Spellbinder's Gift
A Novel
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
The miraculous story of a loving couple, their never-to-be-forgotten friend, a little girl, and a very special teddy bear....
Retired from his long, successful career as an agent to many of the most famous and dynamic motivational speakers in the world, Bart Manning was happily enjoying his newfound freedom with his lovely wife, Mary. So why, one morning, did he find himself headed back to the little office that he had never given up? He didn't know. But as he sat at his dusty desk, he decided to go back into business. If God had sent him there, Bart told himself, he would wait for His plan to unfold.
Then, at a crowded convention, he found his answer in the person of a handsome young man named Patrick Donne, whose deep, commanding voice spoke words of profound wisdom that electrified the audience. With the thrill of discovery, Bart recognized Donne's short speech as the best inspirational talk he had ever heard. Bart was soon caught up in the extraordinary realm that was Patrick's ordinary world, where even tragedy and sorrow became transforming experiences and remarkable things happened.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this simplistic yet well-packaged contemporary parable, Mandino (The Twelfth Angel) returns with further inspirational advice for better living. When a wheelchair-bound preacher in Central Park shouts ``Do it now! You! You! Do it now!'' to retired booking agent Bart Manning during his morning jog, Manning finds himself inexplicably compelled to run toward his long-abandoned office near Times Square. There, Manning, once an exclusive agent for many of the world's top motivational speakers, decides to come out of retirement. In search of new talent to represent, he and his wife, Mary, attend a speaker's convention in Washington, D.C., where they are enraptured by 32-year-old Patrick Donne and his speech outlining steps to living a happier and more productive life. Soon after he begins to represent this ``spellbinder,'' Manning realizes that this man from Blessings, Mont., may be more than just an exceptional speaker. Although Mandino's characters have no more depth than his messages, which feature all the profundity of fortune-cookie sayings (``Go the extra mile!''; ``Never hide behind busy work''; ``Never allow anyone to rain on your parade''), his latest sentimental tale about miracles and the mysteries of life will no doubt find a readership.
