There's Always a Reason [Paperback]

William Fredrick Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2007

William Frederick Cooper's eagerly anticipated sequel to his wildly acclaimed debut novel Six Days in January is a powerful, heartfelt tale that will resonate with readers everywhere.

In Six Days in January, William Frederick Cooper shed light on the insecurities and fears of African American men through the experiences of his enigmatic protagonist, William McCall. As There's Always a Reason opens, William has experienced another emotional heartbreak at the hands of a woman. When he loses his job, too, William finds himself battling just to survive. When he's convinced he's at his nadir, William meets another woman, Linda Linda Woodson, who begins to restore his faith in all areas of life,illustrating through example that a woman of enormous strength can teach a man the true meaning of love. There's Always a Reason delves into the complex workings of the human heart and its ability to triumph over despair, providing an uplifting message and emotional core that will resonate with every reader.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cooper's sincere sophomore effort (after Six Days in January) revisits the hard luck life of William McCall, now a 40-year-old law clerk whose latest heartbreak occurs when he catches his girlfriend cheating on him the night he'd planned on proposing. The next day at work, he's accused of embezzling and is fired. Two pages later, he's sleeping in a homeless shelter and slinging a mop at a Times Square McDonald's. But then, while nursing his wounds one day on the Hoboken waterfront, he spies Linda "Lucky" Woodson, a 47-year-old social worker grooving down the pier and singing badly a Luther Vandross song. Linda has also been through the relationship wringer; she's just been dumped because she can't have children. (She had a hysterectomy at 22.) William and Linda hit it off, and as the pair begin restoring each other's faith in love, a cruel twist arrives in the form of a devastating diagnosis for Linda. William's unapologetic emotional vulnerability forms the book's refreshing heart, and through him Cooper conveys both an understanding of and a frustration with the games men and women play. Readers interested in uplift will look past the overheated prose and mawkishness. (Mar.)
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Review

"Bringing out so many deep-rooted feelings as I was reading it, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I could barely see..."

-- Zane, New York Times bestselling author of Love is Never Painless, Afterburn, Addicted, Skyscraper, and Nervous

"William McCall's unapologetic emotional vulnerability forms the book's refreshing heart and through him, (William Frederick) Cooper conveys both n understading of and a frustration with the games men and women play."

-- Publishers Weekly

"William Frederick Cooper strokes his paper with heat and passion! Heartfelt and intense! Seldom does a male writer delve so deeply into the well of human emotion."

-- Tracy Price-Thompson, 2005 winner of the Hurston/Wright Award for Contemporary Fiction

"There's Always a Reason is a compassionate centerpiece that lies in the middle of the love table. William Cooper takes an intimate look at love, devotion, and commitment for all the right reasons. Well researched and elaborately written -- Bravo!"

-- Vincent Alexandria, Harlequin/Kimani Press author of Black Rain

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Strebor Books; Original edition (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593091117
• ISBN-13: 978-1593091118
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,745,764 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stands Alone!, March 6, 2007

By 

CHayes "Cheryl" (Bronx, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: There's Always a Reason (Paperback)

There's Always a Reason by William F. Cooper is the sequel to "Six Days in January", but this is one book that can stand alone. You do not have to read the first one in order to understand the pain, hurt and disappointment the main character, William McCall, experiences.

William McCall is a good man who has everything he could possibly want from a great job to a wonderful home, and the possibilities of a pending engagement to the woman he loves.

William's life is much like ours and he takes you through some hardships viewed through the eyes of a man. A man so proud that he does not ask for any help, does not degrade himself or commit suicide when there seems to be no other way out.

What would you do if you woke up one morning to propose to the love of your life and caught them having sex with someone else?

Williams' life is on a merry-go-round: he lost his woman, his job, his home and his livelihood and ends up in a men's shelter all in a matter of days. Stop the world he needs to get off. Faced with all of this William was determined to turn his life around. In detail, William makes you feel his pain, hurt, and deception. Along with his highs, new found love and peacefulness he comes to grips with what life has to offer.

Meeting his guardian angel on earth to only lose her after her words of wisdom set him straight, he starts to get his act together and meets a woman who will help heal his heart. Linda Woodson, with a great story of her own, helps William realize his full potential and they both experience a love reserved especially for them.

This book is fast paced and drama filled from the first page to the very last. I recommend this book to all, not just women but everyone. There is a lesson to be learned. When we as women get hurt in our relationships do we ever think about our former mates on the other end of the spectrum? I loved this book; it moved me to become a little less selfish when I feel like I'm the only one wronged in my relationship, my husband does have feelings too even if he does not show them. This is a very emotional read. I'm looking forward to his next book.

Cheryl H
APOOO BookClub

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life is unfair - plain and simple!, March 9, 2007

By 

M. Bruner ""Deltareviewer" Real Page ... (Oklahoma!) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: There's Always a Reason (Paperback)

Life is unfair - plain and simple. William McCall was riding the wave of success as the managing supervisor at a prestigious law firm, in love with his fiancée Anna Daniels and living in the perfect apartment. A few weeks after hiring a stellar assistant, Markham Chandler, William was fired from his job and discovered Anna in bed making love with another man. To make matters worse, in trying to overcome these challenges he could not find another job in the law field and was evicted from his apartment. Settling into living at the homeless shelter and working as the fry guy at McDonald's William couldn't see through the fog that had become his life.

Life is unfair - plain and simple. But Linda Woodson considers herself Lucky and claims that as her nickname. Lucky was born nine months after the death of her father, taught in a loving home by a single mom and survived a fast growing cancer while in college. Lucky worked all of her hardships into her career in child welfare. However, Lucky's challenge was finding someone to love her feelings of being less of a woman. Her aching desire to discover love along with the intense pain that continued to plague her body has only worsened her deep depression.

THERE'S ALWAYS A REASON is a profound love story that transcends the formula romance that so many write today. Copper's writing is reminiscent of the style of literature published during the Harlem Renaissance when writing was a craft and authors wrote with love, compassion and a desire to add to a serious body of literature. Cooper does a magnificent job in developing the characters while expressing how love and forgiveness should be offered to all just as God has provided. THERE'S ALWAYS A REASON will definitely be one of the primer love stories available this year.

Deltareviewer
Reviewing for Real Page Turners

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really Good!!, June 5, 2007

By 

C. Warren "Reading Queen" (Pontiac, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: There's Always a Reason (Paperback)

O My GOD!! This book was so good. I just finished reading the last 3 chapters at work today and cried like a baby. I had to go to the restroom and get myself together. This book shows you what it's like from a mans point of view and it was a real page turner. I won't reveal any of it (like some people who leave reviews do), but you just gotta read it. I'll be reading the 1st book next (I know it's backwards), but I've never heard of this author before now and I'm glad I gave him a chance. It was worth it!