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All the Pretty Things: The Story of a Southern Girl Who Went through Fire to Find Her Way Home Paperback – September 20, 2016

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 783 ratings

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"I don't know how old I was the night the trailer burned down, or if the rumor was true that Daddy was the one who set it on fire."
 
For a long time, Edie thought she had escaped. It started in an Appalachian trailer park, where a young girl dreamed of becoming a doctor. But every day, Edie woke up to her reality:a poverty-stricken world full of alcohol and violence, where getting out seemed impossible. She taught herself to drive a stick shift truck at twelve years oldso she could get her drunk daddy home from the bar.  She spent Saturdays at Brushy Mountain prison visiting her incarcerated cousin.  She watched adults eat while her stomach gnawed and then there was torching of the family trailer, where she dug through the ashes to try to salvage her most prized possession--her Tammy Wynette album.
 
And at the center of it all was her charismatic daddy. She never knew when he would show up but when he did he was usually drunk; she learned the hard way that she couldn't count on him to protect her.  So she told herself it didn't matter.  All she wanted was to make him proud. Against all odds, Edie "made doctor," achieving everything that had once seemed beyond her reach. Only, it was too late, because her Daddy died a year before she graduated medical school. She split the cost of his funeral with her sister. 
 
When her past finally caught up with her, it was all too much so she did what her Daddy would have done--she set it all on fire. 
 
 It would take her whole life burning down once again for Edie to be finally able to face the truth about herself, her family, and her relationship with God. Readers of 
The Glass Castle will treasure this refreshing and raw redemption story, a memoir for anyone who has ever hungered for home, forgiveness, and the safe embrace of a father's love.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

The most beautiful things are born in pressure and birthed through pain. Pain is the silent author behind thousands of great stories and songs. Edie’s story is born of pain and rejection―it is raw-throated and broken open; it is fragile and strong and bright. It is ten thousand fireflies dancing over a Tennessee field. And Edie is masterful in the telling. Read this book―but more than that, open your soul and let this book read you. John Sowers, Author of Heroic Path

All the Pretty Things is a transparent journey into the heart of a little girl whose broken father is her hero. I haven’t read a memoir like this since The Glass Castle. It takes you to the hard places, and those places bring you home. Highly recommended. Emily T. Wierenga, Founder of The Lulu Tree

Through Edie’s blog we’ve come to know her as a gracious, joyful soul with a passion for loving and serving others. Now within these pages we meet the innocent little girl who loved with a brave fierceness, and we champion her on as she gracefully walks through fire time and time again. We cheer alongside the perpetual cheerleader as she dusts off the ashes and holds forth with an open, hospitable hand a crown of beauty adorned with all the pretty things.
Paige Knudsen, Lifestyle and portrait photographer and blogger

Edie Wadsworth drops the needle on her life’s record and lets it play. The result is a vernacular collection of moments both beautiful and terrible; in other words, intensely human. Each reader will hear it a bit differently, but I was struck by two constant refrains: The Father will never forsake us, and there’s something hauntingly precious about a daddy. Thanks, Edie.
John D. Blasé, Poet and author

Edie’s memoir is a rare gem in this world of books, one where I actually felt like I was growing up right alongside her. You will laugh and cry and cheer and be dismayed. Her storytelling is gripping, and it is easy to find ourselves in her shoes, looking for all the pretty things in this harsh world as we live each day, putting one foot in front of the other. The pinnacle of this piece of art are her encounters with the fiery pursuit of God―the same relentless pursuit He uses to come after you and me, no matter how we try to burn it all down.
Bri McKoy, Writer at OurSavoryLife.com

I looked forward to reading Edie’s memoir from the day I learned she was writing it. In
All the Pretty Things, she shares the story of her impoverished childhood in the Appalachian foothills of Tennessee with truth and vulnerability, weaving together feelings common to childhood with experiences unique to her situation. You’ll ache for Edie as a little girl, starved both for food and the time and attention of the daddy she adores. The desire for a father’s love and approval doesn’t decrease with time and age, as Edie learns through the struggle and striving of her teen and adult years.
All the Pretty Things is a reflection on the importance of family and the sacred duty of parent to child; the hunger for an earthly father that sometimes only our heavenly Father can fulfill; and the truth that earthly riches are no guarantee of happiness―and how easily they can all go up in smoke. Dawn Camp, Editor and photographer

