Necessary Heartbreak: A Novel of Faith and Forgiveness [Paperback]

Michael J Sullivan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 2010

An extraordinary journey back in time shows a struggling single dad that the faith he’s lost is still alive—and stronger than ever. . . .Michael Stewart has weathered his share of hardships: a troubled childhood, the loss of his mother, even the degradation of living on the city streets. Now he’s raising his teenaged daughter, Elizabeth, on his own and doing the best he can at work and at home. But he’s turned his back on his faith—that is, until the morning Michael and Elizabeth volunteer for a food pantry at their local church. While storing boxes in the basement, they step through a mysterious door . . . and find themselves in first-century Jerusalem during the tumultuous last week of Jesus Christ’s life. It is a dangerous and violent place, where doing what your heart tells you is right can get you imprisoned—or worse—and they are thankful to take refuge with a kind widow. But when they come face-to-face with Judas Iscariot and the condemned Christ himself, Michael realizes that before they can escape Jerusalem, he must experience history’s most necessary and shattering heartbreak—and that pain and loss must happen if Michael is to be set free: to live, love, and reclaim the blessings he has in the present day.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A beautiful book. . . . I applaud Michael J. Sullivan for bringing his story to life.”

—Eric Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Fireproof and Haunt of Jackals

“Necessary Heartbreak is the product of a big talent and a mighty heart, and this entrancing tale of mysteries both temporal and spiritual is sure to take up residence under your skin.” -- Sam Hamm, Screenwriter (Batman movies)

“Necessary Heartbreak is the first of Sullivan’s trilogy, which opens with quite the proverbial bang.” -- Midwest Book Review

“Michael J Sullivan’s story is inspiring, makes you think about what is important in life, what your faith means.” -- Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech head basketball coach

“I thoroughly enjoyed this book and eagerly await the volumes that are slated to follow. I highly recommend it.” -- Pastor Marc Axelrod (Potter, WI)

“Mr. Sullivan treats the story of the last week of Christ’s life with much respect." --Kyle Sabo, The Cathedral of the Incarnation Book Club (Garden City, NY)

“It is a great action/adventure story with a time traveling twist . . . Full of complicated love stories and questions of faith and belief . . . It made me laugh and cry at turns." --Melissa Voet – Community Book Club (California)

About the Author

Michael J. Sullivan is an author and sports writer living in New York who graduated from St. John's University, and is a member of the McDonald's All-American Selection Boys Basketball Committee and the Parade All-American Selection Committee.  Michael hosted sports radio shows on WGBB on Long Island, NY, and WEVD 1050AM in New York City, as well as worked with ESPN and Sporting News.  In addition to writing the When Time Forgets series, Michael covers high school and college sports for Fox-owned Scout.com, which involves daily activity on ten to twelve message boards as well as writing approximately 100 articles each month.

Michael has published a number of books through established trade houses, including the trivia book So You Think You're a New Yorker, which was an iconic work lauded by columnist Cindy Adams.  In addition, he published seven sports-themed books for children through Enslow, and a volume of a children’s book series through HarperCollins.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Gallery Books; Original edition (March 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439184232
• ISBN-13: 978-1439184233
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #723,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite An Amazing Story!!!, November 18, 2011

By 

Kathy Warth - See all my reviews

This review is from: Necessary Heartbreak: A Novel of Faith and Forgiveness (Paperback)

I was searching recently for a different kind of book, one that is faithfilled, kind of science fiction, yet original and brings Jesus into the picture. After reading this books synopsis and digging into the book's first chapters I knew I had chosen a good one to spend the day with.

Michael, a single parent is trying to raise his daughter Elizabeth, now a teenager alone, his wife Vicky had passed away during the baby's birth. Assisting the priest one night Michael and Elizabeth happen upon a tunnel at the church and find themselves walking into the 1st century Jerusalem in the time of Christ. They were looked upon as foreigners, their dress and language calling attention to themselves by the Roman soldiers and other bystanders. Michael and Elizabeth feel they must speak out against the atrocities they are witness to. They soon find out that defending someone in 1st century can sometimes produce harsh consequences. They are taken in by a kindly woman named Leah. She teaches them about her culture and way of life. While in Jerusalem Michael looks for a way to change the outcomes of events he knows that will happen, but yet knowing they must find their way back home somehow.

The novel also expertly blends Michael's past when he was younger so the reader can get to know his character more in depth.

This novel was quite an amazing story that will hold the readers attention throughout the book! History, suspense, drama and creativity are smoothly blended along with a twist ending in this well written first novel. Characters are well developed, plot, dialogue, description and scenery all work well as there are no dull parts. I found the overall message inspiring and I was challenged in my faith. I look forward to reading more from Mr. Sullivan in the future! I highly recommend this book to others. Very Well Written!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, April 18, 2011

By 

bdgruns - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Necessary Heartbreak: A Novel of Faith and Forgiveness (Paperback)

This is a story about a dad and teenaged daughter who travel into the distant past to Passion Week in Jerusalem. For me, it was a very fast read. I didn't want to put it down and read the book over a weekend. Very thought provoking... if you had a chance to meet Jesus, would you? If you could change the events that surrounded His death, would you?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Necessary Heartbreak!, April 1, 2011

By 

L. Wagner "newdesertrose" (MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Necessary Heartbreak: A Novel of Faith and Forgiveness (Paperback)

A single parent, who had suffered hardships throughout his childhood, Michael Stewart is now raising his daughter, Elizabeth, to the best of his ability. To shun potential relationships, he digs out his wedding band.

To fulfill her honor society credits, Elizabeth has to attain a certain number of community-related service points, so Michael is taking her to help out with the food pantry at Our Lady of the Bay Church.

It's here that Michael and Elizabeth find a sub-basement door while stacking excess food donation boxes in the cluttered basement. Returning with the last boxes, Elizabeth is nowhere to be found. That's when Michael notices that the sub-basement door, the one he distinctly told her not to open, is lying flat against the floor. It's at the end of that sub-basement tunnel that we find father and daughter looking through a grate into a time warp of the first century, the week before Jesus' crucifixion, which they first think is a play.

The cruelty they witness initiates them to push through the grate to rescue a man. Thus, Michael and Elizabeth are transported back into the days of the Roman Empire, filled with all the cruelty, violence, and inhumane treatment of that era. The reality of the circumstances has you imagining yourself getting dusty and dirty right along with the characters, while cautiously keeping out of sight of the Roman officers. The tension and fear are palpable. The descriptions of the locale and customs are fascinating to learn about.

Since the story revolves largely around Michael and Elizabeth trying to re-enter their world again through the grate without getting caught by the Roman soldiers, while also trying to save Jesus from the lies, cruel beatings and death, it's highly action-packed and dangerous. The romantic tension tempers the dire circumstances Michael and Elizabeth find themselves in.

The flashbacks of the different characters throughout the story helped bring you `up-to-speed' as to what transpired in the lives of each of the characters to-date, presenting several different points of view. Great contrast to the storyline.

The statement, "Heartbreak is necessary for one to understand how great God's gift of time truly is," is so poignant in the story, something Michael needs to contemplate personally. Through this statement, the author also gets you thinking on different levels as you comprehend the circumstances, past, present, and even the future, regarding Jesus and your own life. The descriptions of the customs, fear, danger, and harshness of crucifixion help you understand the background of the Scriptures better.

I stepped outside my normal genre, and was pleasantly surprised.

This book was provided by the author in exchange for my honest review. No monetary value was exchanged.