Charles Martin is a wonderful writer. His characters are developed well and I came to love them. This is a great book!

I love laying on beach reading christian fiction. This book made me get a sun burn! Be careful, you forget your surroundings and the next thing you know you have forgotten to reapply sunscreen. It's that good, you truly have trouble putting it down. I won't discuss the contents, if I start, I might ruin it for you. NO JOKE, A MUST READ!!!

This book will grab your heart and won't let go until long after you've read the last page, leaving fingerprints as a reminder of what matters most in life. You will breathe and bleed and cry for Reese and Emma ... Reese and Annie ... Reese and Charlie ... Reese and Cindy -- each pair sharing heart-healing actions with each other.

The book's messages arrive with felt force, like the resilient beat of a healthy heart, over and over and over ... reminding us that the heart offers redemption and renewal through an unknowable life-force that transforms as it purifies. Like the heart, this book has a pulse and a heartbeat that you will feel.

Read it and be moved, from smiles to sobs. Read it and be thankful for divine coincidence (also known as answered prayers ... that lead a heart surgeon to a lemonade stand and a girl who needs a new heart, that tease him out of grief and withdrawal to use his heartfelt, God-given gifts once again). Read it and shout, Hallelujah!

Where do I begin, our bookclub at Church read this book and it was the first time I read anything by Charles Martin. The book had me from the first page. I was mesmerized by the detail and research Charles put into the book. Saturday our bookclub went to Clayton, GA where the story took place, we ACTUALLY met and got our book signed as well as purchased his latest book. What a class act! He was so personable, honest and has a great memory for names.

We met at Persimmons discussed the book, took pictures and walked where the story began (Savannah and Main). Even took pictures of the cricket box outside of Reeves. We later had lunch on the Lake. It was a wonderful day for us all.

The book hit home in many areas, friendship, forgiveness, love and restoration. I'm personally using this author for Christmas gifts this year and looking forward to reading all his other books. You won't be sorry with this purchase, it's been a long time since I found fiction to be so inspirational! Thank you Charles, the pleasure of meeting you was ours.

MJ

Fabulous book. Very little do we see in life another opportunity for redemption. When Crickets Cry is a true page turner. If you love Charles Martins' other books then you will more than love this one. I read this and wanted to tell everyone else to read it. One of those rare gifts in literature that you want to hang on to forever. It was that great! I highly recommend this one.

This book is charming. It warmed my heart and touched my soul. Get it, Read it....A story that will stay with you always!

Charles Martin's books are the best I have found in a long time. Each one is different, but the development of the story and character bring you right into the story, and you don't want to put the book down! When Crickets Cry is an amazing story of love and faith. His books are different. Even though I don't like to say good-bye to characters at the end of a good book, I have grown tired of Christian fiction that turn books into never-ending series. Mr. Martin is able to develop his characters fully, as well as a story that will tug at your heartstrings, bringing many emotions to the surface, tears of sadness and also tears of joy. As Christian fiction, the characters are not sugary sweet, they have faults and doubts and fears like normal people do. But through all the trials, you can see their faith, even as they struggle with it.

I can't wait for his next book!

After a personal tragedy struck many years ago, Reese has taken up a hermit-like existence. Holed up in his lakeside home with only his friend Charlie to keep him company, Reese seems destined to live out the rest of his life as a bitter and isolated man. But one morning on a brief visit to town, he meets a little girl called Annie. Soon Reese is forced to confront his past and is slowly drawn back into the life he thought he left behind.

As might be expected from the subtitle, When Crickets Cry is indeed a novel of the heart. The book is devoted to both the physical and emotional kind of heart, specifically those that are diseased or broken.

That theme permeates everything from detailed descriptions about how a heart works (Martin obviously did his research), sentimental musings about how non-physical hearts heal, to the addition of calorie ridden burgers called Transplants at the local bar.
In the back of the book, there is even a page from the author about a When Cricket's Cry heart care fund.

On the plus side, Martin does populate his book with a cast of quirky characters. Shadowy Reese, garrulous Charlie, long suffering Annie, fiscally struggling aunt Cindy, and David Stipes, the owner of a Christian "bar" all help to keep the reader's interest and move the story along.

However, a collection of small issues kept me from fully enjoying in the book.

Martin tends to tell us how much pain the characters feel rather than show it. Or when they do show it, they do so in floods of tears. Cindy, in particular, spends half the book crying on Reese's shoulder on the verge of a breakdown.
They seem to stumble upon the answers to their problems rather than proactively seek them. Instead of truly getting a change of heart, Reese seems to rather be forced to change by circumstance.

We are filled in on Reeses's past in a series of flashbacks. The first few are informative but the rest tend to just add filler.
Unfortunately, all the time spend on the past shortchanges the ending which is resolved in a very anticlimactic and quick manner.

