Letters To My Daughters (A Book Review + Vlog)

5/5 stars. 

They say never to judge a book by it's cover, but I think in this case you absolutely could.  I originally picked up Letters To My Daughters: The Art Of Being A Wife by Barbara Rainey because the cover was just so pretty.  When I received it in the mail it gave me the impression of a gift book that you could give to a newly engaged or married friend.

(Watch my vlog review on Youtube below.)

However, the content is much greater than gift-book quality, in my opinion.  Each chapter compares marriage to a different art form and includes letters that Rainey writes to her daughters.  I am not sure what I was expecting from this book, but it gave such solid marriage advice.  I love how Rainey incorporated stories from her own marriage on things she did well and things she could have done better, and how any correction she offered through her letters was done in such a gentle and loving spirit.  It really did come across like she was speaking to one of her daughters, even though clearly she is writing this for many young wives.

I had a couple "aha" moments while reading this book, and it brought to mind things I would like to change about how I interact with my husband in the future.  I was not expecting to get so much out of this book, and I so appreciated how biblically grounded the advice was.

The pages in this book aren't just text, they are splashed with watercolor illustrations, pages of lettering, and beautiful photographs.  I think it can be a touchy thing to give someone a book on marriage, but this book is so beautiful that it would be natural to give it as a gift - and the content is solid enough to be a great jumping-off point for brides.  However, I think even ladies who have been married for a while could get some insight from this book.  I certainly did, and it made me wish I did read this earlier in our marriage!

Note: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a review.  This is my honest opinion.