All the Pretty Things is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. I knew going into it that I’d be captivated by Edie’s story, but what I didn’t expect is how much I’d fall in love with her people. Her affection for those people, in the midst of heartache and hardship and hilarity and everything in between, makes the already vivid images in this book just flat-out leap off the page. And then there’s this: All the Pretty Things is unlike anything I’ve ever read―part Southern gothic, part C. S. Lewis, part pure poetry, and every single bit of it 100 percent gut-level-honest Edie Wadsworth. This book is beautiful, heartbreaking, charming, and redemptive, and now that I’ve finished reading it, I’m more awed by the author―and the Author of it all―than ever before. You will be too. Don’t miss it. Sophie Hudson, Author

Within twenty-four hours of receiving Edie’s book, I had read it from cover to cover. She warmly drew me into her story with her Southern charm and wit, and yet pierced my heart with the painful childhood memories of personal wounds left on her by her father. I was in awe of her strength throughout her struggles that would have left most of us in a crumpled up mess. Her story is one of enduring, hopeful love of a little girl for her earthly father, and the relentless, redemptive love of a heavenly Father for his beloved daughter.
Traci Hutcherson, CEO and Founder, Beneath My Heart

Edie Wadsworth is an observer of people, a lover of words, and a masterful storyteller. All those qualities converge to make
All the Pretty Things one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. I sat down with the intention of reading the first few chapters and looked up hours later to realize I’d finished the entire thing. And her story, her people, and her heart stayed with me for days afterward. You will find yourself alternately cheering, laughing out loud, and crying, but I guarantee you won’t be able to walk away unmoved. Melanie Shankle, NYT bestselling author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

All the Pretty Things

The Story of a Southern Girl Who Went Through Fire to Find Her Way Home

By Edie Wadsworth, Bonne Steffen

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2016 Edie Wadsworth
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4964-0338-4

Contents

Introduction, xi,
01 Ring of Fire, 1,
02 Hello Darlin', 9,
03 They Don't Make 'Em like My Daddy, 15,
04 D-I-V-O-R-C-E, 25,
05 Mama Tried, 33,
06 Keep on the Sunny Side, 41,
07 A Broken Flower, 47,
08 All My Rowdy Friends, 57,
09 Summer in Dixie, 61,
10 Still Doin' Time, 67,
11 I'll Fly Away, O Glory, 73,
12 Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound, 83,
13 On the Road Again, 93,
14 Rose Colored Glasses, 101,
15 Real Good Man, 111,
16 Hope against Hope, 121,
17 Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, 125,
18 Man of Constant Sorrow, 137,
19 Always on My Mind, 147,
20 Free Bird, 153,
21 A Thousand Miles from Nowhere, 163,
22 That's the Way Love Goes, 169,
23 Sing Me Back Home, 177,
24 Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys, 183,
25 Family Tradition, 193,
26 I Sang Dixie, 201,
27 I Walk the Line, 211,
28 He Stopped Loving Her Today, 217,
29 Whiskey Lullaby, 225,
30 I Fall to Pieces, 231,
31 All God's Children Ain't Free, 237,
32 Bless the Broken Road, 245,
33 Mama, He's Crazy, 251,
34 Everything's Gonna Be Alright, 257,
35 When the World Stopped Turning, 265,
36 If We Make It through December, 273,
37 We're Gonna Hold On, 281,
38 Fire Away, 287,
Afterword, 291,
Acknowledgments, 297,
Discussion Guide, 301,
Notes, 303,
About the Author, 305,


CHAPTER 1

RING OF FIRE


I don't know how old I was the night the trailer burned down — or if the rumor was true that Daddy was the one who set it on fire.

