Sometimes a Light Surprises (Paperback)

~ Jamie Turner (Author)
Key Phrases: blue pomegranate, Vera Bridgewater, Flat Rock, Kay Kovatch (more...)

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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Product Description

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (May 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764203878
• ISBN-13: 978-0764203879
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #193,469 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 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 (REAL NAME)

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.

2 of 2 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 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!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

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

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

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.