Sometimes a Light Surprises [Paperback]

Jamie Langston Turner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2009

Though it was years ago, Ben Buckley has never gotten over the loss of his wife. But even more than the mystery surrounding her death is the radical change that occurred in her life shortly beforehand. Their marriage was unusually happy--until she met a woman who "turned her on to religion." Baffled, angry, and still feeling guilty for the way he treated Chloe those final weeks, Ben now lives behind the protective walls of severed relationships and a rigid work routine. When two unlikely people enter his narrow world, Ben's view of his life begins to change, and gradually the barriers he's erected around himself come tumbling down. For readers who enjoy character-driven, thought-provoking stories that stay with them long after the last page is turned.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Christy Award–winning evangelical Christian author Turner offers fans a bittersweet introspective tale of a widower's internal journey through grief. Ben Buckley lost his wife, Chloe, years earlier, but has never gotten over the loss. Ben lives each day looking back, recalling his wife's faith and his resentment of it, and now regretting his callousness toward it. Ben, who owns Upstate Home and Garden Bazaar, pesters his assistant, Caroline, with quirky sayings and phrases that leave her both dismayed and baffled. In turn, Caroline puzzles over Ben's wife's death while attempting to make sense of her own life. Enter Kelly Kovatch, 20-year-old daughter of the deceased Chloe's friend, whom Ben despises. Against all reason, Ben hires the girl and alternately shuns or seeks her advice as he attempts to rebuild severely damaged relationships with his own adult children. Turner's work is tedious at many points; still, her loyal fans will continue to expect with eagerness her next novel despite the sluggish pace of this one. (May)
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From the Back Cover

He had drawn the curtains tightly around his soul--could he trust that glimmer of hope quietly beckoning to him? Ben Buckley has never gotten over the loss of his wife. More bewildering than the mystery surrounding her death is the radical change that occurred in her shortly beforehand--a "conversion," she had called it. Baffled, angry, and still feeling guilty for the way he'd withdrawn from her during those final weeks, Ben now lives behind the protective walls of severed relationships and rigid routines. An unlikely young woman knocks on the door of his narrow world. Her simple honesty and childlike faith are incomprehensible to him, but in spite of his misgivings Ben finds himself on a journey he never would have begun on his own. "Turner's writing is often so elegant, so detailed, and so richly textured that her books have distinguished themselves in a category all their own."--FaithfulReader Jamie Langston Turner, acclaimed author of seven novels and winner of two Christy Awards, has been a teacher for thirty-seven years. Currently a professor of creative writing at Bob Jones University, she lives with her husband in Greenville, South Carolina.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House; Original edition (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764203878
• ISBN-13: 978-0764203879
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,126,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one does not disappoint!, May 8, 2009

By 

Gretchen Oh "olegolly" (Brea CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sometimes a Light Surprises (Paperback)

Since I discovered this author years ago when I read her first novel, The Suncatchers, I have been captivated by this author's unique style, the quality of her writing, her unusual sense of humor, and the down-to-earth nature of her spiritual message. These attributes have been consistent in each of her subsequent novels, and this latest one, which I eagerly awaited and just finished reading, did not disappoint me. The characters are varied, complex, amusing and intriguing. The story line left me guessing to the very end how all the strands would come together, and they did, but on a level deeper than I had expected. Early in the book, one of her characters expressed her disappointment with a Christian novel that tied everything up sweetly in the end, and from then on I enjoyed wondering how the author would avoid doing that herself.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply satisfying, May 21, 2009

By 

Babette's Books "Babette" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sometimes a Light Surprises (Paperback)

This not a romantic love story but it is truly a love story. Life's experiences make us so different, some of us turn out pretty good and some of us turn to stone. Ms. Turner brought to life these broken people and showed us their insides, and how a loving God works for our good and it is a "Light Surprise"! It is wonderfully written, not preachy but lovingly done. Thank you, Jamie Langston Turner for writing a book that touched me so deeply. I was looking for a "typically christian love story" but I could not put this book down, it was too interesting! And it was a "Light Surprise!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars delightful and insightful, July 9, 2009

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loves a great read "Barb" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Sometimes a Light Surprises (Paperback)

I have read all of Jamie Turners books. She has a way of writing that is clearly a style all her own. Her books make you feel like you have climbed into the mind and heart of the main character- with thoughts bouncing around like ping pong balls. I like the fact that she has characters that are real, not perfect but people like you know from your life. When she shows the character flaws of people in her books it always make me groan and think ,"tell me I don't come across like that!". I like the way her books make me look at myself and ponder my responses to situations. thanks Jamie for a thought provoking read.