There Will Be Stars by Billy Coffey

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Christian Fiction

Paperback: 416 pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 3, 2016)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0718026829

ISBN-13: 978-0718026820

Synopsis: “In a life full of lies, he settled finally for the truth.”

No one in Mattingly ever believed Bobby Barnes would live to see old age. Drink would either rot Bobby from the inside out or dull his senses just enough to send his truck off the mountain on one of his nightly rides. Although Bobby believes such an end possible—and even likely—it doesn’t stop him from taking his twin sons Matthew and Mark into the mountains one Saturday night. A sharp curve, blinding headlights, metal on metal, his sons’ screams. Bobby’s final thought as he sinks into blackness is a curious one—there will be stars.


Yet it is not death that greets him beyond the veil. Instead, he returns to the day he has just lived and finds he is not alone in this strange new world. Six others are trapped there with him.


Bobby soon discovers that rather than the place of peace he had been led to believe he was in, it’s actually a place of secrets and hidden dangers. Along with three others, he seeks to escape, even as the world around him begins to crumble. The escape will lead some to greater life, others to endless death . . . and Bobby Barnes to understand the deepest nature of love.

Review: This is my second book by this author, and I have enjoyed both of them immensely. This one was a bit "deeper" than the previous one I read, When Mockingbirds Sing. By that, I mean that not everything is exactly what it seems, and you sometimes need to stop and think things through to get their full meaning.

To me, this book seems a parable for the human condition--about what lies in each of our hearts, and how the same situation can be heaven, hell or purgatory for different people. Most of the characters in the story seem to be "outsiders" in Mattingly, the sort of people no one would really notice or really care about all that much. But by the time the story ends, I can practically guarantee you will find yourself caring about each and every one of them. 

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

Rating: Four stars

About the author

Billy and his wife, Joanne, live with their two children in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. A product of his small-town locale, Billy counts as assets his rural authenticity, unwavering sense of purpose, and insatiable curiosity--all of which tend to make his front porch a comfortably crowded place.

When Mockingbirds Sing by Billy Coffey

 

Synopsis: What marks the boundary between a miracle of God and the imagination of a child?
Nine-year-old Leah’s invisible friend seems harmless enough until he aids her in upsetting the tranquility of her new town, a place where her parents desperately hoped she’d finally be able to make friends and fit in. Hidden within a picture she paints for a failed toymaker are numbers that win the toymaker millions. Suddenly, townspeople are divided between those who see Leah as a prophet and those who are afraid of the danger she represents. Caught in the middle is Leah’s agnostic father, who clashes with a powerful town pastor over Leah’s prophecies and what to do about them.
When the imaginary friend’s predictions take an ominous turn and Leah announces that a grave danger looms, doubts arise over the truthfulness of her claims. As a violent storm emerges on the day of the annual carnival, Leah’s family and the town of Mattingly must make a final choice to cling to all they know or embrace the things she believes in that cannot be seen.

Review: I was touched and amazed by this story. It shows how God does, indeed, work in mysterious ways--in ways in which even His people may not understand.

For most of the story, readers are left to wonder whether The Rainbow Man is real or not, whether he is good or evil. In the end, those questions are answered quite resoundingly.

There are true miracles worked in the lives of many of these characters, and there is also pain and suffering. It is very true to life.

I'm keeping this one on my bookshelf to read again and again. 

I received a copy of this book from BookLookBloggers in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Rating:Five stars

About the author

Billy and his wife, Joanne, live with their two children in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. A product of his small-town locale, Billy counts as assets his rural authenticity, unwavering sense of purpose, and insatiable curiosity--all of which tend to make his front porch a comfortably crowded place.