Customer Reviews

Wonders Never Cease

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Forty-five year old actress Olivia Hayden is offered a part in a movie, playing a fifty-year old alcoholic mother. Unfortunately, she thought that she was being offered the role of a twenty-five year microbiologist martial arts expert in the same film. She is not happy, storms out of the meeting, gets in her car and roars away. On the way to her home, filled with rage against the film director and a tailgating pizza delivery man, she rolls her car. It takes the jaws of life fifteen minutes to extract her from the wreckage.

In the traffic jam, six year old Leah Pelton is in a car with her single mom, Natalie. Natalie works the night shift at a local hospital and was late picking up Leah. As they pass the accident, Leah sees a man standing beside over Olivia, dressed in simple clothes, not at all like the emergency personnel surrounding the area. In fact, no one seems to notice him. Leah observes him with his hand over her Olivia's head, palm down. The man sees Leah, looks right at her, and puts a finger to his lips, and makes a shhh gesture.

Leah knows she has seen an angel.

At school, for See and Say (which to another generation was known as "Show and Tell"), Leah relates the story to her classmates. Red flags go up and Natalie is notified. The school counselor recommends a psychiatric exam first, later an MRI, for Leah. However, that won't be the last time Leah sees an angel and tells an adult about it.

Natalie is not happy. For one thing, she is getting no support from her boyfriend, Kemp McAvoy, in the raising of Leah. He is never around when needed. When he is, he is selfish. For another, neither Natalie nor Kemp make much as night nurses at the hospital. An MRI is expensive and they have very little disposable income. Kemp is being even more distant; he has an idea that could make a lot of money, but also has some serious ramifications for Natalie and Leah.

In Wonders Never Cease, author Tim Downs has delivered a thought provoking, suspenseful novel. On one hand, six year old Leah is testing the reader's, and the characters in the novel, tolerance for angels. Could they really exist? Perhaps if you are open minded enough to allow that thought and to believe in God's hand in the lives of man. While angels are a central theme to the novel, Downs adds some nefarious characters, led by Kemp McAvoy and his business partners, which provide an element of suspense to the novel.

A page turner in Christian fiction, a genre that I rarely read, from an author that I really enjoy, Wonders Never Cease starts slowly then hits its stride. Once it does, the novel is difficult to put down. Populated with some interesting, charming, and deceitful characters, the suspense aspect will drive you to a satisfying ending. Sprinkled throughout are excellent pop culture references, which provide some of the more humorous scenes in the novel. It all adds up to a very good novel.

Disclosure:

Obtained from: Publicist

Payment: Free

I loved reading Tim Downs' book, Wonders Never Cease. The story line was creative and insightful. The character development kept me coming back for more of "the rest of the story" every time I had a chance to read. In a culture as fast-paced and self-oriented as ours, it was refreshing to taste life from the perspectives and possibilities offered in this unique story...that heroes can emerge from the darkness, that there are far-reaching consequences to choices that include the supernatural, that slowing down to listen and to be present to those with whom we care for has its own reward, that the activity of angels intersects with our world.

When a crisis hits, we learn what we are made of. Tim paints some telling moments as each of his characters respond at critical junctures to what life has handed them. At the same time, the author's clever artistry allows him to weave subtle but timely humor throughout. I laughed for days whenever I remembered some of his lines. His attention to detail gives an authentic feel to the story. I'm sure it was no accident that he mentions Leah reading The Magician's Nephew. Nice touch.

This is a great read with just the right amounts of fun, suspense, believability, drama, and characters that compel me to ask what I would do in the same case scenario.

And, may I say a personal thank you to "Emmet" for advancing the causes of mercy and justice, even from behind his janitorial garb.

