A fictional "Pilgrim's Progress for married couples," Walk with Me by Annie Wald is an inspired allegory written to show the pitfalls of life with a partner. The walk of a Christian is a dangerous one, filled with challenges and difficulties. Many times, a person chooses a companion to travel with, but having a partner brings its own challenges.
Celeste began her life in Slouching City, a town poor in spirit and in money, whereas Peter was born in Upright Village, a self-righteous town. When the two meet on their journey toward the Kings City, they think each other the perfect traveling companion. After a while, they decide to bind themselves to one another with the Cords of Commitment. After their visit to the Moon of Honey, it becomes apparent that their life together wont always be holding hands and walking through fields of wildflowers. Peter soon becomes disenchanted with Celeste, as she does with him. She longs for romance, while Peter wishes his wife was more attractive and a better homemaker.
Nearly every difficulty a couple could go through is covered in this book. The couple journeys through the burr patch of unkind words," the "sand dunes of folly," the "orchard of earthly delights, the swamp of selfishness," and the "crossroads of divorce." The book deals with pornography, temptations to cheat, rearing children, and even times when couples are not of the same mindset spiritually. Wald also covers the often-overlooked problem of women lusting over romance and "the grass is always greener" syndrome.
The most interesting part of the book deals with Celeste and Peters partnership. While the couple journeys through an especially rough part of road, Celeste's Cords of Commitment begin to chafe at her wrists as Peter walks on faster. They run into Respect, a guide along the trail who quotes to Celeste Ephesians 5:22: "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord." However, Respect goes on to explain that whereas they are co-heirs and equals, this does not mean they are the same. He says that being one, they should complement each other's weaknesses. "You are asked to defer to Peter's leadership when the two of you come to an impasse," Respect says.
The fictional allegory style makes this intensive "couples counseling" easy to follow and understand. The metaphors in the book make discussing problems like sexual relations outside of marriage, pornography, and lust over romance tactfully appropriate reading for its Christian audience. Due to the great amount of biblical references and research woven into the story, Wald has included 12 pages of her Scripture references and sources in the back.
The target audience for this book is obviously Christian married couples, although engaged or serious couples may enjoy reading and learning from Celeste and Peters relationship. I would recommend this book for anyone wishing to strengthen a relationship with God and with a spouse. - Katelyn S. Irons, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com
"John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress became a timeless classic. Annie Wald's, Walk with Me deserves a spot on the same shelf. That's powerful praise for a debut book author, even though she has many anthologies and short stories to her credit. This amazing book of insightful wisdom belongs on every pastor's, counselor's married or engaged couple's bookshelf."
--Gail Welborn, Examiner.com, August 31, 2012.
"Walk with Me is at both times a mirror and a crystal ball. Not to mention the storytelling is superb."
-- Laura Boggess, The Wellspring, lauraboggess.com, October 26, 2012
"Most residents of Slouching City have forgotten the King of Love exists. One of the few who remember recently died leaving his guide to his beloved granddaughter Celeste, who begins reading the tome. Feeling uplifted by the book, Celeste seeks anything she can find on King and His Son the Servant.
Peter grew up in Upright Village where he and his family attended the weekly reading of the King's guidebook. He learned as a child to adhere to the King's rules though ironically his Peter's parents never traversed the path to the King's City.
Celeste and Peter meet and become a couple whose unity is as strong as the three strand bracelet cord tied around their wrists. Devotion reminds them this bracelet is as strong as their relationship is. The pair begins an odyssey to King's City passing through places like the Swamp of Selfishness, Meadows of Intimacy and the River of Unfaithfulness, etc.; at reach location their cord could be cut.
Applying John Bunyon's classic everyman allegorical Pilgrim's Progress, Annie Wald escorts readers on a journey for Married Couples through a metaphysically dangerous land filled with relationship distractors. The lead couple faces difficult challenges that place their love for one another in peril and their devotion to the King in danger from temptations. Readers will enjoy this engaging epic as a successful marriage is a long joint journey of the soul."
--Harriet Klausner, MBR Bookwatch
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