What I do remember is cracking open the back bedroom door of the single-wide trailer just the tiniest sliver and poking my nose through to see why everything had gone so quiet inside. I could see beyond the living room to the yellow porch light that was swarming with moths. And I could see the outline of Daddy's face.

I nudged my head out farther but still couldn't tell what he was doing, maybe just fumbling for another bottle of beer in the Styrofoam cooler set by the front door. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the needle lowering on the record player to start another twangy country song.

I shrugged my shoulders and shut the door with a thud.

"I don't know what they're doin', but they went outside on the porch for something," I said to Sister and Jamie.

I hadn't started school yet, and my sister, Gina, was sixteen months younger. Our cousin Jamie was four years older than me, and it was always a treat when Daddy brought us to visit her on a Saturday night.

Jamie lived in Rockford, a little town south of Knoxville, Tennessee, with her mother and stepdad — my aunt Glenda, who was Daddy's closest sister, and her husband, George. They lived in a trailer park called Rocky Branch, just down the road a piece from Aunt Glenda and Daddy's mother, Mamaw.

We'd paused our game so I could check on Daddy, like I always did. When my mama was working nights at Genie's Bar, Daddy had a tendency to get himself into trouble, so from as early as I can remember, I put myself in charge of making sure he was okay. He rarely was.

His presence usually meant there'd be drinking and loud music, since Daddy's inclination was to turn every kitchen into a certifiable honky-tonk. Through the wall, I heard the raspy voice of Tammy Wynette, so all seemed right with the world again. I knew that the adults would soon begin dancing around the kitchen or out on the front porch, smoking Winston cigarettes and clanking their bottles of beer while they jigged.

Daddy was always shirtless and half-lit, leading the drunken parade and hollering "Woo, doggies!" whenever the pure joy of it all hit him just right.

"Okay, let's start over then," Jamie said to my sister and me, always keeping us on track with our games. She had us corralled in the back bedroom to play Bonanza, our version of house inspired by the Cartwright family in the popular seventies television show.

"Gina, you play like Hoss is just coming home," Jamie said, ushering Sister over to the corner of the room that we designated the kitchen.

"I'll be married to Little Joe again, and Edie, you'll be married to Adam. Gina, you're living with Hoss, and we'll play like he's just come home drunk, wanting you to fix him some breakfast."

"Why do I always have to be married to Hoss?" Sister complained. "He's mean, and I don't like fixing breakfast."

"You're the youngest and you have to do what we say, and besides, fixing breakfast ain't that hard and he ain't that mean," Jamie declared.

Being the oldest, Jamie always got to be Little Joe's wife, he being the most handsome and respectable of the Cartwright brothers. As Adam's wife, I was treated well too. Although I didn't think he was as handsome as Little Joe, he never came home drunk trying to pick a fight.

In our game, Hoss seemed to be a composite character of all the worst men in our lives, a character who pretty much embodied some of Daddy's kinfolks. He was always pushing Sister down on the bed, cussing her out, busting out the windows, or making her cook scrambled eggs for him in the middle of the night — like we'd seen some of the men in our family do.

"Play like Hoss is throwing his work boots at you, Sister."

"I don't want him to throw his work boots," Sister said, sitting down on the bed with her arms folded in rebellion.

Just as Jamie picked up Uncle George's boots to throw them across the room, we heard Daddy yelling.

"Girls, hurry up and get in the car! We gotta blow this joint!"

I grabbed Sister's hand as the three of us bolted from the back room out the front door. We dodged empty beer bottles on the floor and ran by the record player, which was still blaring. The next thing I remember, I was standing outside, staring at the other end of the trailer, trying to figure out why everybody was leaving so quick.

Daddy herded us into the backseat of his white Plymouth, us girls still wondering what was causing the commotion. It was a crisp spring night, and we watched the tree swallows swarming around the power lines looking for a place to land. With the windows down, I could hear Tammy still twanging out her last song as Daddy shifted the car into drive and we began to move. Through the back window, it looked like flames were shooting out of the other end of the trailer, and I began to worry over what was going on.