As a big fan of the Bug Man series I've been looking forward to the comedy that Tim was trying to convince his publisher to write, although this book has humor, "Wonders Never Cease" was not it. It is however a wonderful story that kept me glued to every page. The writing style is easy-to-read, the dialogue quick and sharp

(sometimes quite biting), the story is full of many interesting characters and the plot is in no way predictable. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book so much. Some say the book is dark and the characters unlikable. I say that can't be farther from the truth. Sure almost everyone in the book is really messed-up, (in fact I'd say everyone, even those at a so-called Christian school) but they are just like the people we work with and have as neighbors. They are interesting and fun to watch. Kind of like a train wreck were no one gets hurt. The story is unique and strange but not far-fetched. I loved the satirical stabs at books like "The Secret" and other cult literature that deceives the masses.

The story is full of Situation Ethics, Biblical parables and sound doctrinal truths but unless you're the type of reader that analyzes when reading you'll miss them. "Wonders Never Cease" is never preachy or heavy-handed. This book would be good for a book club or youth group and especially for those that call themselves "seekers". I'd love to be able to discuss it with others but I'll have to wait until I buy some copies and send them to family and friends.

Do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy. Then if you haven't read Tim Downs other books get them too. They are all really good.

Since I have a different star rating then Amazon I give this book four stars. Otherwise it would get an easy five.

1 Star = Pathetic

2 Stars = Fair

3 Stars = Good

4 Stars = Excellent

5 Stars = Life changing

I invest a lot of emotions when I read a book. I am very particular with characters, and strong characters always make a mark in me, even if the plot is typical. Most of the books I marked as favorite are books that leave me both sad and satisfied at the end, books that I felt that the characters were not only people inside a book, but people who have become my friends.

When I saw Wonders Never Cease up for grabs at Book Sneeze, I grabbed it because I thought this is one of the books where I would find friends. I figure, it's a book about impersonating an angel, and there's got to be a lot of hilarious moments here, and redemptive moments as well. The blurb alone sounds like a movie, and it seems like a heartwarming read. SPOILER WARNING FROM HERE ON OUT.

I really wanted to like this book. I really, really wanted to. But somehow, as I read, I find myself feeling very, very annoyed at the sheer ridiculousness of the characters. Kemp McAvoy is a nurse with an MD, and he's always been dissatisfied with his life. Natalie Pelton, Kemp's girlfriend, is struggling to make the ends meet while raising her daughter Leah, who suddenly sees angels. Kemp shows no care over Natalie's concerns, and instead chooses to focus on how Lattes with God, a book he found in the nurses' break room can be so popular when he feels it's full of crap. When he meets the comatose Olivia Hayden, he gets an idea to impersonate an angel and tell Olivia to write a book that will be published and be even bigger book than Lattes with God. This brings in a lot of complications because Kemp can't stop only thinking about himself, and pretty soon there's a sort of mafia-like guy in the deal (with a name that sounds even more mafia-like: Tino Gambitto), a janitor, a neurologist who suddenly disappears, not to mention a teacher who's attracted to Natalie, and a school counselor who doesn't believe in God.

I never felt any connection to any character in the story, not even the "good guys" and the underdogs. I could give a bit of credit to the plot, but characters who I couldn't like or relate to just made it blah, for me. I wanted to know: where were Natalie's parents? Why is Kemp so stubborn? Is it only because of family? I felt that none of the characters were given enough depth just so the story can move. I couldn't figure out who the real protagonist here was -- is it Leah? Is it Natalie? I'm pretty sure it isn't Kemp.

Faith issues were poorly dealt with, too. I thought there would be a redemption scene at the end, but there was sadly none. Some characters discussed the kid's visions of angels, and the idea of being willing to believe, but it felt weak, almost forced. I have a feeling none of the characters there were really even believers, not even Natalie, or Emmet the janitor. Furthermore, the repercussions of Kemp's actions didn't seem like it happened because it was simply wrong, but because he just wasn't smart enough and he's too greedy.

The ending would have been heartwarming, if the money given to Natalie and Leah were not taken from extortion. I mean, seriously, the end doesn't justify the means. Just because you're giving money to help someone doesn't excuse the reasons how you got it. Even if Kemp and his partners deserved to be conned, I don't think it was an excuse to extort money from them, by wanting in in the operation and threatening them. I feel this sets a poor example to the readers. This is supposed to be Christian fiction, right? Or maybe I'm mistaken?

