Book review: A Million Little Choices by Tamera Alexander

By Leigh DeLozier (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads)

In A Million Little Choices by Tamera Alexander, two women from different centuries live in the same house — and share strikingly similar journeys.

Back cover copy:

Sometimes secrets just won’t stay hidden . . .

Claire Powell’s life is turned upside down when her beloved husband admits to a “near affair.” But when Stephen accepts a partnership with an Atlanta law firm without consulting her and buys a historic Southern home sight-unseen ― it pushes their already-fractured marriage to the breaking point. Claire’s world spirals, and she soon finds herself in a marriage she no longer wants, in a house she never asked for.

In 1863, Charlotte Thursmann, pregnant and trapped in a marriage to an abusive husband, struggles to protect her unborn child and the enslaved members of her household. Desperate, she’s determined to right the evils her husband and others like him commit. But how can one woman put an end to such injustice? Especially if her husband makes good on his threat to kill her?

Both Claire and Charlotte discover truths about themselves they never realized, along with secrets long hidden that hold the power to bring God’s restoration ― if only they choose to let it.

My review:

I’m a longtime fan of Tamera Alexander, whose novels to this point have always been historical romance. Most of the story in A Million Little Choices is set in the present day with Claire and Stephen, but the second story line with Charlotte is set during the Civil War.

The book is full of issues that are worth exploring: prejudice, infidelity, trust, grief, empty nesting, abuse, and more. It was a lot to weave together, but Alexander handled it well – I felt like she struck a nice balance between exploring each issue without getting too heavy handed (or mentioning issues but not carrying them through, which would not have been good, either).

Every character in both story lines was realistic and relatable, and they all served a purpose in the story (as they should, but we know that’s not always the case in every novel). I appreciated that Claire, Stephen, and Charlotte each had good qualities and flaws. That, along with their conflicts and reactions, helped keep the stories realistic.

I anticipated a couple of plot twists, so that took away a bit of the surprise at some points. That said, the groundwork Alexander laid for the twists was subtle so I didn’t feel cheated by the lack of surprise (and some readers might not figure things out ahead of time). Without including any spoilers, I will say there was a twist toward the end that did surprise me and make me quite happy as a reader.

Faith element:

Weaving faith into a story without seeming contrived or cheesy can be a fine line for an author to balance, especially when characters are at different points in their faith journeys.

A few snippets of faith-related content felt a bit less realistic to me, but that could only be my perspective. And it wasn’t enough to make me stop reading. Characters had questions about faith and God and how they should move forward — and I often find myself in those same places.

Charlotte and Nettie from the Civil War story line both had such strong faiths that it was a natural part of their conversations, actions, and way of processing things. One of my favorite lines from the entire book — and one that made me stop and ponder some things — was from Charlotte’s final journal entry:

“What if I lived from a perspective of how my choices might help or hurt others in light of eternity?”

Or, as another way of phrasing it, “Live like you’re looking back from the threshold of eternity.”

It’s so easy to get so caught up in our everyday real world that we can forget what a small blip today is on the radar of eternity. If we deliberately try to look at things from a wider perspective, with eternity in mind, how would that change our actions or attitudes? Would we live life differently? Set different goals for ourselves?

All valid questions, thanks to a fictional character’s faith.

Who should read A Million Little Choices:

I saw multiple reviews from fans of Alexander’s other novels saying they were a bit uncertain about reading A Million Little Choices because it’s a departure from what they’re accustomed to reading from her. But each of those readers said they were pleasantly surprised at how well Alexander handled a contemporary story and a time slip.

Fans of contemporary women’s fiction should enjoy A Million Little Choices; so should time slip fans (though it’s not an even break — the contemporary story line is probably 80% of the book). I thought the difficult issues (such as marital affairs, the death of a child, cruelty to slaves during the Civil War era) were handled quite well. However, readers who are sensitive to those topics might want to know those things are part of the story before they begin reading.

Although nothing in A Million Little Choices is inappropriate, it is written for an adult audience.

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Your turn: What’s a lesson you’ve learned from a book recently? Leave a comment below to help encourage someone else.

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Book details

A Million Little Choices by Tamera Alexander

Visit Tamera Alexander’s website

Genre: Women’s fiction / time slip

Publisher: Focus on the Family / Tyndale

Publish date: November 2023; 400 pages

Find A Million Little Choices on Amazon

Two women … two centuries … and much more in common than simply living in the same house. #BookReview of A Million Little Choices by @tameraalexander & @FocusFamily
#CleanReads #ChristianFiction

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