As a whole, the prose flows quite well but there was a tendency toward odd and unwieldy metaphors and similes.
For example, "then lightning lit the night sky like an angry woman shaking her fist",
"she cried and shook her head as though bees were stinging her face",
"if Annie had knocked on my city gate that day at the lemonade stand, then she'd just splintered it with the battering ram that was her heart."

Only recommended for staunch fans of inspirational fiction or sentimental drama.

Don't know what happened to the Kindle version, but it is a mess. At the beginning of each chapter, it skipped to unrelated text for a paragraph, then went back to the flow of the story. These were not lovable people for me. Cindy is a taker, latching onto a stranger. She apparently wore out everyone in town, leaving no one to drive her around - not one friend. And why the tornado?

This is a great book, as all of Charles Martin's books are. It will also make a reader cry.

I had never heard of Charles Martin or this book when it was recommended it to me but the person recommending it had great taste so I figured I would take a chance. I was so drawn into the detail that Martin brings out and the personality and reality of the characters that I bought the book so when I returned the copy I was borrowing, I could keep it to read again. This is called a novel of the heart and it truly is. It will touch your heart and leave you changed. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read, it is amazing. Charles Martin does a fantastic job and this wont be the last book of his that I read.

This book got my attention from the very beginning and kept it through till the end. I have limited time for reading, and When Crickets Cry was very well worth the time!

Only 5 stars? This is a truly gifted author. The worse part is after you read this one or another of this author, you try to find something to equal it's quality and that is a difficult task. Hopefully he will keep writing. I beleive he has a new one coming out this summer. "When Crickets Cry" is a story filled with humor, sadness, despair and mostly a man and doctor who must learn to forgive him self and live again. The journey with Annie is a story that will touch anyone who takes the time to read it. All of the characters are delightful though I got somewhat frustrated with Reese and wanted to shake him and make him realize what a gift he was wasting but of course that was the point of the story. Annie's Aunt and Charlie and even Termite are characters you won't forget for a long time. Mr. Martin has done some incredible research on heart disease and heart transplants and though I got a little squimish at some of the details they were informative and amazing. There were details I had no idea of in transplants. I would highly reccomend this author and all of his books.

I love inspirational books, but don't like being preached at. When someone recommended this book to my online book club to read, I thought, I needed something new to try. I honestly did not expect this book to be as good as it is. I thought it was going to be a good story and that's it. I was wrong.

This book is definitely one of the better fiction I have yet to read in a long time. I couldn't put it down. It is written so compellingly and so beautifully, that it is a novel that will tug at your heart strings. It will make you look at your life a little bit differently and perhaps make you count your blessings a little bit more.

This novel is about Reese, a man with a great secret from his past, who meets up with this little girl selling lemonade on the street. It starts out so innocently and so sweetly, that you're taken for a ride along the southern streets before you realize that you're in so deep of the story that you just can't get away so easily. This novel is about a man who lost his wife tragically and hasn't been able to find his way back to the light. This novel is about a little girl who helps him find his way back and remind him that life does continue to go on ever so sweetly and sour like a lemonade. When life hands you lemons, you just have to make lemonade.

I was not expecting a whole lot from this novel and to my amazement, I have found another author to read and to recommend. This novel is a beautiful testimony to one man's faith in all things good and beautiful. And don't worry, there's no preaching here. It is just a good story to get lost into.

3/3/08

I'm not very good at reviewing books all I can say is that When Crickets Cry is one of the best books I've read. It'll make you cry, laugh and the wonders of the heart...literally and spiritually.

I loved this book! My brother in law has had a heart and kidney transplant, my son has had a bone marrow transplant and needs a kidney transplant. So I could really relate to this book and the struggles of those awaiting transplants. All that aside, this book is warm, touching and tugs at the heart strings. It deals with many of the trials of life and the gift of healing. I recommend it very highly!

What a fantasic read. Very vivid. A story straight from the heart for the heart.

REVIEW:Annie Stephens is a 6 year old child who lives near a small town square in a slow paced Georgia town. She is a little girl on a mission. Annie runs a lemonade stand the same time of day. The sign on her stand reads 50 cents a glass Refills Free. Annie's stand sits on the same corner everyday raising funds for her new heart. All the towns people know this and stop by for lemonade. They pay for refills and take the time to enjoy this little one.

Reese is new in town and meets Annie at her lemonade stand one day. Annie is full of questions for him. She is like a detective. Reese answers the Annie's questions. He enjoys this girl. She reminds him of someone he use to know. Someone who had this girls same vibrant spirit, same zest for life, same kind of heart that could love and the same sick heart.