I really, really wanted to like this book. I swear, I really did. But in the end, whatever wonder this book wanted to give just didn't reach me. I give props to the plot with potential, but everything else just just felt short. Maybe this would have been better if it was made into a movie.

This is the first novel I've read by Downs. It's praised as "a warm-hearted story of mistaken identity and unlikely redemption". I wouldn't classify this story as warm-hearted, and I struggle to find the redemption.

The main characters are a lazy narcissist, a co-dependent single mom, and a six year-old who sees angels. Then add the child's teacher and school counselor, both non-believers in a Christian school, a self-center movie star, her greedy agent, a dishonest book editor, and a loan shark. The only genuine character is the janitor, who eventually turns to extortion to get his way.

I found the story a bit depressing - it starts with lies and ends with lies. Instead of forgiveness and redemption, there's retribution and manipulation.

The author attempts to touch on the issue of faith, commenting that there needs to be "a willingness to believe". While that concept sounds nice, a willingness to believe in angels doesn't redeem one's soul. It's the belief in and acceptance of Jesus Christ that redeems.

The story is well-written, but it left me disappointed. The characters all continue on in their troubled ways, not learning lessons or repenting of their wrong decisions, but finally getting what they deserve. I found this story to be less about redemption and more about consequences - you reap what you sow.

I love Tim Downs's writing style, and this book is no disappointment in that respect. However, its nothing like his Bug Man series, so you'll have to be open minded if you choose to read it. Its more light-hearted, less intense, and has little spiritual depth - just a story meant to entertain. You don't get to know the characters quite as deeply as you do in his other books, but the plot keeps you interested & the ending satisfies.

There is a reason that Tim Downs has won awards (2000 Gold Medallion Award: Finding Common Ground; 2007 Christy Award: Plague Maker), and that's probably why I enjoy his writing so much. He's an acclaimed cartoonist as well as an accomplished writer, making his mark in both nonfiction and fiction arenas. His suspense novels are page-turners that have excellent plot lines and character development. If you pinned me down I'd just have to admit that I would read Downs because his name was on the cover.

So I picked up a copy of Wonders Never Cease (actually got it for my blushing bride--another Downs reader) and read it. Leah Pelton sees angels. But nobody will believe her. Not her teachers (or anyone of significance at the Episcopal School she attends in southern California), not her mother nor her mother's boyfriend and colleague at the UCLA Medical Center. The only one to really give her an attentive ear is a wise and wizened old janitor named Emmett.

The boyfriend--a low, self-centered, waste of space calling himself Kemp--capitalizes on Leah's stories when the opportunity of a lifetime arrives in the form of an almost-has-been actress named Liv Hayden. Kemp feeds "messages from God" in the voice of an angel to the semi-conscious silver screen starlet in the hopes of making millions of dollars in a book deal (and maybe even landing the role as her paramour) when she is released from the hospital.

The book lacks Downs's typical driving plot line. The story itself is entertaining for an afternoon's read. But the characteristic struggle, character development, and comic relief known to fans of the Bug Man series are not as prevalent.

In the book's favor: it's about angels, publishing, and the film industry. If you have any interest in angels, books, or movies, you'll enjoy this book. I know that I enjoyed it three and one-half reading glasses' worth.

--Benjamin Potter, August 9, 2010

What do you do if you see angels and nobody is willing to believe you? You just keep telling your story and let the chips fall where they may. Such is the attitude of Leah Pelton, the little girl in Tim Downs' latest book Wonders Never Cease. Some people will say you're crazy, and others will figure that you have serious medical issues. But a few people might be open to the possibility that you actually experience a reality that others may not be open to believing.

