[.ca] By The Light of A Thousand Stars (ISBN 0764202987)

another great story of small-town life:
By the Light of a Thousand Stars continues the story of Derby, S.C., focusing on the Biddles, a family whose picture would be in the dictionary next to dysfunctional. In this book,the reader pieces together the story of the Biddles as different parts of it are told from the points of view of the main characters, Catherine, Dottie, Della Boyd, and Barb. Each character brings their own unique perspective to each event in the book. The Biddle family, run (but not very well) by the immaculate Catherine, is much in need of some unity, and during one eventful year, they find that as they come into contact with the main characters in the book. A family in need of change, the Biddles are finally able to do this with the help of those arond them. This is a great story of Christian witnessing, without Bible-beating and hell-fire preaching. I can't wait to visit Derby in Turner's next book!

Superior Christian fiction:
I give this offering from Jamie Langston Turner four stars only because I feel that it did not come anywhere near the perfection that was "Some Wildflower in My Heart." On its own, it is a fine piece of Christian fiction that I will keep and reread in the future. It is the story of the Biddle family, which can only be described as pitifully dysfunctional. Catherine, the mother, is almost unbelieveably hateful and rude, but, unlike another reviewer, I enjoyed reading about her outrageous comments and actions toward others - I couldn't wait to see what stunt she was going to pull next, so I could exclaim "I can't believe she did that!" However, while the author focuses mainly on the Biddles, she uses peripheral characters in Della Boyd, Dottie, and Barb to drive the story of the Biddle family's healing and restoration along. In fact, sections of the novel are divided into points of view from each of these characters, a technique that only adds to the depth and richness of the story, in my opinion. Della Boyd, Dottie, and Barb all are confronted with the question of what a meaningful life looks like, and they each find answers through many hours of introspection, which is convincingly shared in the prose. I think Jamie Langston Turner is one of the few authors - period - that is worth reading. The fact that she writes Christian fiction is a bonus. Beware, this is not light fiction that one can sail through on a Sunday afternoon (the cover's misleading, isn't it?). It's engrossing, thought-provoking, and confrontational, but well worth the time and effort it takes to read it. And I should note that Jamie Langston Turner has a wonderful gift for telling a story and a keen sense of humor - I laughed out loud at some of the antics of Barb's sons.

Sensitive and moving!:
This book and Jamie Turner's earlier book, Some Wildflower in My Heart, are perhaps the two finest pieces of contemporary Christian fiction written. The story line of Thousand Stars is compelling in a sensitive and deeply insightful way. The characters are fragile, believeable and real. Dottie, Catherine, Della Boyd and the rest are amazing in the grip they held over me as I read. The book is so real, in fact, that on days when I must drive through Berea, S.C., I expect to see a sign to Derby! The point of this book is so compelling that I have pondered it long since finishing the book. This is a must read--a new classic!

Did I miss the boat with this book?:
Wow, I can't share the same opinions with the rest of the reviewers on this book. The only good thing I can say about it is, being a Christian myself, who doesn't love a story about a non-believer coming to be saved with Christ! That's the only thing I liked about the whole, long, book. At 414 pages of small typed print it just seemed to ramble on and on beyond a point where I eventually lost interest and just wanted it to end already. I found one of the characters that takes up most of this story to be completely mean spirited and rude and half way through this book I did not enjoying reading the story anymore because of her. I don't know, maybe I like lighter reads because this one certainly isn't and having the dysfunction of one family forced down my throat over and over just isn't a enjoyable read for me. This is not one author I will continue reading as I share the same opinion of her writing sytle with the first book "Some Wildflower in My Heart". I loved the story but I hated her writing style and it ruined it for me. However, that is why the good Lord made us all different - for what others rave about, others, like me, find simply un-appealing.

Books like this make reading so enjoyable!:
Never before have I read a book that is broken up into 5 parts and tells a string of events from 4 different characters' points of view. This allows you to truly get to know and sympathize with your characters and feel what is going on with them. The story is so interesting, yet remains entirely believable. It starts with Dottie's grieving of her daughter's death and moves through to Catherine's mode of dealing with her dysfunctional family, to showing Barb's heart for the non-Christians in her life as well as her love for her family, then onto Della Boyd's decision to move on with her own life...and finally back to Dottie--almost a year after we first heard from her. We see the strides she has made emotionally in dealing with the loss of Bonita. This was my first Jamie Langston Turner novel--and it certainly won't be my last!