"Daddy, what's wrong? Did something happen to the trailer?" I said, on the verge of tears as I always was when things went south, which they had a way of doing when he was around. Jamie went quiet, like she usually did when things got crazy, and Sister was oblivious, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Nothin'. We're going up to your mamaw's," he said, wiping from his forehead the sweat that was rolling toward his eyes.

Mamaw's trailer sat on the side of Brown's Mountain and was the official gathering place in good times and bad for the clan — a group of un- and underemployed relatives, subsisting largely on government checks, government peanut butter, and huge yellow blocks of government cheese.

All the way to Mamaw's I worried about the trailer and especially about the Tammy Wynette album that I loved more than anything. Jamie and Sister remained silent beside me, staring out the window.

I was sniveling when Daddy turned onto Mamaw's steep dirt driveway, careening over the washed-out ruts and bringing us in on two wheels, with us kids bouncing up and down in the backseat like whack-a-moles.

At the top of the hill, Daddy hit the brakes, put his arm over the seat, and looked back at me. "Listen here, Nise. Don't start squawlin'; there ain't nothin' to cry over. Bad things happen and there ain't no way you can make it better by going on about it." Daddy nearly always called me by a shortened version of my middle name, Denise.

Daddy was right — bad things did happen — and I tried my best not to get worked up over it. But all the country records I loved were in the trailer, along with all the pretty things Jamie's daddy bought her when he won a card game, which would eventually make it to Sister and me as hand-me-downs.

And why were all the grownups acting so funny? Daddy was wrong when he said there was nothing to cry over.

I rubbed my eyes and dried my hands on my dirty navy turtle-neck and plaid polyester pants that were two inches too short, quietly asking Daddy, "Can we call Mama and tell her?"

Mama and Daddy were divorced, and Mama didn't like it when Daddy took us places he shouldn't or when bad things happened because he was drinking.

"Listen, Nise, ain't nobody hurt and ain't nobody crying but you," Daddy said as we walked up to the porch, his gait not quite as steady as it ought to have been.

Daddy didn't call Mama. He marched us up the porch steps in single file like soldiers going to war and pushed through the screen door to a trailer full of relatives. Papaw was in the corner strumming some Hank Williams song on his flat top guitar with his head down and his eyes closed. Uncle Gene, Daddy's brother, was nearly passed out over the arm of the couch. Daddy's sisters were there, too, as well as the fire victims, Aunt Glenda and Uncle George. Before long it felt like a regular old family reunion. Daddy told Mamaw to make a pot of coffee, which was always the answer to a family crisis.

Within a half hour, most of the clan was crowded around a table in the tiny kitchen and the adults were telling stories, like they always did when they gathered, Daddy's version, of course, being the most interesting and the most likely to be embellished. I glanced up at the wall where the oversized wooden fork and spoon hung slightly crooked, which reminded me I was hungry.

"Daddy, I'm starving," I said, peering around the television. I was trying not to listen too closely to what was being said, afraid I might hear things I shouldn't. I let it all become a jumble of noise.

"Daddy, did you hear me?" I said, walking up to tap him on the shoulder.

He gave a sort of nod, but after a few more futile attempts to get his attention, I gave up and crawled up on the couch in the living room. It felt like something heavy was crushing me as I agonized over things too complicated for a child to process. A strange sensation came over me and my eyes began to water.

It was as if I were floating above the room looking down on everyone. I could see their mouths moving amid the cacophony of voices, but the sound seemed to come from a million miles away.

Mama's finishing her shift at Genie's Bar right about now, I thought. I wish she was here with me. Daddy said nobody was hurt and there was nothing to tell her, and maybe he was right. But everything seemed better when she was around.

Sister and Jamie disappeared into the bedroom, but I stayed on the couch, hoping someone would fix something to eat. My stomach gnawed like it might bite a hole in my shirt — hunger mixed with sadness pulled by a strong longing for something I couldn't define.

The women stayed up most of the night rolling homemade cigarettes and drinking black coffee, while the men eventually passed out drunk from whatever was being sloshed around the room in a mason jar.