Soon after meeting Annie tradgedy occurs! Reese is thrust into trying to save Annie's life. The choices that Reese makes will change both of their lives forever.

Charles Martin tells a story like no other. You'll laugh, cry, and enjoy this cozy town. The characters will stay with you long after you finish reading this book. This story made me reflect on my life, and what God has called me to do. It made me reflect on how to find the joy in this life. Reading this was definately an experience I will not forget and something I really enjoyed.

The book truly was one of the best written ones I've read~ I've never read one of his books before, but definetely will again~

What a wonderful book. I couldn't put it down, and can't wait to get another from this gifted author.

Two unlikely people are drawn together by a common problem, both have a broken heart. As the young girl begins to thaw the man who will save her, his heart also begins to heal. I cried for the last 100 pages both in happiness and in sorrow.

Good book and story. Received my order on the date I expected. Thanks.

Charles Martin is a bright new flame on the horizon. I plan to read many more of his books. His character studies are excellent. The book was an inspiration to me, and I have purchased additional copies as gifts.

Sure the writing is good, but I can't get into this book. I keep wanting to skip chapters, but since I paid for it I feel guilty. So instead it's been sitting on the floor next to my bed for weeks.

If you're not really into plot - and some people aren't, they're more into character - this may be perfect for you. But it's driving me crazy! And I certainly won't be buying anything else by this author.

I am also completely turned off by the back cover, where Charles has a photograph of himself that takes up two thirds of the page. Click into the book - the publisher won't even show the back cover on Amazon. It just says loads about his character - perhaps incorrectly - which makes me want to smack the arrogance out of him. I can't imagine why he thinks I'd rather stare at his face than get information about his book. t stretches my creativity to imagine him as a nice person.

Our church librarian asked me to read this, because it was a new addition to the library and she hadn't had a chance to read it yet. I couldn't put it down, and as soon as I finished it, I wanted to start reading it all over again-----rarely does a story capture me that way. I can't wait to read some of his other works!

As a manager of a Christian Book store, I have had many good books at my fingertips but in the Christian fiction category, this one surpassed them all! This was my first Martin book I read and since then, I have read two more of his books and can't wait to read the last two. This book drew me in from the very beginning and I couldn't put it down. The characters were very deep and set such good examples, not realizing it, you seem to learn from them about how relationships should or could be. Christian or not, I believe anyone would enjoy one of his books. This is not a sappy chick book. Great book to buy and lend out or use for a book club too.

Outstanding story and told in a very believable way. This is a book that I will recommend to all my friends because along with the beautiful love story that leads the main character into a high profile career, it is also of the losses one can suffer that impacts and derails us from life. To weave this story into something so believable captured my interest from the moment I picked it up and to see events unfold that would eventually heal a wounded heart is remarkable of God's mercy and grace for us! He is a God of 2nd chances!

Charles Martin is an exceptionally gifted writer in my mind! I warned my wife not to start reading it as she will find it hard to put it down. A wonderful book.

This book is subtitled "A Novel of the Heart." That doesn't mean it is a sentimental love story. It is literally a novel of the heart--of the physical organ that keeps us alive, as well as of the Center of Being that God gives us for loving.

Reece Mitchell is living a low profile life as a boat builder in a small Georgia town. His quiet life is interrupted when he meets Annie, a seven-year-old with a serious heart problem, in dire need of a transplant that her family cannot afford. Annie's parents have passed away, and she runs a lemonade stand to raise money for her surgery. Reece develops a friendship with Annie and her aunt, but they are not aware of who Reece really is--just that he has a deep empathy for Annie's condition and an amazing knowledge of the medical factors involved. The fact is, Reece is trying to forget his past. He doesn't want anyone to recognize him, and he doesn't want anyone to remind him of his past.

Who is Reece? Dr. Jonathan Reece Mitchell is a former renowned cardiologist, a transplant surgeon, widely known in his professional circle as "The Miracle Maker." But a family tragedy in his past led him to abruptly leave his profession and move to this quiet small town. His professional colleagues only know that Dr. Mitchell mysteriously disappeared from the scene after his crisis. As the story of his relationship with Annie develops, it becomes more and more apparent that he will eventually have to come out of hiding. Or, precious Annie will die.

The story goes back and forth between the present and Reece's past. We only gradually get to know Reece's past. As this story develops, we see Reece as a young man who was passionate about cardiology, because he married a woman who grew up with the very condition that Annie has. What tragedy could possibly be so painful that it would cause Reece to completely abandon what he has devoted his life to?

