Humble Beginnings

by S. Coop

As a single parent, Jessie has never had a lot of money, but she overflows with love for her daughter Nikki and faith in God. Join them as they go about their daily routine and as they experience both everyday challenges and triumphs. As Jessie reflects on her past, she reveals what has happened in her life that has given her strength and independence and brought her to her current state. A demon, named Malfaytor, who is planning an activity in the area, has incidental contact with a tender angel Antonia, who has been sent to help protect and guide Nikki to the extent allowed. This incidental contact peaks Malfaytors interest and he plans some not so normal activity which impacts Antonia, Jessie, Nikki and her friends. These events allow Jessie to form new friendships and confront some issues from her past that have not been resolved. Join Jessie and Nikki as the intertwined spiritual activity in this world unfold and how people from Jessie’s past become entangled in the drama.

688 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2013

Reviews

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author's debut novel is a thoughtful look into an unknown realm of the myriad individuals involved in the war between food and evil. This battle is shown through the life of one family, and especially one little girl. Coop carefully constructs the world in which her characters, both the seen and unseen, live. There are characters you will love, others you will dislike. You will ask yourself when the mess of unhappy experiences will be over. But that is Coop's point... to make us feel and ask and think. Isn't it true that we all ask, at some time, when the hard things will get out of the way so we can have our own happy ending? Coop tries to show that help is never that far away, that there is hope, and that we have more power over who we become than our circumstances. This is not a short book, but you will learn something on this journey. I will read the sequel, if it is released. In this book, I liked the way the ranks of angels and demons were depicted. I liked that even those who are evil have their virtues. There are some similarities between how I felt reading this and Lewis' Screwtape Letters. Coop is methodical, like Dickens.