3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great Home Town Feel, September 20, 2008
This review is from: A Beautiful Fall: A Novel (Paperback)
Thirty four year old Emma Madison has done quite well for herself in a prestigious law firm in Boston. Life is happening at lightning speed until Emma gets a call. Her father has just had a heart attack. Regrets filled her heart as she race to the hospital. Had it really been 12 years since she was home last? It hardly seemed possible. Emma was doing her job, taking care of business all these years which left little time for anything else in her life - even time to think.
She arrives at the airport and is welcomed by friends with open arms. Each of her friends treat her with a warmth that wasn't expected after all this time. Samantha (a full time mom), Christina (a full time writer) and Michael (a very special someone), are all proud that she had made her dreams come true. They treat her like they talked every day for the last 12 years. It surprised her. They all have a deep love that satisfies them. It has her wondering what is different. She later finds out that each of her friends were following Jesus in a very special way. It was very different that just playing church.
Emma realizes as she fights with her law firm partner, Robert Adler, on the phone something has definitely been missing in her life. Emma thought she was content. But being home made her start to realize she didn't have it all. Emma begins to see how much she has missed out on; that money isn't everything. It definitely can't buy happiness or a relationship with her father. Robert is demanding that she come back and handle this very important deal for the firm. She owes it to them. Emma puts him off as she spends time with her father. Robert isn't use to hearing the word "No" and keeps putting the pressure on her to return in a day or two. That should be plenty of time to square things away with family, according to Robert.
Emma feels caught between two worlds and isn't doing well in either one. Emma reunites with her friends. Emotions she didn't realize she had start to stir. She starts to want what they have. She begins to smell the flowers and really see them clearly for the first time in a long time. Emma struggles with the fact that she has made work a priority in her life. That choice has cost her dearly. She can't get back yesterday but maybe she can have tomorrow. Can she really live in a small town again? So many choices to be made so little time...
Chris Coppernoll captures the essence of small town life and the sweet relationship with really special friends. Chris is a romantic at heart and sees the best in everything. I really loved that about this story. In Chris' first book "Providence", he wrote from the male point of view; in this story he mainly wrote from a woman's point of view. His female dialogue rang true and his attention to detail amazed me. Chris' second book shows how versatile he is. I can't wait to see what he does in his third book. After reading this story you'll be waiting too.
Finding Hope Through Fiction
[...]
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Beautiful Book!, December 27, 2008
This review is from: A Beautiful Fall: A Novel (Paperback)
I really enjoyed this heartwarming story of family and romance - set in the south. The setting and characters are so real you get involved in the story right away and care about what happens! I appreciate good clean stories that inspire.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Escape into a great book!, January 1, 2009
This review is from: A Beautiful Fall: A Novel (Paperback)
I started and finished this book in the same evening (I was up much later than I had planned...). Chris Coppernoll does a wonderful job at developing both the characters and their stories. It is easy find yourself feeling as if you've escaped into Juneberry and are right there with Emma, Michael, and all of their friends, experiencing the ups and downs of their emotions and relationships. What a joy to find an author who writes in such a way as to make you anxious for the next book!
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