The sensation of being in another world eventually left me, and I was just a little girl again with dirt under her fingernails and cold, clammy hands. Before too long I fell asleep on the couch in my clothes, using Papaw's scratchy plaid wool coat as a blanket.


I woke up before dawn to the sizzle of fried potatoes cooking in lard, with the smell of liquor still floating around the room like a kite.

Daddy stood shirtless at the stove, waiting for the coffee grounds to boil. I watched him hitch up his faded blue jeans that always hung loose below the waist of his Fruit of the Looms.

"Well, if it ain't ole Edie Nise, up like her daddy before the crack o'dawn," he said, pouring coffee into his cup, grounds and all.

He grinned from ear to ear, whistling snatches of "Dixie" like everything was right in the world. I threw off Papaw's coat and rubbed my eyes to get the sleep out, then moved a chair over to the stove to help Daddy cook. Climbing up on the seat and leaning my head on his shoulder, I wished the potatoes in the iron skillet would hurry up so they could ease the ache that was burning in my stomach.

I had a feeling like something wrong had happened the night before, but there was no sign of it on Daddy's face so I tried not to show it on mine either. Besides, could anything really be wrong when Daddy was grinning and whistling, with dawn spilling like watercolors in the eastern sky?

The two of us sat at the table and ate a heaping plateful of fried potatoes apiece while the sun came up, taking turns sipping his black coffee, the bitter hot numbing my tongue.

We didn't talk; we just let the early morning wrap around us, somehow making everything all right again.

Later that afternoon, we went to the trailer site and dug through the ash heap with Aunt Glenda, looking for anything that could be salvaged. There was no sign of Jamie's canopy bed or any of her clothes or furniture. All we took away were two eight-track tapes and a smell so fierce it took up permanent residence in my memory.

A few weeks later, Jamie moved to a new trailer and Daddy never mentioned the night again.

No matter what the circumstances, the time Daddy and I spent together felt like time that stood still.

Mama said I was the apple of his eye from the minute he laid eyes on me.


(Continues...)Excerpted from All the Pretty Things by Edie Wadsworth, Bonne Steffen. Copyright © 2016 Edie Wadsworth. Excerpted by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tyndale Momentum (September 20, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 149640338X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496403384
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 783 ratings

About the author

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Edie Wadsworth
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Edie Wadsworth is a speaker, writer, and blogger who has been featured in various print and online media (including Better Homes and Gardens in 2013 on the topic of her family's home rebuild after a fire). After overcoming her difficult upbringing to become a successful medical doctor, Edie left her practice to raise her family and pursue her love for writing. Her passion is to love her people well and to see women embrace the full measure of their life's passion and purpose. She has shared her story at conferences and churches around the country. She's a physician, certified life and health coach and founded her signature coaching program LIFE MENTORING SCHOOL in 2019. Two years later, she began certifying life coaches in her faith based program. She leads a growing movement of Christian women to reject the status quo, live with more purpose and joy, and make their legacy impact on the world.

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Customers say

Customers find the story inspiring and moving. They praise the writing quality as well-written, poignant, and engaging. The memoir makes readers laugh and cry, with moments of humor and joy. Readers appreciate the author's honesty and vulnerability. While acknowledging the pain and struggles in the book, they find the content matter-of-fact and matter-of-heart.

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120 customers mention "Heartwarming story"117 positive3 negative

Customers find the story inspiring and moving. They describe it as a spiritual memoir that allows readers to see God's never-ending love. The book is thought-provoking and enjoyable to read, with an authenticity and rawness that appeals to them. Readers appreciate the author's honesty and passion for helping others.

"...broke it into a few day's read, as it gave me the chance to savor, contemplate, and appreciate all she was sharing...." Read more

"...But through the wrecking comes almost immediate healing, as if you are suddenly transported to the other side of loss, disappointment, and grief...." Read more

"...Riveting and thought-provoking, and as enjoyable to hear Edie's voice in a book as it is through her blog." Read more

"...gift from a woman who knows pain, heartache, loss, and indescribable redemption...." Read more

53 customers mention "Heartfelt story"53 positive0 negative

Customers find the story heartfelt, touching, and beautiful. They say it tugs at their hearts with its message of redemption and love. Readers mention that the book helps them reconcile childhood emotions and share their hope for God and family.

