When Mockingbirds Sing

Billy Coffey

Jun 2013 · Sold by Thomas Nelson

About this ebook

Nine-year-old Leah's invisible friend seems harmless enough. . .until she begins to paint the future. Suddenly, the townspeople are divided between those who see her as a prophet and those who fear the danger she represents. Caught in the middle is Leah's agnostic father, who clashes with a powerful town pastor over Leah's prophecies and what to do about them.

Leah is a child from Away, isolated from her peers because of her stutter. After her family moves to Mattingly, she begins painting scenes that are epic in scope, brilliant in detail, and suffused with rich, prophetic imagery. When the event foreshadowed in the first painting dramatically comes true, the town takes notice.

Leah attributes her ability to foretell the future to an invisible friend she calls the Rainbow Man. Some of the townsfolk are enchanted with her. Others fear her. But there is one thing they all agree on—there is no such thing as the Rainbow Man.

The town minister is unraveled by the notion that a mere child with no formal training may be hearing from God more clearly than he does.

While the town bickers over what to do with this strange child, the content of Leah’s paintings grows darker. Still, Leah insists that the Rainbow Man’s heart is pure.

Then a dramatic and tragic turn of events leaves the town reeling and places everyone’s lives in danger. The people of Mattingly face a single choice: will they cling to what they know . . . or embrace the things Leah believes in that cannot be seen?

• Supernatural standalone novel
• Includes discussion questions for book clubs
• Other books by Billy Coffey: Snow Day, Paper Angels, The Devil Walks in Mattingly, and In the Heart of the Dark Wood

Ratings and reviews

Billy Coffey is one of my all-time favorites, and every time I read him, I see more gold among the dross. In this, a pandemic year, I chose to re-read this Town of Mattingly, Virginia series and am so glad that I did. Mattingly is a very small, cloistered town, more than likely much smaller than your own. Alamogordo is more than twice the size, though still very small and insular, yet every character in these novels has a parallel in my community, and likely in yours as well. Most of us have a shade of this and a little of that - occasionally we run into someone who is close to 100% Mayor Wallis or 73% Tom Norcross or 12% Doc March. With any luck at all, we will also be a good percentage of Sheriff Jake and 29 percent Barney Moore and a goodly sifting of The Rainbow Man. The main thing I take away from Coffey is that in all of us we can break even emotionally if we encourage the percentage of Barney to grow.

When mocking birds sang

Major

About the author

Billy Coffey's critically acclaimed books combine rural Southern charm with a vision far beyond the ordinary. He is a regular contributor to several publications, where he writes about faith and life. Billy lives with his wife and two children in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Visit him at www.billycoffey.com. Facebook: billycoffeywriter Twitter: @billycoffey