Readers respond to Wonders Never CeaseReaders respond to Wonders Never Cease
“Stunning
and powerful. Callaway has woven an unforgettable mystery rich in humor and
redemption.” –Lee
Strobel, author of The
Case For Christ
“Phil
Callaway is one of the funniest Canadians I’ve ever met, yet his humor comes
with a purpose. Few writers can weave such deep truths into so much humor and
suspense. The only thing wrong with this page-turning mystery is that it is too
short.” –Martha Bolton, author of more than 40 books including Cooking
With Hot Flashes
“Phil
Callaway is one of those rare authors who successfully integrates
humor into books that are both significant and worthwhile. In Wonders
Never Cease, his method is simple, but his message is profound. Read
this book and you’ll be ambushed by the significant message that happily lurks
within. You’ll also find yourself laughing at life again—and
learning too. A recommended read, not only for those of us who throw a baseball
for a living, but for all who laugh too little and worry too much.” –Chris
Reitsma, pitcher for the Atlanta Braves
“Callaway
spins a fascinating tale of love and mystery all in the context of searching for
faith. His humor shines through and makes the story come alive with all the
humanity and honesty we’ve come to expect from him. A good read—a fun
read. I highly recommend it.”
–Wayne
Holmes, author of The Heart of a Father and Whispering in God’s
Ear
Full of surprises and complex characters, Wonders Never Cease will touch
your heart and linger on your mind. It traces how faith can survive when prayers
don’t work, God doesn’t show up, and Christ’s followers seem to do
everything but follow him. Phil Callaway has a two-fold gift from God, and he is
using it. First, this novel is ample evidence that he can write. Second, he has
wonderful insights into human nature and what God can do with that nature. Or in
spite of it.”
–Stanley
Baldwin, author of Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness, and A Funny
Thing Happened On My Way To Old Age
Review from Christianfictionreviews.com
Mystery solved. Phil Callaway definitively identifies the town of Grace as being in Montana in the first chapter of Wonders Never Cease. I never could figure out which state it was in during the first book, The Edge of the World.
It's good to be back in Grace. About six years have gone by since we left Terry Anderson and his family in that tiny little town. Now he's eighteen, about to graduate from high school, and becoming a cynic. His mother's Huntington's Disease and his own potential for developing the same have driven Terry away from God. He has to keep his lack of faith secret, though, if he wants to graduate from the Christian school.
Ironically, at the same time that Terry is running away from God, his atheist friend Danny is running toward God. His older brother Ben is in some kind of serious trouble and... Terry finds the body of a murdered man in a Dodge Charger.
Written in the same conversational style as the first book, Wonders Never Cease lacks some of the whimsy that made its predecessor so enjoyable. The main reason for that is Terry's own cynicism. Many of his recollections are tainted with bitterness rather than outright humor. That's not to say there's nothing to laugh at this time around. Grace, Montana still contains quite the ensemble cast of small town busybodies and eccentric characters.
But the stakes are higher this time. In sort of a reflection of Terry's changes, the mystery arc has become more serious, as well. Instead of a robbery, it's a murder. Terry's mother's condition has been deteriorating, as well, giving him real cause for his growing bitterness and cynicism.
The seriousness does not detract from the enjoyment of this book, however. The story overflows with warmth and faith, despite the attitude of the main character for much of it. Did Phil Callaway grow up in a small deeply-conservative town in the 80s? I don't know, but he portrays it realistically enough to think that he knows what he's talking about. Grace, Montana is one of those places I'd love to visit again - and based on the absolutely maddening last page, it appears we will. Highly Recommended.
To add your comments, just email callaway@prairie.edu
Reader
praise for Edge of the World
“I
just finished Edge of the World and it is now my all time favorite! The
way Phil handled hypocrisy and true love absolutely warmed my heart. I have a
hard time getting my teenagers to read and yet every time they heard me laugh
out loud they came running and asked to hear more. I am anxiously waiting to
read more about Terry-I love that kid!”
Susie Larson, Andover, Minnesota
“Callaway delivers laugh-out-loud humor ala Tom Sawyer through the
first-person voice of a young boy caught in a high-stakes moral dilemma.” –Romantic
Times Book Club
“I laughed and cried all the way through Edge of the World, identifying
with so much of this book. More importantly, the message about Church and the
lessons learned by this little congregation of people is so awesome. The church
has become the one place you certainly wouldn’t admit you had sin in your
life, yet it is the one place you should be able to do this and be received with
open arms. This novel showed us how that can happen.
–Becky
Schatz
My
wife is normally the great reader of novels in our house, but when Phil Callaway
writes a sequel to Edge of the World, I will be among the first to
purchase it. This book was filled with his trademark humor, suspense, a variety
of characters and some great life lessons. My wife has some Scottish blood in
her. We bought the book for our son’s birthday. Now that we’ve both read the
book, we can wrap it up!
–Dan
Goldsmith
Unable to sleep one night, I picked up Edge of the World. I laughed so
hard that my wife Sandi woke up and ordered me to the bathroom to do my reading
there. I took the comforter and moved into the tub. Despite the bathroom door
being closed, I still continued to laugh and keep her awake. Please continue to
write your entertaining, inspirational and practical books.
–Earnie
Brandow
I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for the sequel!
–Karen
Taylor
This is one of the best novels I have read in a very long time! I was encouraged
and found it thoroughly enjoyable.
–Martin
Whitbread
Like
Terry Anderson, I know what it is like to sit in a hospital room, seeing my Dad
hooked up to a variety of machines, to watch him struggle against cancer with
all his strength right up to the very end. I know what it’s like to have a
praying father, who came to my room every night from the day I was born to the
day he no longer had the energy to leave his bed. Edge of the World brought back
memories of the good times and the bad, memories I never want to lose. Reading
this book did something for me I do not yet fully understand, but there is a
change in me, a positive, hopeful change.
–Neil
George
To add your comments, just email callaway@prairie.edu
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