Man in the Blue Moon, Hardcover
4.8
5
5
5
This is a GREAT read.
I now have a new favorite author and his name is Michael Morris. The reason is the book Man in the Blue Moon. In the story we meet Ella Wallace. She was young when she met a wonderful charming man (Harlan) that her Aunt did not like. So what did she do ,she threw away an education and married this man after all she was in love, fast forward he leaves her with three children one that is sick and a load of debt on her family property. She is forced to work in a time when most women did not. She was left with a clock bought by her scoundrel of a husband that she is hoping will save her the loss of her family home and business. Now this clock bought by Harlan Wallace is not just any clock but you will have to read to find out more.
We also meet Lanier Stillis he is a man on a mission, he is leaving his home town because he is being accused of something he did not do. The two cross paths and make this story fun. The author starts this book as a sad drama but he makes you laugh throughout the book and it changes. I loved this book. It is set in the panhandle of Florida and the way the author writes, he truly takes you there to the town of Dead Lakes and it is like you know these characters. His writing style makes you picture the story so well that you just canâÂÂt put his book down. This book has a little of this and a little of that for those who like a little who done it with a southern flare, a lot of drama, a little comedy and a lot of fun in reading a book.
I just could not put this one down. I wanted to see what was happening and I wanted to be there. I will be getting Michael MorrisâÂÂs other novels to read. I did receive a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers for my honest review. If you want to read more on this author Michael Morris you find it at http://www.michaelmorrisbooks.com/
September 6, 2012
Exciting and heart-rending...
When I received the book in the mail, I was pleased at two things right off the bat. One, the book was a nice thick bookâ¦more pages to read ! 377 to be exact! The second was the cover was beautiful which always makes a difference in just the excitement of reading a new book. As I started reading , I was drawn in to the story from the beginning. Michael Morris, the author, is a Southern Book Critics Circle Award finalist and is a true Southern writer. This story kept me tuned in by the many twists and drama happening in this small Southern town. The characters are very believable and you feel a connection with them. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and canâÂÂt wait to read more by this author. The book starts off with a woman and her sons, trying to survive since her husband left her due to drugs. She has to decide whether to take what money she has and pay it towards the mortgage, which she is already behind on, or take the money and pay shipping on an item her husband had ordered from the Blue Moon Clock Company before he left them. She decides to take a chance that the item, which she has no idea as to the identity of, will be of sufficient value to sell in her store and make more money to try to pay the mortgage. When the package arrives, she and her boys go to pick up the crate at the railroad station and bring it back to open at their home. What a surprise awaits them when they open the crate! This book also has a great story in the prologue about how the author came up with this idea for a story. There are also questions to be used for discussion in a book club or if you are a homeschooling mom like meâ¦you can assign these to be answered. This is a book that I want to read again. I think it is one of those that you can reread over and over and it will speak to your soul in different ways.
October 16, 2012
Southern drama with tough heroine
âÂÂWouldnâÂÂt it be great,â I said to my children one morning after reading them a Bible story in which Christ healed a man who couldnâÂÂt walk, âÂÂif we read in the newspaper that Jesus was coming to Bath and we could bring Ruth to Him?âÂÂ
How many times had I prayed for her healing? Sometimes laying hands on her and shouting out loud. Sometimes quietly pleading as she lay crumpled in her crib. Yet, God didnâÂÂt heal RuthâÂÂnot here. Cerebral palsy confined my youngest daughter to a wheelchair and robbed her of the ability to speak.
It wouldâÂÂve been so much easier, I often thought, if we could have carried her to Christ. One touch. One word. And I knew He could have made her well. So, it was with genuine interest that I opened Michael Morrisâ newly released novel, âÂÂMan in the Blue Moonâ (Tyndale House), in which Lanier, a drifter with healing powers, appears in a Florida town during World War I just before the deadly flu pandemic.
What I discovered was an honest, thought provoking look at what might happen if someone not seeking money or fame showed up with an authentic gift of healing. How far would you drive to see such a man? Or would you, like many of the townspeople in Morrisâ book, drive him away?
Single mother Ella Wallace wrestles with these questions and more as she struggles to hold her family together and protect her land from a ruthless banker, Clive. Even after Lanier heals EllaâÂÂs son, she wonders whether to trust him. One thing is certain, however, this mysterious stranger gives Ella the determination to win.
âÂÂListen, Neva,â Ella confides to a friend after townspeople begin questioning LanierâÂÂs motives. âÂÂI canâÂÂt explain all this⦠canâÂÂt begin to. But that man showed up here when I was on this side of a nervous breakdown⦠about to lose my son, my home. When everybody else offered pity, he pushed me. Because of him I still have a home. I might be fighting a never-ending battle with Clive, but because of that man, IâÂÂm fighting just the same.âÂÂ
Morris gives women a reason to cheer. His hero doesnâÂÂt show up with biceps blazing to save the damsel in distress. He comes alongside the damsel, pays attention to her needs, and humbly offers to help. The result is a superbly written, thought provoking tale that takes readers on a journey back to the days of steamships and healing waters, celebrity preachers and charlatans, small town gossips and heart-felt faith.
My only disappointment was not having the leisure to sneak off and enjoy reading it in bed with a box of chocolate-covered caramels from the Bath Sweet Shoppe. Even without chocolate, Morrisâ finely crafted text weaves a story sure to interest both male and female readers. If youâÂÂre not a follower, âÂÂMan in the Blue Moonâ is a great reason to start reading Christian fiction.
Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a free copy of this book to review.
September 6, 2012
THINGS GET MURKY IN THE FLORIDA SWAMPS . . .
Harlan Wallace has disappeared; first into an opium-induced haze, and now he has disappeared completely. His wife Ella has been left on her own to finish raising their three sons in the Florida Panhandle town of Dead Lakes, just outside of Apalachicola. The banker, Clive Gillespie, can't wait to get his hands on Ella's property, and when it seems that Ella won't be able to meet the mortgage, a mysterious man appears and begins to help. Soon, everyone is talking about the new man in town and his healing gift. When his past catches up with him, the town of Dead Lakes is changed forever.
If Mark Twain and Flannery O'Connor had a son who was taught by Harper Lee and he sneaked a few Stephen King novels when they weren't looking, you would have Michael Morris. Since I assume this didn't happen, I was left speechless. First , it was set in my favorite Florida town, Apalachicola, and even mentioned my favorite island, St. George Island. The Florida Panhandle has a feel and a flavor to it that you will never find in The Land of the Mouse or farther south in Miami. Michael Morris has captured that feeling and flavor in one fantastic novel. I could see the swampy areas, the cypress, the Spanish moss hanging from the trees in the town, and the bay emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. His characters are so well-drawn that I could see them. And he has developed some really quirky, interesting characters. Characters like this only come along once...well, once in a blue moon!
5 stars
September 3, 2012
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