Leah's mom, Natalie, is a single mother who is a nurse at a hospital in Los Angeles. Her live-in boyfriend, Kemp McAvoy, is also a nurse at the same hospital working the same night shift. He's a highly intelligent self-centered heel who is always looking for the big payoff, and feels that money spent on Leah's private school and a housekeeper should be better spent on cars and new places to live. Leah's stories about seeing angels makes life difficult for Natalie, as the school officials are worried that she's got mental issues that may turn her into the next school-shooter story. Life gets even more difficult when her housekeeper has to quit, and McAvoy becomes nearly non-existent as he has a new scheme to make millions. A famous actress nearly dies in a car accident, and McAvoy is her nurse in ICU during the night. She's being kept in a drug-induced coma, and he conspires with her agent to bring her out of it just a bit each night to pose as an angelic being with a personal "spiritual" message to her. She'll then be able to recall that message (and fully believe it) after she recovers and make millions with the associated books, interviews, and movie. But the plan starts to fall apart when McAvoy's past catches up with him, and the actress starts to recall messages that were not part of their script. And it may turn out to be that Leah was right, and there really *are* angels at play here...

Overall, Wonders was an entertaining read. It did an excellent job in poking at just how bizarre some of these celebrity stories and mystical messages are, and you have to wonder how many are honest and how many are just trying to cash in. The "good guy" characters are quite sympathetic and easy to relate to in the story. I was a bit surprised at how McAvoy has *no* redeeming characteristics. Even the loan shark in the story is more sympathetic than this guy. I found it difficult to see how someone like Natalie would have ever hooked up with him. I'm not sure I ever understood how that arrangement would have come to be in the first place.

Even though I prefer Downs' Bugman novels more, Wonders Never Cease was worth spending a few hours with. Not that I didn't already look at authors like Shirley Maclaine with a healthy dose of skepticism, but now I'll add a topping of "and how much are they making for this" on top of it.

Disclosure:

Obtained From: Gift

Payment: Free

Is there any such animal as a non-mystery Christian cozy beach read? If there is then WONDERS NEVER CEASE by Tim Downs would fit nicely into this category. Rather than give you a chronological account of this story, let me instead try to convey the general flavor of the book. At the heart of the story is a precocious six year old girl named Leah who insists she sees angels, much to the chagrin of the adults in her life. In addition we have the aging movie star, her agent, an opportunistic publisher, an arrogant nurse and an array of ludicrous situations featuring greedy adults, colossal egos, and a supposedly foolproof get rich quick scheme.

Reading this book I felt a twinge of nostalgia for the old Damon Runyon stories.....the ones where the scumbag was a self inflated buffoon who thought that he was smarter than the average bear and the bad guy was more Sheldon Leonard as Harry the Horse in Guys and Dolls than James Gandolfini's racketeer Tony in The Sopranos.

Utilizing a couple of his characters Downs pushes his readers to question their beliefs and at least acknowledge the possibility of angels. Once we have taken that giant step, it becomes pretty comforting to think that we all have a constant invisible companion who is there to guide, protect and assist us as we motor down life's highway. A strong 3 1/2 stars

Wonders Never Cease by Tim Downs follows several characters: Kemp McAvoy, the former Medical Student Resident who is now relegated to being a nurse due to some bad life decisions; Olivia Hayden, the aging actress who has just been in a terrible car accident; Natalie (Kemp's Girlfriend) and her daughter Leah (who is certain she is seeing angels everywhere).

Kemp has come up with a brilliant plan (just ask him, he'll tell you it is brilliant) to get rich quick. He enlists the help of a struggling publisher and the agent for Olivia Hayden. Together they plan for Kemp to visit Olivia while she is in a coma, posing as a heavenly messenger. They give her a message that she is to share with the world (via a book published through the struggling publisher).

During this time Natalie's childcare is quitting, and her daughter Leah is seeing angels and telling everyone. Leah's school is concerned about her and insists that she see the school psychologist, who is convinced that there is something wrong with Leah.

Will Kemp succeed at becoming rich quick, or will he be caught in a web of lies in the end? Is Leah really seeing angels or is there something more serious going on? Find out by reading Wonders Never Cease by Tim Downs.

I truly enjoyed this book. It has many twists and turns that added to it's readability. I sympathized with Natalie throughout the story and ached with her as she struggled with the school. I would definitely recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book for review as a part of the Book Sneeze program. No further compensation was received and the opinion expressed above is 100% my own.