Thursday, September 29, 2016

How To Make Victoria Sponge by Margaret Kazmierczak



 
Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Book



Victoria Sponge – a well-known cake? Maybe, but also a wife and mother of four children. Disorganized and chaotic, with obligations galore, sweet Victoria clings to God, her best friend who shares His amazing love with her. From tripping over a hoover left in the hallway to discovering her son’s desire to die because he is different, she journeys through her own Lent. Giving up is not an option, but saying ‘yes’ to God each day is. Tragedy and comical events follow Vicki through her week. Does Victoria Sponge rise through all the messiness that life offers or does she sink?

  Purchase here: Amazon

 


My Review

Endearing and one of a kind . . . How To Make Victoria Sponge will make you laugh, cry, and delight you all at the same time! The British vernacular incorporated was a welcome surprise and was such a nice aspect of the book- I felt the sudden need to have hot tea while reading :) This is such a unique book because it's so relatable to any mother or wife and all the chaos that comes along with it though you love each person that causes the chaos. It's also unique because it's not written like your typical book- it is more of a chronicle of events that happen in Victoria's life and how she responds to the stress and happy events that come her way. We learn that simply saying Yes to the Lord on a daily basis brings Him great joy and glorifies Him. We learn that being a mom and wife is ok even if we feel like our lives are just mediocre, because God is pleased with us simply trusting Him and obeying Him. He sees us all as special, unique children of His no matter how simple our lives may seem when we glorify Him with our actions. He loves to speak to His children as we communicate to Him which we see so clearly in Victoria's monologue of prayer and the Lord's response. Honestly, this book felt like as much of an inspirational devotional as it was a heartwarming read. We see how Victoria rises above the stress to be a loving wife and mother, a loving, supportive daughter of aging parents, a friend who is there in times of grief, and more all because she learns to constantly communicate with the Lord and meditate on His strength and His words to provide strength and direction. While we all know that we need to constantly depend upon, communicate, and meditate upon the Lord, this book actually challenged me to realize how much being aware of the presence of the Lord is a need in my life. You will be completely delighted with this book from all aspects of its' wonderful surprises. Thank you for an inspiring, emotionally packed, heartwarming read Mrs. Kazmierczak! :)
 
I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

 

 

About the Author



Born in England, Margaret Kazmierczak loves storytelling, but dyslexia made writing difficult. After marrying and birthing three children, she finally got around to it. She and husband Peter live in Dorset, United Kingdom with two daughters.

 

 

 

Guest Post from Margaret Kazmierczak 

For those that know me cooking is not a talent that I am famous for. I follow the recipes, but for some unknown reason my cakes remain flat, albeit cleverly disguised with chocolate.

My friends were, quite understandably, shocked that I appeared to have written a cookery book. My friends let me introduce the Baker who inspired me to write, ‘How to Make Victoria Sponge’. His name is God the Father. This cook needs all the help she can get.

In 2010 God literally took me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to become vulnerable. He took away my health and job. An active middle aged woman reduced to a shell. For two years I struggled to come to terms with my condition. Then one night I prayed and asked what I was supposed to do now? The message was simple, “write a book”. Well I could think up a million and one reasons why not to write a book. I declared them one by one but God the Father was having none of it. He reminded me of WHO was commissioning me.

To say that my reading and writing skills were on a par with my cooking skills was an understatement. So I stopped questioning and listened to His answer. “I shall give you the ingredients and you provide the humour and story outline with your life experiences.” So Victoria Sponge was born. Not a cookery book per se but a recipe for a closer relationship with God the Father through story and petition.

This journey took two years, a long time to wait for a cake to rise! The proof, however, was in the tasting which for some time was bitter due to rejection. Then a sequence of events happened one after the other and ‘How to Make Victoria Sponge’ was cooked, oops, birthed. I have been blown away with the face to face reviews in England of the book. A Methodist minister used it to empower her congregation, to show them how even the simplest things in life can lead to a prayerful response.

Victoria known as Vicki, married to Bob, is a normal woman with four children. The book looks at a week in her life and compares it to Jesus’ Lent week. Many issues are explored through the pages. Vicki Sponge could be you or me and the response to each situation, a solution to your own challenges.

Without the Baker this book would end up like my cakes! The writing of it helped me to begin a new life and I hope it helps you to do so too if you read and journey through its pages.

Blog Stops


September 29: A Reader’s Brain
September 30: The Power of Words (spotlight)
October 2: Bukwurmzzz
October 3: Artistic Nobody
October 4: Quiet Quilter
October 6: Mary Hake
October 10: Petra’s Hope
October 12: Onceuponatime

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Margaret is giving away a themed gift bag containing an apron, whisk, Bible, and a limited 1st edition paperback copy of How to Make Victoria Sponge! Click here to enter:
 https://promosimple.com/ps/a416

1 comment:

  1. Thank you Katie for this wonderful review. I am so glad this book has blessed you and drew you closer to the Lord. This is such a blessing to me. Thank you for taking the time to read and review my book!

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