"“All The Pretty Things” wrecked me in the most beautiful way! It opened the door to childhood memories that were long ago buried...." Read more

"...I felt like I was living her life with her and felt her joy and anguish...." Read more

"...I began to read of her hope, her love for God and family, and her peace. Her name is Edie Wadsworth and I have been a follower of hers ever since...." Read more

"...God has brought you forth with grace, mercy and love. You are adored by the KING and that is priceless!" Read more

45 customers mention "Writing quality"45 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's writing quality. They find it well-written, engaging, and easy to read. The author's words are described as descriptive and raw, making the story relatable.

"...Her love/hate relationship with her alcoholic father was poignantly written...." Read more

"Worth the hard-to-read moments, and what it will evoke in the reader's own heart, to add this book to your must-read list...." Read more

"...With such an incredible testimony and writing prowess, it's an absolute must-read! 🌟..." Read more

"...Not only did Edie's gorgeous writing paint an indelible picture on my heart of her beloved Appalachia and her sweet, tragic, flawed family, but the..." Read more

15 customers mention "Laughter rate"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the memoir humorous and inspiring. They laugh, cry, and cheer as they follow Edie Wadsworth through her memories.

"...Her storytelling is so captivating—I smiled at the highs, teared up at the lows. Simply couldn't put it down until I unraveled the last page...." Read more

"This book... Heartfelt, gut wrenching, happy, sad, humorous, inspiring. Edie writes from her heart and had me from her first words...." Read more

"...Notice what makes you laugh out loud and ponder which moments make you cry...." Read more

"...What a profound story of her pain, struggles and joy...." Read more

6 customers mention "Honesty"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's honesty and vulnerability. They feel a connection to her through the book, as her words are honest and real.

"...I appreciated her honesty as a child wanting to be loved and cherished and as an adult understanding addiction and human behavior...." Read more

"...of postmodernism wish to repress that truth, but she is very honest in her acceptance and admittance of her own depravity and her need for a saviour..." Read more

"...combination of beautiful redemption, unconditional love, and grace freely given, is exceptional!!" Read more

"...I felt a total connection to her through the book. Her words were so honest and real." Read more

5 customers mention "Pain content"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content painful and honest. They say the author does a good job of talking about difficult topics in a matter-of-fact way. The book is described as heartfelt, gut-wrenching, funny, sad, and inspiring.

"...All the Pretty Things is a book of pain, rejection, disappointment, sadness, overwhelming grief...." Read more

"This book... Heartfelt, gut wrenching, happy, sad, humorous, inspiring. Edie writes from her heart and had me from her first words...." Read more

"...She does a great job of talking about painful things in a way that is matter of fact and to the point and an even better one of revealing the..." Read more

"A wonderful memior full of love and grace, pain and sorrow but full of redemption and joy all at the same time! Totally worth your time!..." Read more

5 customers mention "Strength"5 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book for its honesty and vulnerability. They find it meaningful without being heavy-handed or smarmy.

"...She is resilient, feisty, smart and tenacious. I have no doubt she could dance one off, too!..." Read more

"...But through it all she had a miraculous amount of hope and strength, and love for her family and friends, and a faith that wouldn't let go of her." Read more

"...The story is so rich and meaningful; she's never heavy-handed or smarmy. She just tells her story and lets you feel the feels...." Read more

"...God bless you, Edie for your courage and fortitude." Read more

4 customers mention "Author"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the author's writing style and find her memoir uplifting. They also appreciate her blog and consider her a talented storyteller.

