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Formats
Paperback Details
  • 06/2020
  • 9780943039558
  • 364 pages
  • $19.99
Kevin Ready
Author
A New Chance

Adult; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Publish)

A general fiction novel that crosses boundaries of genre. A young woman must deal with a miraculous change in identity and find her destiny after a new chance at life. Two lives are joined in a karmic event that a young woman must try to understand. It is a story of discovery of self, love, romance and bravery. Set in modern day California, the novel also takes the heroine to wartorn Afghanistan as an Army nurse. The story discloses curious links between the many lives the young woman meets on her journey.

Reviews
Ready (All the Angels Were Jewish) makes good use of his military and legal experience in this metaphysical novel about a soul being reborn into another person. Mark Kelleher is driving on a California freeway when his car crashes. Mark wakes up and discovers that he is no longer Mark, who he learns has died. He is now Naomi Donnelley, an 18-year-old woman who had been comatose for months after a drug overdose. Mark adapts to life as Naomi, only sharing the secret of his transformation experience with his doctor, Dr. Partridge. Determined to forge ahead in this new life, Naomi gets released from the hospital and resides with a Mormon family as she studies to become a nurse. Naomi draws on Mark’s tenacity and fortitude to turn her life around and embrace her nursing career. She finds romance with Jesse Manzanares, a SWAT team officer, and joins the military as a reservist. Naomi’s foray into a combat zone in Afghanistan highlights her bravery as she risks her life for others, and she dreams about returning stateside to be reunited with Jesse.

The explosive opening draws the reader into the storyline as Ready cleverly intertwines Mark’s memories with Naomi’s body and life. The complexity of Mark’s journey adds depth to the concept of reincarnation. Naomi’s transformation from a troubled teen to an ambitious young woman is heartwarming, though at times her constant success strains the reader’s belief.

Ready, a former Army and Navy officer, imbues the narrative with a high level of military detail. His captivating depiction of Naomi’s exploits in combat makes the experience vivid and real, and the portrayal of Naomi’s medical career highlights her ability to remain calm in a crisis. This realism, however, occasionally gets bogged down in extensive details, causing the plotline to drag near the novel’s conclusion. This rich exploration of the human soul’s potential is a feel-good tale of achievement and rebirth.

Takeaway: Fans of dramatic novels with a hint of the paranormal will delight in this story of reincarnation and personal achievement.

Great for fans of Gwendolyn Womack’s The Memory Painter, Iris Johansen’s Shadow Play.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: -
Editing: C
Marketing copy: B-

Formats
Paperback Details
  • 06/2020
  • 9780943039558
  • 364 pages
  • $19.99
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