The Gates Manor Band

by Jan Hemby

Julia Burch is a typical fifty-year-old tired of her typical life. But that changes when she answers a mysterious phone call that takes her back thirty years. A series of inexplicable events leaves Julia searching for answers--and forces her to face the source of her unhappiness. But this is only the beginning; there are others who desperately need the vibrant faith and message of love Julia has rediscovered. Prisoners of the past, they have lost hope for anything better and, for some, time is running out. What follows is a journey that crosses social status, racial lines, and even time itself to unite a group of people called to an adventure that will surpass anything they could have imagined.

Genres: Fiction, Christian

236 pages, Paperback

Published January 16, 2016

About the author

Jan is a native North Carolinian who is proud of her small town heritage. The goal of her writing is to bring the truth of God's love to everyday life through messages that are fresh and relevant. Jan currently lives in Clayton, North Carolina with her husband Billy. They have two daughters, Hope and Cara, and two grand-puppies, Gatsby and Daisy.

Jan is both a writer and an inspirational speaker. For a sampling of her blogs, visit her Facebook author page at www.Facebook.com/Lifewritenow.

Reviews

[Lori Wasson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very pleasant surprise. I never heard of this author and only had a vague idea of what this book would be about, but it was awesome! So many interesting twists. This was an awesome book of resilience, forgiveness, and God making something good out of evil. The characters were great, especially the wisdom of Minnie and Caleb. I've already downloaded the sequel and look forward to reading it.

[Chris Rehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a sweet surprise. I bought it because it was written by an author local to my area and I like supporting local authors. At least that is why I thought I bought it, but now I believe I bought it because it had a message in it that God wanted me to hear. This was an enjoyable faith based Christian book about faith, hope, forgiveness, redemption and God’s unwavering love and grace.
I have already bought book two and can hardly wait to start reading.

[JLS10 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of love, redemption, and forgiveness, it made me wonder if I could’ve acted as Margaret did after an unthinkable act against her. I don’t think I could. Although this isn’t a suspense book, it still kept me turning pages to find out how things would turn out.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Julia is at her father's house after her mother passes away from Alzheimers when she hears the phone ring. When she finally finds the phone, it is the voice of her best middle school friend and the call makes no sense. Her friend was talking about something that happened nearly forty years ago. A day later, she's clearing out her mother's closet and runs across a tape of her last middle school band concert. She decides to look up her old band director and give him the tape because also on the tape was the presentation of a significant award he and the band had earned. On her way to band director's house, she stops by her high school. What she sees when she gets there are the friends she had in high school--ones who died way too soon and she wanted to talk to them and tell them that there were things in life that were worth their taking care of themselves. But they couldn't see her.

Insert Twilight Zone theme here. After talking to her former director, she understands (by his direction) that God is trying to speak to her and she needs to listen. From here on out, she becomes Sister Mary Sunshine with an over-the-top perky personality: she rescues her best childhood friend--Margaret--from suicide, she takes in her friend and gives her a safe haven, she begins to volunteer at the local nursing home where the man who abused her friend is now living--but through all of this, she's got a perky attitude and helps her friend see how God is speaking to her.

While I was in the beginning chapters of the book, I was a bit disturbed by the "time travel" aspects early on in the book. I went to Amazon to see what other reviewers said about The Gates Manor Band. All of the reviews I read talked about how this book was so hard to put down. So I decided to continue on. I finished the book only because it didn't take very long to read it. I've not read any other books by Jan Hemby, and I will have to wait and see if I will read others by her in the future.

The most believable character is the son of the abuser--Joseph. He wants to buy the Manor house from Margaret and her brother, Preston, to make it a rehab center for all kinds of addictions. I can only give this book two stars.

My thanks to Booktrope for allowing me to read and review this book.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable Christian read.
The story of lives ruined by the lives of their owners and others and how they were transformed by the love of God.
I was given this book by Netgalley and the publisher. This is my voluntary review.

[Patty W Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a wonderful uplifting quality. The story will pull you along with well-written characters and mysterious happenings. As we start our story, Julia is dealing with a family scenario, like a lot of us, where her mother has dementia and her father is the primary care-giver. After her mother passes away, Julia is visited by a series of confusing surprises, a strange phone call and a flashback to her high school days. Someone is sending her a message and that someone is God.
Sometimes He takes a more direct route and that route is prodding Julia to locate her best friend from high school, Margaret. As one event leads to another, we witness the chain of life situations that can follow one good deed after another. With Julia leading the way, she finds Margaret and helps her to deal with the tragic horrors she endured as a teenager and that in turns leads Margaret to finding a way to deal with her addictions and sharing the lie she has been living with her brother, Preston.
The cast from the past and the present come together to solve problems and delve
deeper into their faith. They find out that by listening carefully, they can find the way
that life wants to lead them. And in turn, they will go forward to be a help to others.
Pay it forward is the theme that runs through this tale and you will enjoy solving each
character's dilemma as they come along. Watching the ending take place will renew your
faith in others. Take the ride.....
www.bookreaderforlife.blogspot.com

[Sherry Torgent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gates Manor is reminiscent of Jan Karon's Mitford series. It's a small town, NC drama tied up in a mystery with a supernatural twist. Cool right? Julia Burch has a good life, husband, grown daughters. But there's still an emptiness there she can't put her finger on. After losing her mother to Alzheimer's she answers a phone call on her mother's landline. No one is there. Or so she thought. Next thing she knows, she's listening to conversation that took place thirty years ago between herself and her childhood best friend, Margaret, about their middle school band concert. Then the line goes silent.
It's here where Julia begins a journey into her past, reconnecting with old friends and uncovering long buried town secrets. If you love a good small town drama with lots of twists and characters trying to live out their faith, you'll love this heart-warming series.

[Teresa Kander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a real page-turner. When I got into it, which admittedly took a couple of chapters, I could hardly bear to put it down.

The characters are all very realistically written, and feel like old friends you've known for years. The story is very true to life, and something most people can relate to in their own lives.

The author does a wonderful job of showing how God uses the tough times in our lives to bring us closer to Him and to His grace and love. She also reminds us that God works in mysterious ways.

I would love to read more stories about this family and this town--hope the author will consider that option.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

[Cathleen Dungy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well written account of someone searching for her purpose in life after a personal loss. She does what we all do at middle age, we think back to people we knew in years past and how we could have done things differently.

I absolutely loved this novel! It was a poignant reflection of simpler times and how we affect others lives without even trying. You will enjoy this especially if you're looking for an ultimate feel good novel.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book about faith, friendship and the power of forgiveness. A great read!