"Amazing memoir by Edie Wadsworth!! It touched my heart and I couldn't put it down!" Read more

"What a sad but at the same time uplifting story - love Edie's blog too." Read more

"Very good book. Love Edie, her story touched me." Read more

"Love Edie! Such a great story- teller." Read more

Made me laugh and cry and all in between.
5 out of 5 stars
Made me laugh and cry and all in between.
Edie lets you in to the most deep places in her life. I felt like I was living her life with her and felt her joy and anguish. I underlined several passages that she said that expressed what I felt in my own life but was unable to say. In finishing this book I felt like my friend has moved away but I’m thankful she has become the woman she is today and helps other women reach for healing in their lives.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2016
    When I found I had been given the opportunity from Tyndale to read All the Pretty Things for review I was nearly beside myself. The previews and comments from other authors seemed surreal, and I knew that it would be difficult to read, given the hardships and poverty I knew existed in the Appalachians. I was right, there was plenty of difficult situations that author Edie Wadsworth had to overcome, and overcome she did.

    I love a good memoir. After reading Emily Wierenga's book, Atlas Girl, I was hooked. I've always been a "real story" girl, not wanting the fiction of make believe things, but preferring the stories that happen in life - the struggles, the disasters, the tragedy and yes, real-life redemption. Even when they hurt, leave me with a heart broken up for the injustices in the world, or joyfully celebrating, I want to know those feelings because of real stuff that's happened.

    The realities that Edie had to deal with in her life were seemingly unavoidable, and her simple, child-like memories set the stage perfectly. I do not doubt that her life was THAT hard. I can not fathom living a childhood like hers, knowing that she has battled the demons that won for generations in her family. For her to have overcome her circumstances, own up for the demons she chose on her own as an adult, and banish them through her faith, provided a story of hope and determination.

    I can't express the intensity of this book, of her life. I had to make myself put it down, wanting to read it in one sitting. I'm glad that I broke it into a few day's read, as it gave me the chance to savor, contemplate, and appreciate all she was sharing.

    Her love/hate relationship with her alcoholic father was poignantly written. I appreciated her honesty as a child wanting to be loved and cherished and as an adult understanding addiction and human behavior.

    Anyone who thinks that their life circumstances will hold them back from achieving their dreams should read this book. Anyone who is in a difficult season of life would appreciate it. Anyone who is feeling sorry for themselves should read it, if for no other reason than to understand how so many people live today in our own country; that children still go to bed hungry.

    I highly recommend this book for reading, though I wouldn't think it appropriate for younger readers (senior high school kids may be able to handle the adult content, but not younger or tender hearted kids or adults).

    Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Poignantly Written Memoir...

    Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2016
    When I found I had been given the opportunity from Tyndale to read All the Pretty Things for review I was nearly beside myself. The previews and comments from other authors seemed surreal, and I knew that it would be difficult to read, given the hardships and poverty I knew existed in the Appalachians. I was right, there was plenty of difficult situations that author Edie Wadsworth had to overcome, and overcome she did.

    I love a good memoir. After reading Emily Wierenga's book, Atlas Girl, I was hooked. I've always been a "real story" girl, not wanting the fiction of make believe things, but preferring the stories that happen in life - the struggles, the disasters, the tragedy and yes, real-life redemption. Even when they hurt, leave me with a heart broken up for the injustices in the world, or joyfully celebrating, I want to know those feelings because of real stuff that's happened.

    The realities that Edie had to deal with in her life were seemingly unavoidable, and her simple, child-like memories set the stage perfectly. I do not doubt that her life was THAT hard. I can not fathom living a childhood like hers, knowing that she has battled the demons that won for generations in her family. For her to have overcome her circumstances, own up for the demons she chose on her own as an adult, and banish them through her faith, provided a story of hope and determination.

    I can't express the intensity of this book, of her life. I had to make myself put it down, wanting to read it in one sitting. I'm glad that I broke it into a few day's read, as it gave me the chance to savor, contemplate, and appreciate all she was sharing.

    Her love/hate relationship with her alcoholic father was poignantly written. I appreciated her honesty as a child wanting to be loved and cherished and as an adult understanding addiction and human behavior.

    Anyone who thinks that their life circumstances will hold them back from achieving their dreams should read this book. Anyone who is in a difficult season of life would appreciate it. Anyone who is feeling sorry for themselves should read it, if for no other reason than to understand how so many people live today in our own country; that children still go to bed hungry.

