Anne Neilson’s The Brushstrokes of Life is a beautiful, uplifting book about discovering how God brings beauty and purpose into our lives. God has a plan, and we each have a gift that he has bestowed upon us. Neilson believes that everything we go through in life shapes us into the people we become. I voluntarily read and reviewed this well-written, beautiful book, one that I will refer to often on my own religious journey.

I did enjoy this book and learning more about the author’s process. However, I did feel like it was written in such a way that the story came across a bit arrogant. That could have just been my perspective, though. Thank you for the advance copy!

The Brushstrokes of Life

Discovering How God Brings Beauty and Purpose to Your Story

by Anne Neilson

Pub Date 18 Apr 2023

Thomas Nelson--W Publishing,Thomas Nelson

Biographies & Memoirs| Christian| Self-Help





The Brushstrokes of Life is being reviewed by me through Thomas Nelson and Netgalley:







Here is a secret: God has entrusted you with a gift. In this talk, acclaimed angel artist Anne Neilson shares her story of passion and purpose and how faith radiates from every canvas she creates in life. You will be able to see that there are no coincidences with God when reading The Brushstrokes of Life.





According to Anne Neilson, each of us begins life as a blank canvas: clean and fresh, ready to be textured by our experiences. We are shaped by each trial, each joy, each heartache, and each hope that we experience. When we allow God to take over as the Master artist, we will find that He carefully adds dimension and highlights to create a beautiful masterpiece within us. When we are awash in chaos, it is often difficult to find the beauty.





In this powerful memoir, Anne shares personal stories about why her faith is so important to her and how it resonates throughout all her work. The Brushstrokes of Life teaches you how to:



Don't limit God's possibilities by closing your hands

Make your trials from today into hope for tomorrow by connecting them to your trials from today.

It is important to trust God's role in your Featuring a photo insert with several angel paintings that have never before appeared in a book, Anne's stories will serve as a powerful reminder that God is both our Creator and the Fulfiller of His promises. * He is the artist of our life. Creations are messy, but the divine artist never fails to reveal a masterpiece.





I give The Brushstrokes of Life five out of five stars!





Happy Reading!

Though there were a few interesting chapters/stories, overall this felt repetitive and at times uncomfortable. Everything wraps up so very nicely + there are many (too many) stories about meeting celebrities + Anne makes it clear that being a mom is the highest calling anyone could have. As a single woman, that's a bit difficult to read. Her artwork is stunning, and perhaps the other books she referenced (with angel paintings) would be a better fit, but the writing lacked substance and didn't work for me.

I enjoyed this book very much. The author gives us her life story with Biblical scripture, thought provoking questions for us to consider and encouragement for our everyday lives. She could see God even in her hard times which we all should be doing. I found this book very inspiring!

The Brushstrokes of Life was such a well written story about Anne’s life and Gods plan for her. The pages will make you think about your life and worth. Do what makes you happy and feels good. Always remember that God is in your corner cheering for you. This book would make a great read for a book club.

This was a beautiful memoir from Anne Neilson. She accounts the story of her life and how God wove His plans for her in it. She offers many "brushstroke moments" of reflection throughout her story to consider the ways God works not only in her own life, but in the readers life as well.

As an artist, I really enjoyed learning more about Anne's artistic process, how her career progressed over the years, and how she balanced this passion with motherhood.

This was a very personal reflection for Anne. I really appreciated how she was very honest about the big wins AND the big struggles throughout her life. She does not shy away from sharing the hardships and the blessings she has encountered over the years. All of these things ultimately led her to become the person she is today and were all apart of His perfect plan.

All of her reflections have given me much to ponder on how God may be working in my journey also.

3 ⭐️
The Brushstrokes of Life by Anne Neilson is full of creative comparisons to encourage the believer in their Christian walk. I enjoyed how the author used her personal life experiences to show how she came to understand that God was the “Master Artist” of her life especially during the first 100 pages or so of the book. However, nearing the end of the book there were multiple recounts of celebrity encounters and personal accolades that didn’t resonate well with me.
I did enjoy how well the truth that God wants to use everyone’s individual talent was presented. If you’re a creative type or someone searching for some purpose in the season you’re walking, this book will be a refreshing read.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #sponsored

Perhaps it is because of personally where I am right now but this was another recent book that I did not finish and stopped just a couple chapters in. I tried to soldier on and keep reading but I am simply not the target audience. I presume I couldn't get through it because of the author's focus on art analogies and angel artwork, which is not something that I am familiar with (the theological focus on angels and thought and feeling altogether, is certainly a tertiary issue, if that, and not something I spend my time on).

It also felt repetitive and surface level, but maybe that's just me. For example---so many of the truths about each trial and heartache shaping us, brushstrokes of God's artistry shaping us, there are no coincidences in God, trials for today mean hope for tomorrow, etc etc - it's all bumper sticker type stuff and felt very surface level and repetitive, almost like it was forced in order to create another book that we feel as if we've already read. I've heard so much of that and it's not entirely helpful, although well meaning. Despite this, I do my best to power on, i just simply couldn't keep reading as there are so many other books out there and time is precious - simply put, I am not the target reader, hence the do not finish.

"Creations are messy, but the divine artist never fails to reveal a masterpiece" - bumper sticker type stuff, true, but repetitive. I guess I was looking for something deeper or meatier than this, but also had no idea what to expect, not being familiar with the author-artist prior.

Anne Neilson has certainly found huge success though, with her art and also her past books. She is also in a completely other phase of life than I am, talking of her empty nest and so forth, that I had a hard time relating. Although her fans of her art will love this memoir, it was not for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book to review.

Anne Neilson has found huge success as a Christian artist with her beloved angel paintings. Unbeknownst to me, she is also a successful author with several books to her credit. Nevertheless, when reading memoirs, I believe my opinions are a little stronger than when reading fiction or even nonfiction. I am always wondering what makes this person’s story so unique and interesting. That being said, I found Ms. Neilson’s story very similar to many current empty nest moms who were raised in the 70s and early 80s. I was, however, pleased with her love of Jesus and her attribution to his grace and glory for all of her many blessings. Even though I’m a tough critic, I know her many fans will find joy and encouragement after reading her memoir.