I am so glad I discovered this writer Charles Martin. He has the ability to hold the reader in suspense and tug at the heartstrings. His writing evokes sadness, sympathy, and compassion. The characters are very interesting. Reece is a very special person, the kind you rarely meet. This novel is about how God can work in amazing ways to heal emotional hurts as well as heal the body. The only weakness is several chapters that describe in ponderous detail the process of boat building, boathouse building, the heart, and diseases of the heart. These discourses did help me understand Reece's character, though--a person of great passion for what he does, and a person of perfection and detail.

One piece of advice. With one chapter left yet to read, you will want to put the book down. Don't.

Charles Martin's book, "When Crickets Cry," is a riveting read that holds the reader captive from page 1 through to several twists and turns until it reaches its stunning yet satisfying ending. Slowly unfolding the story of a gifted cardiac surgeon who has lost both his way and his heart for his work, Martin has crafted a tear-jerker that is neither maudlin nor sappy. Being a former heart patient myself, I found the book well-researched and enlightening, without getting bogged down with too much technical information. A friend highly recommended "Crickets" to me, and I wholeheartedly pass the same recommendation on to others!

The ladies from the Lutheran church loved the book. We live in Athens, GA and the book was about northeast GA, so we felt right at home. It was a very touching story, one that you hated to put down until you found out what was going to happen. My copy is now in Newfoundland, sent with a friend as reading material on the plane. I told her she would love it. So it will be passed around there too.

Can't wait to read more from this fabulous teller of tales! Loved every minute of this teriffic book!!!!

This one is hard to put down. The narrative is engaging, and the characters act with decency and morality. You might want to keep a box of tissues handy, because it is very touching at times.

Charles Martin has become my favorite author! His writing talent is just amazing. Once you are done with this one, you will immediately want to chat with someone about it....perfect ending.

Charles Martin is probably one of the best story tellers I have read in the last few years.

I started it Weds and I finished it Thursday. I couldn't wait to get to the end but now I am sad that I did. This is a story written with so much emotion and heart. I am making my husband read it and when my kids get a little older I want them to read it too. Great, great, great book!

Reece and Emma become close friends when they are children. Because Emma
has a diseased heart, Reece is determined to learn everything he can about hearts and heart surgery so that he can perform a life-saving operation on her when they grow up. When things do not turn out the way he expects, Reece turns away from his old life and retreats from the world. His new world is interrupted when Annie, a small child with a big heart problem, comes his way. This is a story of restoration, redemption, and forgiveness. As with all of Charles Martin's books, the reader is touched at an emotional level and is also challenged to think about the issues which Martin presents. This author can be counted on to provide a memorable and satisfying read.

Reece and Emma become close friends when they are children. Because Emma
has a diseased heart, Reece is determined to learn everything he can about hearts and heart surgery so that he can perform a life-saving operation on her when they grow up. When things do not turn out the way he expects, Reece turns away from his old life and retreats from the world. His new world is interrupted when Annie, a small child with a big heart problem, comes his way. This is a story of restoration, redemption, and forgiveness. As with all of Charles Martin's books, the reader is touched at an emotional level and is also challenged to think about the issues which Martin presents. This author can be counted on to provide a memorable and satisfying read.

I don't enjoy reading a book, even a novel, written by a writer who does not appreciate language. I also don't like reading a book which does not make me think about issues. This book is both well-written and has situations that made me consider what I would or should do in similar situations. Charles Martin is a southern writer who brings the best of southern writing to his books. I would encourage you to read all of them.The Dead Don't DanceMaggie: The Sequel to The Dead Don't DanceWhen Crickets Cry

After reading Wrapped in Rain and now When Crickets Cry, I'm quickly becoming a huge Charles Martin fan. Then man knows how to write liquid prose that flows through your heart like a lazy river. The characters are so well developed you'll feel like you know them personally, or at least want to. His descriptive writing will leave you wanting more and getting emotionally involved even if you don't want to. Get this book! It will linger with you for a very long time after you've closed the final page.

Good writer, interesting book. Loved the descriptions of nature, water, boats--I felt like I was there!

It's categorized as Christian fiction. I don't normally read alot of Christian fiction, however I'm making my way thru every one of Martin's books! It doesn't focus on religion; just makes you aware of the power of faith. It's a wonderful read no matter what faith you are and you'll come to love every character in the book. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 only because I thought the beginning was a little slow and the coincidences a little steep. Also, I loved my first Martin read, Wrapped in Rain, so much I may be unfair by expecting perfection from this author at every turn. He's not far from it! An amazing writer.

Like Charles Martin's previous books, When Crickets Cry stands far above the rest in his genre and is the best contemporary novel I've read in a long time.

The lyrical prose is lovely and superb, the story finely crafted and emotionally satisfying without being overly sentimental.

Charles Martin is a gifted author. His books are for readers who appreciate dense, fine writing and heartfelt well-plotted stories. Don't miss this one. All of his books deserve to be on the bestseller list.