    I highly recommend this book for reading, though I wouldn't think it appropriate for younger readers (senior high school kids may be able to handle the adult content, but not younger or tender hearted kids or adults).

    Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2016
    “All The Pretty Things” wrecked me in the most beautiful way! It opened the door to childhood memories that were long ago buried. It’s almost unexplainable how much someone else’s story can unlock your own. But through the wrecking comes almost immediate healing, as if you are suddenly transported to the other side of loss, disappointment, and grief. The scales are lifted from your eyes and you see God’s redemptive plan for you. You reflect back in awe of just how beautiful Proverbs 3:5 “lean not in your own understanding” looks years later.

    “All the Pretty Things” gave me a crash course and a life saving dose of empathy. Edie reminds us of the adversities of the neglected, poor, abandoned, un-educated, hopeless, molested, special needs child, young pregnant girl, and yes even the chain-smoker. Perhaps even more profound was the way she showed how love and compassion in a non-condoning way can truly all step together in unison for those people in our lives who have hurt and disappointed us the most. In the end, “All The Pretty Things” reminded me of God’s unfailing love for myself and made me want to extend that same love to others.

    This is a book you will buy multiple copies of for families and friends. I read it in two days and want to read it again! Have your Kleenexes ready!
    This would be a great book to dissect in a small group or Bible study!
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2016
    Worth the hard-to-read moments, and what it will evoke in the reader's own heart, to add this book to your must-read list. I was skeptical of all those who said, "I couldn't put it down, I read it in one sitting." I didn't quite swallow it in one whole bite, but I'll admit to hearing the clock strike, 1, 2 AM some nights til I read the final page. Riveting and thought-provoking, and as enjoyable to hear Edie's voice in a book as it is through her blog.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2016
    Please, please, please do not miss this book!! I struggle to find the words to convey the weight of this beautiful story. I'd ordered it as a reader of Edie's blog, and had planned to casually read it in preparation for interviewing her on my podcast. But THIS book? Once I started, I could. not. put it down. I read it in just over 24 hours, setting many of my normal daily things aside, to steal away moments to get back to the momentum of this story and the magical draw and promise of the coming redemption it held. Don't get me wrong, parts of it were hard. At times I felt myself angry, then sad, then laughing and in the end crying. Tears of joy for the goodness of God's redemption in Edie's life, and tears of gratitude for seeing how God could be working to redeem what's in mine, even when it doesn't seem possible for it to be redeemed at all. This book moved me, entertained me, educated me, and stretched me to take hold of the truth that no matter what we've been dealt in life, and no matter how bad our choices have been, there is ALWAYS hope and we are never alone. We are simply souls who are deeply loved by a God who will never leave, surrounded by others who all have their hard things, and together walking with courage and confidence to dare to believe we are never without hope. That we CAN do hard things. That it IS possible to be brave, and jump scared, and survive our mud, no matter how deep or hopeless it seems. This memoir is the most gracious gift from a woman who knows pain, heartache, loss, and indescribable redemption. You will be changed by her words, and find yourself grateful for her most generous gift.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2025
    Edie lets you in to the most deep places in her life. I felt like I was living her life with her and felt her joy and anguish. I underlined several passages that she said that expressed what I felt in my own life but was unable to say. In finishing this book I felt like my friend has moved away but I’m thankful she has become the woman she is today and helps other women reach for healing in their lives.
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    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Made me laugh and cry and all in between.

    Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2025
    Edie lets you in to the most deep places in her life. I felt like I was living her life with her and felt her joy and anguish. I underlined several passages that she said that expressed what I felt in my own life but was unable to say. In finishing this book I felt like my friend has moved away but I’m thankful she has become the woman she is today and helps other women reach for healing in their lives.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Astrid Eastman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Such a good story!
    Reviewed in Canada on July 17, 2023
    If you already follow Dr. Edie online then you will love her memoir. You won't be able to put it down!
  • CD Eichmann
    1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
    Reviewed in Canada on January 9, 2017
    Not received