A Test of Love

By Kathleen Scott

Juliet feels like her world is caving in on her. Her marriage is falling apart, and to make matters worse, her husband doesn't even notice. Michael seems perfectly content to pursue his high-powered world of real estate, luxury cars, and expensive suits.

Their lives appear idyllic to everyone who knows the couple -- married for eleven years with two beautiful girls and the perfect home on a hill in picturesque Mount Hermon. A perfect life....so how could Juliet be so discontent? Is it all in her mind?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0825436648
• ISBN13: 9780825436642
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Kregel Publications
• Length: 236 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Not Your Typical Preachy

[...] "Love always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails?" A Test of Love was given to me as a birthday gift. This good (guilty shall remain nameless) friend, who knew I never read fiction and especially not romance, even had the nerve to have the actual author sign it for me--as if the author knew me herself (spelled my name correctly, too... which intrigued, but only slightly)! I took a lot of Tums those year. I was scared I'd have to admit I still had not read past the title page every single time we saw each other. She never did mention it. I'll bet she thought I sold it on eBay in order to purchase a true crime book. "Reading a romance novel these days was like rubbing salt into a wound." There it was, in front of my face for a couple of years, in a pile of books I call my "if-I-have-absolutely-nothing-else-to-read" books. I mean, it's sort of Christian and I was newly married at the time (not my first marriage), I didn't need this book or the fiction. But one day, it fell from my pile and I put it in my other pile--the one that goes in the bathroom (I call that one the "okay-if-I-have-to-sit-here-anyway-I-may-as-well-read). I am a bit embarrassed 'cause I read it in only three sittings (all in a day's work! I know, I know, please, don't bother commenting on it. Author Kathleen Scott had me at "hello." No, really, she did. "Juliet Nelson looked at herself in the dressing room mirror at Victoria's Secret and felt like a fool." Juliet doesn't see the fit woman in the store mirror (she teaches dancercise), she stares at a depressed and lonely woman. Though married, she's alone. Even with kids, she's unfulfilled. And that's how I got hooked. She was not only writing about me from the very first sentence, but I think she was standing next to me and could mind-read, as well. Chapter one introduces Juliet, married eleven years with children, to the same man. She's on the road to destruction: she is about to learn about herself. Perhaps it's the almost-middle-age roller coaster whipping her around. She and her husband, Michael, try surprise trips, candle-light dinners and flowers to rekindle the flame, but still, all she sees is a puff of smoke. Soon after the stare-down with herself, we're taken back in time to the innocent first meeting and those wonderful butterfly pangs of love. It feels good, too, because Scott's writing is so... so real. We learn through an innocent conversation with her dad, that Juliet has been brought up believing in God, but Scott refuses to let Juliet shove this in our face (and I liked that). First comes marriage, then the carriage... yada, yada, yada, move up the financial ladder... you know the story. In the beginning, like any normal family, the routine of it all is okay. People need money, kids need their parents, and everybody stays busy. It's just a part of life. "...days will go by and I'll realize that we haven't even kissed each other goodnight. I'll tell hi

Relevant for today's Married Woman

This book is full of valuable lessons. Even if you're a newlywed or not married yet, it shows you what can happen when couples don't communicate. The lessons learned from Juliet & Michaels experiences may help some couples to work through difficult times- other couples may learn how to PREVENT some of the problems outlined in this great novel. God has really given Mrs. Scott a gift- she is able to tell a tale that most people can relate to, and she illustrates it such a way that you truly feel the emotions the characters are feeling. I highly recommend this novel!

This is a great book!!

This is the first book I've read about how a wife feels when her husband loses interest in their love life. For any wife who feels that she is trying to keep the romance in her marriage alive on her own, this is a book you'll want to buy. One of the reasons this was such a good story is because Kathleen Scott describes this really depressing marriage that I think many couples will relate to, but then she shows how the husband and wife found ways to make things better again. It was really encouraging to me. Buy this book, you'll be glad you did!

It's Still on My Heart

The characters in this story seem so real that I'm still thinking about them weeks after I finished reading the book. I think anyone who is married will relate to Juliet's and Michael's problems. There are lessons to be learned in this story that I didn't see until I was almost finished reading it. While I was crying with and relating to Juliet, I was learning something important that I think will make my marriage better. I recommend this book to anyone who has had their heart broken from being in love.

beautifully written

"A test of love" was a wonderful novel that brought me to tears. I could identify with Juliet's emotions, and loved her great strength through her trials. It is one of those books you curl up with and can't put down. I bought this book for my daughter and know she will love it too.