Everything Is Just Beginning
A Novel
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3.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An Immersive Story of Music, Struggle, and Starting Over from an Award-Winning Author
Michael Sullivan is a talented lyricist and a decent guitarist, but since he was kicked out of his band (and his apartment), he's not sure he'll ever get a record deal. Living with his loser uncle in a beat-up trailer and working a dead-end job, Michael has little reason to hope for a better future. Until the invitation for a swanky New Year's Eve party shows up in the mailbox. It's for his uncle, with whom he shares his name, but his uncle is going out of town . . .
On the effervescent night of December 31, 1989--as the Berlin Wall is coming down, the Soviet Union is inching toward democracy, and anything seems possible--Michael will cross paths with the accomplished and enigmatic young heir to a fading musical dynasty, forever altering both of their futures.
Award-winning novelist Erin Bartels enchants with this story of two lonely souls who have exactly what the other one needs--if they could simply turn their focus from what is ending to what is just beginning.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bartels (The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water) transports readers to the early 1990s in this heartfelt tale of love and loss. On the night of Dec. 31, 1989, aspiring rock star Michael Sullivan shows up uninvited to a New Year's Eve party hoping to meet (and pass his demo to) music producer Dusty Wheeler. Instead, Michael befriends Dusty's wife, Deb, a former singer who is dying of cancer, and their daughter Natalie, a blind musician. As Michael spends more time with the Wheelers, he discovers a fulfilling family life and a sense of faith like nothing he's ever known. At Natalie's insistence, she and Michael form a band and book a show for June, racing to write and perform the music before Deb's death. Along the way, Michael falls in love with Natalie and learns valuable lessons about family, forgiveness, and the power of faith. Bartels's spirited writing enlivens the earnest tale, and though it follows a predictable course, readers will root for these characters as they chase their dreams. QR codes at the end of the book provide access to musical extras. This checks all the boxes inspirational readers will expect.
