Long Time Coming

Vanessa Miller is a bestselling author, playwright, and motivational speaker, who understands that all gifts come from God, and has written redemption stories in her Rain Series and Storm Series. Her novels have received rave reviews and won several awards. Vanessa is a dedicated Christian and devoted mother who lives in the Dayton, Ohio, area. Visit her on the Web at www.vanessamiller.com.

Long Time Coming by Vanessa Miller illustrates how God works in two strangers’ lives, involving them with each other and bringing them both closer to Him. Deidre Morris is a 32-year-old elementary school principal married to a soldier. Kenisha Smalls is a 23-year-old single mother of three children, each from a different father, living in the projects. Kenisha is dying of cancer. These two women come to know one another and help each other grow closer to God and find comfort in Him. Through all of the pain, suffering, and depressing agony, these women find joy.

Vanessa Miller does an excellent job with dialogue. It is very similar to how people actually talk; she captures the dialect of people from the projects. Kenisha and Deidre don’t start off on the best note. Kenisha has a radiation treatment at the hospital at the time that her oldest son Jamal needs to be picked up from school. She has asked her older sister Aisha to pick up her son, but Aisha becomes too preoccupied with her own life to pick up her nephew. Deidre, as Jamal’s principal, then has to stay after with Jamal, and eventually takes him back to her house until his mother can pick him up. When Kenisha finally gets to Deidre’s home, Deidre makes strong assumptions about Kenisha’s character, wrongly accusing her of neglecting her son, even threatening to call Child Services. Although these two don’t start out on the best of terms and continue to be somewhat bitter with one another, they slowly start to warm up to each other and eventually become great friends.

Kenisha and Deidre bring each other closer to God and accept the way He is working in her life. Both realize that although it may seem that God is not answering prayers and they don’t always understand why He lets them suffer, He always has a plan and He will always bring comfort and joy.

Long Time Coming is a wonderful story about how God moves in mysterious ways, yet always provides for those who believe in Him. I would highly recommend this book as it teaches that God is faithful. – Andi Passaglia, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com