Espressos and angels and the God Blog, oh my! If you enjoy lighthearted stories that hold timeless messages and quirky characters, you are certain to adore the newest story from bestselling Christian author Max Lucado – Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café: A Heavenly Novel. Co-written with Candace Lee and Eric Newman and published by Thomas Nelson in the spring of 2015, Mr. Lucado’s newest release is delightfully unexpected, and humorous in all the right places. Whether or not you enjoy the types of caffeinated beverages served at Higher Grounds Cafe, this book will take you on a journey that, although removed from reality, delves into truth in very real ways.
So much unique personality is packed into this delightful little hardcover book that it is difficult to pinpoint the exact traits that make it come alive. A few of the best aspects include:
– Two points of view reveal the story to us… 1) Chelsea Chambers, owner through inheritance of the Higher Grounds Café, and 2) Samuel “Manny”, employee at Higher Grounds but also guardian angel secretly sent from Heaven on a special mission, and the most humorous character in the book.
– Charm and quirkiness combine to create a pleasantly unusual reading experience filled with surprises.
– For lovers of cappuccinos, espressos, or just superb coffee, this book will be a delight to the senses as the café’s artistic beverages are described in delicious detail.
Although Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café is well written and filled with many appealing traits, it is naturally not without faults. Great emphasis is placed on Chelsea’s desire and reasons to divorce her husband, and her actions during their separation are not always honorable. Other character’s flaws are portrayed in sometimes too much detail. Last of all, the subject of guardian angels is sure to be controversial, even in a purely fictitious story, and various instances seem presumptuous of God’s will and purposes.
Overall, Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café is much like a cappuccino… A lighthearted, frothy story containing hints of deep and lasting flavors from the truth of God’s word.
*** This book was provided courtesy of HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for my honest review. It is available for purchase at bookstores from Thomas Nelson Publishers.
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