautifully written story that captivates the reader from the start. Filled with real life issues such as marriage, infidelity, divorce, pregnancy, family relationships and Alzheimer's Disease; this story will pull at your heartstrings. The author engages the reader with her thoughtful writing style, and the reader goes along for the ride on Natalie and Lindsay's journey down the Mother Road, the famous Route 66. The author does a wonderful job of describing the various scenic stops along Route 66: The Santa Monica Pier; The giant orange in Fontana, CA; the burros that freely roam the street and the Clark Gable/Carol Lombard honeymoon suite in Oatman, AZ; the 50-60s themed town of Seligman, AZ; the huge wooden lumberjack in Flagstaff, AZ; the Wigwam Village in Holbrook, AZ; and a side trip to the Grand Canyon. These scenic descriptions makes me want to go on a road trip down the Mother Road so I can visit all these places too! The author does a great job of balancing out the life issues that are predominant throughout the story, by interweaving it with the fun road trip, which makes the story that much more endearing and compelling.

The Mother Road is a powerfully compelling story of relationships, life issues, self-discovery, forgiveness and redemption. This thoughtful story is one that will leave an imprint long after you have finished reading it. For anyone who would like to read a heartwarming, realistic, funny and thought provoking story, The Mother Road, is a novel that won't leave you disappointed!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher (Abingdon Press) in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event.

Virtual Book Tour Event: On Tuesday, May 15, 2012, in association with Pump Up Your Book! Virtual Book Publicity Tours, author Jennifer Allee participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews. http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/author-guest-post-jennifer-all...

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/mother-road-by-jennifer-allee.... ( )