A Scattered Life: Book Review

One of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon alone is curled up somewhere quiet with a good book. Since this doesn't happen often, I'm very picky about the books I choose.

I recently received a copy of A Scattered Life by Karen McQuestion. Originally, the book was self-published on Kindle using Amazon's Digital Text Platform. The book was a hit, becoming a bestseller (along with McQuestion's other writings), and it has been optioned for film. In August, AmazonEncore published a paperback version of A Scattered Life (retail, $14.95).
I started reading, not knowing much about the book at all, and was instantly drawn to the characters. McQuestion's writing style allows readers to see every detail of the story, and the characters are developed so well. Throughout the book, I found myself learning more and more about them, their thoughts, their actions, their flaws. Once I started, I didn't want to put the book down, and I found myself smiling (and crying) along with the characters.

Set in rural Wisconsin, A Scattered Life follows the lives of three women, all in various stages of life, motherhood, and marriage. During only one year, they learn more about family, life, and love than they ever expected.

I found myself relating so easily to each of the main characters. Skyla Plinka is a young stay at home mom. While she loves her family and life, she has a sense of restlessness, a need to do something different. She finds a sense of belonging working at a bookstore and a friendship in her new neighbor, Roxanne.

Roxanne is one of those moms that we all know. From the outside, her life looks like pure chaos, but looking closely, you realize that she puts her family above all else. And honestly, what matters more, loving on your kids or cleaning the kitchen?

Finally, there's Audrey, Skyla's intrusive and controlling mother-in-law. Again, Audrey is the mother-in-law (monster-in-law) we've all seen, needing to have an opinion on every little thing, and at times, making life much more difficult than it needs to be.

These three ladies face so many obstacles throughout the book. Often times, I found myself wishing everything would just get better for them all. The book made me think about how short life is and how we often take things for granted.

A Scattered Life is about friendship, it's about family, it's about belonging and loss. At every turn, it was a wonderful read, and I would highly recommend it.

A copy of the book was provided for review. All opinions are my own.