I'm a Believer [Hardcover]

Jessica Adams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2004

After a whirlwind courtship with Richard, the gentle small-town vet she met in London, Sarah finds herself, to her surprise, moving to Australia as his bride. But on the morning of the wedding itself, she realizes she has made the worst mistake of her life.

While the wedding is quickly turning into bad news for some, it's good news for Richard's younger brother Harry, who can at least take some comfort in the fact that his Debbie Harry tribute band has been booked for the reception. Better still, the cute young Wiccan he'd like to date isn't put off by his Blondie obsession.

Meanwhile, Richard's best friend Tom is wondering if he's crazy to live with a woman old enough to be his mother. Especially as she disapproves of nearly everything in his life, including Richard and Sarah.

The only invited guest not at the wedding is in Sydney. Richard's first wife Bronte, a successful magazine editor, threw her wedding invitation in the trash. But she finds herself mysteriously drawn to visit Richard, despite her best efforts to put those thoughts out of her mind.

By the end of the summer, life - and love - will have gotten back on track again, but not before one small town in Australia nearly explodes with heat, and an overdose of passion.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The latest import from U.K. astrologist/novelist Adams (Tom, Dick, and Debbie Harry) is a whimsical, poignant paranormal love story. After his girlfriend, Catherine, dies in a car crash, London science teacher Mark Buckle is devastated. On the morning of her funeral, he awakens to find her sitting on a chair in their bedroom. By nature a spiritual skeptic, Mark initially attributes the apparition to stress, but when the supernatural hiccups occur more often-HELLO blinks on the microwave; her favorite perfume tickles his nose; a John Edward-like medium relays convincing messages from Catherine-he's got to face the surprising facts. Catherine's spirit leads him toward reconciliation with long-lost friends, self-forgiveness for his caddish ways and the possibility of a new relationship with an earthly woman. Will she be an ex-girlfriend, a Christian virgin or Catherine's own sister? Adams keeps the reader guessing, just as Catherine does Mark. Though he despairs over all he's done wrong in the past, through Catherine's counsel Mark realizes that life is about making mistakes and then moving beyond them. Adams's ability to tackle heavy subject matter (infidelity, depression, death) with a light hand and light matters (dating, the bar scene, soccer) with respect is notable. Anglophiles especially will enjoy the plethora of Briticisms (brolly; primsolls; wonky; prat), and softhearted readers will agree that the answer to Mark's question, "Do you really think it's better to believe-without discrimination, without any kind of questioning?" is a warm "yes."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Mark Buckle is a junior-high science teacher who puts his faith in only those things that can be scientifically proven. When his live-in girlfriend, Catherine, dies in a car accident, everything Mark believes about life and death becomes less and less clear. At her funeral, Mark thinks he hears Catherine speaking to him; at his apartment, he can smell her perfume, his cell phone flashes the word Hello, and the radio inexplicably keeps playing "Never Tear Us Apart." Just as he begins to adjust to these strange occurrences, Catherine sends a cryptic message about people in Mark's past and a new woman in his future. What he does with the message depends on what he truly believes about death and the afterlife. In Mark, Adams creates a flawed but honest and witty narrator who finds himself in a position of painful reassessment. It is a beautifully crafted, bittersweet, life-affirming story that revels in faith and the hope of life after death. Carolyn Kubisz
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312321074
• ISBN-13: 978-0312321079
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,531,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jessica Adams 'I'm a Believer', October 14, 2005

By 

Karen Webster - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm a Believer (Hardcover)

Mark Buckle has always been a sceptic about anything that delves into the supernatural or the superstitious, from tarot cards to star signs, yet upon the death of his girlfriend Catherine, his life and beliefs take an incredible turn.

The novel is narrated by the male protagonist Mark, who after his girlfriend dies in a car crash, is in an emotional state and in his grief, experiences a relationship with Catherine in her after life. Her presence after her death is felt by Mark, as he sees, feels and eventually communicates with her.

Outside of the supernatural component of the novel, the narrative explores the contemporary situation in a witty tale about love, life, and relationships. Despite his connections to Catherine, Mark's life seems increasingly real and he deals with life experiences that any reader can relate to. This novel is a charming account that questions human existence beyond the lived experience and explores the reality of dealing with lifes ups and downs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A surprisingly funny book, considering it deals with death., July 20, 2005

By 

maria1971 - See all my reviews

This review is from: I'm a Believer (Hardcover)

Mark Buckle isn't a spiritual kind of guy. But his girlfriend, who has recently been killed in an accident, appears to be trying to make contact ... or is he just falling apart at the seams?

This book is about destiny, forgiveness and the `natural order' of things. It's a sweet, optimistic, generous and upbeat book, and even if it doesn't make a believer of you, but it will probably make you wish you could believe.

5.0 out of 5 stars fine tale that turn readers into Jessica Adams believers, January 31, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'm a Believer (Hardcover)

Though he has seen loved ones die before, London junior high school science teacher Mark Buckle struggles with the tragic death of his girlfriend Catherine in a car accident. He has no one to share his loss with except to a degree his gay seemingly always dunk fellow teacher Felix. Mark worries that he is losing his mind because everywhere he goes he senses Catherine is there. Rationally he knows he used her bubble bath and why her perfume permeates his apartment. However, when the radio always plays their song, he wonders if she is reaching out to him.

Following the funeral, Catherine appears in Mark's bedroom to help him find someone else. Meanwhile born-again Christian Tess Blake is half in love with Mark. He begins to notice her as a desirable female, but guiltily laments about unfaithfulness while wondering if Catherine is pushing him in that direction.

This first person (for the most part) account is two subplots brought together by the lead protagonist. The first segment of the book is Mark's harangue and grief over his loss accented by Catherine's appearance. Readers will wonder if she is a ghost or is he losing his mind. The second part deals with Mark trying to rejoin the living assisted by Felix, but really with Tess at Catherine's urgings. The audience will wonder whether Catherine is playing spiritual matchmaker or is the hero moving on. Though the two sides feel in some ways like separate novellas tied together by Mark, fans will appreciate the droll self deprecating soliloquies that make for a fine tale and turn readers into Jessica Adams believers, ghost or not.

Harriet Klausner