By the Light of a Thousand Stars [Paperback]

Jamie Langston Turner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

The Chewnings and the Biddles are neighbors with little in common. As the Biddle household unravels, Catherine is drawn to the peace and joy her neighbors radiate-despite their outward disorderliness.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jamie Langston Turner has been a teacher for more than twenty-five years at both the elementary and college level. She has written textbook materials as well as stories, articles, plays, and poems for a variety of periodicals including Faith for the Family, Kids, Moody, Plays, The Christian Reader, and Living With Children.

Born in Mississippi, Jamie has lived in the South all her life, currently residing with her husband and son in South Carolina, where she teaches Creative Writing and Poetry Writing at Bob Jones University. Some Wildflower in My Heart is her second novel. The Suncatchers, published in 1995 by Thomas Nelson, was her first. Jamie is an active member of Heritage Bible Church. Her hobbies include reading, tennis, and needlework. size : 5.4 x 8.3

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (October 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764221531
• ISBN-13: 978-0764221538
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,840,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sensitive and moving!, December 10, 1999

By 

Dr. Dan Turner - See all my reviews

This review is from: By the Light of a Thousand Stars (Paperback)

This book and Jamie Turner's earlier book, Some Wildflower in My Heart, are perhaps the two finest pieces of contemporary Christian fiction written. The story line of Thousand Stars is compelling in a sensitive and deeply insightful way. The characters are fragile, believeable and real. Dottie, Catherine, Della Boyd and the rest are amazing in the grip they held over me as I read. The book is so real, in fact, that on days when I must drive through Berea, S.C., I expect to see a sign to Derby! The point of this book is so compelling that I have pondered it long since finishing the book. This is a must read--a new classic!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superior Christian fiction, September 24, 2002

By 

Natasha M. Spurrier "Knitasha1968" (United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: By the Light of a Thousand Stars (Paperback)

I give this offering from Jamie Langston Turner four stars only because I feel that it did not come anywhere near the perfection that was "Some Wildflower in My Heart." On its own, it is a fine piece of Christian fiction that I will keep and reread in the future.

It is the story of the Biddle family, which can only be described as pitifully dysfunctional. Catherine, the mother, is almost unbelieveably hateful and rude, but, unlike another reviewer, I enjoyed reading about her outrageous comments and actions toward others - I couldn't wait to see what stunt she was going to pull next, so I could exclaim "I can't believe she did that!"

However, while the author focuses mainly on the Biddles, she uses peripheral characters in Della Boyd, Dottie, and Barb to drive the story of the Biddle family's healing and restoration along. In fact, sections of the novel are divided into points of view from each of these characters, a technique that only adds to the depth and richness of the story, in my opinion. Della Boyd, Dottie, and Barb all are confronted with the question of what a meaningful life looks like, and they each find answers through many hours of introspection, which is convincingly shared in the prose.

I think Jamie Langston Turner is one of the few authors - period - that is worth reading. The fact that she writes Christian fiction is a bonus.

Beware, this is not light fiction that one can sail through on a Sunday afternoon (the cover's misleading, isn't it?). It's engrossing, thought-provoking, and confrontational, but well worth the time and effort it takes to read it. And I should note that Jamie Langston Turner has a wonderful gift for telling a story and a keen sense of humor - I laughed out loud at some of the antics of Barb's sons.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another great story of small-town life, June 28, 2000

By 

Beverly "bevreader" (Mississippi) - See all my reviews

This review is from: By the Light of a Thousand Stars (Paperback)

By the Light of a Thousand Stars continues the story of Derby, S.C., focusing on the Biddles, a family whose picture would be in the dictionary next to dysfunctional. In this book,the reader pieces together the story of the Biddles as different parts of it are told from the points of view of the main characters, Catherine, Dottie, Della Boyd, and Barb. Each character brings their own unique perspective to each event in the book. The Biddle family, run (but not very well) by the immaculate Catherine, is much in need of some unity, and during one eventful year, they find that as they come into contact with the main characters in the book. A family in need of change, the Biddles are finally able to do this with the help of those arond them. This is a great story of Christian witnessing, without Bible-beating and hell-fire preaching. I can't wait to visit Derby in Turner's next book!