A masterful tale that made me laugh and cry: My review of "When Mockingbirds Sing" by Billy Coffey @DailyVineCA

about the book....

What marks the boundary between a miracle from God and the imagination of a child?

Leah is a child from away, isolated from her peers because of her stutter. But then she begins painting scenes that are epic in scope, brilliant in detail, and suffused with rich, prophetic imagery. When the event foreshadowed in the first painting dramatically comes true, the town of Mattingly takes notice.

Leah attributes her ability to foretell the future to an invisible friend she calls the Rainbow Man. Some of the townsfolk are enchanted with her. Others fear her. But there is one thing they all agree on—there is no such thing as the Rainbow Man.

Her father, the town psychologist, is falling apart over his inability to heal his daughter or fix his marriage. And the town minister is unraveled by the notion a mere child with no formal training may be hearing from God more clearly than he does. 

While the town bickers over what to do with this strange child, the content of Leah’s paintings grows darker. Still, Leah insists that the Rainbow Man’s heart is pure. But then a dramatic and tragic turn of events leaves the town reeling and places everyone’s lives in danger. Now the people of Mattingly face a single choice:

Will they cling to what they know . . . or embrace the things Leah believes in that cannot be seen? 

my review....

Billy Coffey has written a masterful tale, a novel that pulled me in from the first scene and caught me up into the deep emotion and hurt and pain and wonder of the world Billy has created. There were moments that I laughed and moments that I hurt along with the characters. And there were moments near the end that I nearly forgot to breathe as I lived through the story. The writing is superb, with words that flow ever so smoothly, vivid descriptions, and characters I could not help but adore. The supernatural element in the story adds an utterly unique flavour that I thoroughly enjoyed. "When Mockingbirds Sing" is one of those novels that causes the world around you to fall silent as you are drawn into the story, one that seems achingly real and magical at the same time. It is a book that I will need to ponder for some time as I sort through the messages contained within its pages, messages about grace and about faith and the power of belief. I am left with fresh wonder at how God can choose to work and breathe upon our lives, how His plan can upend our understanding of how things work and reveal that His ways are even better than what we could ask for or imagine.

This is the first novel that I've read by Billy Coffey, and I have been so moved by the grace and beauty of his words that I can promise I will be reading the next book he has to offer as well. I highly recommend this read and award it 5 out of 5 stars.

A review copy was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

 about the author....

Billy and his wife, Joanne, live with their two children in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. A product of his small-town locale, Billy counts as assets his rural authenticity, unwavering sense of purpose, and insatiable curiosity--all of which tend to make his front porch a comfortably crowded place.

Find out more about the book on the publisher website:  http://www.thomasnelson.com/when-mockingbirds-sing.html

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