The Good Nearby
:  "Margery has two desires in life; she wants to be considered a  loving equal by her spouse and she desperately wants a child. Angie loves  her spouse, but his obsessive need to control her every action is driving  her crazy; she just wants his love and trust. Gladys has been so  independent and strong, no one has ever gotten close to her; now she is  going blind and fears the darkness, her lost freedom, and no one to love  her. Gennifer is so ashamed of her health problem she cannot tell her loved  ones what ails her; instead her behavior is driving her spouse to another  woman and her daughter seeking solace elsewhere. A bone weary Talia feels  like Job had it made as her husband is dying unless he obtains a heart  transplant; she needs to be there for him and their baby while also  bringing in money and by the way is pregnant. Gigi feels all alone since  the only person who loved her, Grammy died years ago; she ponders about  being with the Lord and her Grammy as death seems her only salvation unless  she learns her Grammy's message that all lives are sacred to the Lord who  is always THE GOOD NEARBY. The beauty of this terific inspirational tale is  in spite of the woes facing this ensemble crew, the story line never turns  maudlin or soap operish although Nancy Moser goes deep into the fragile  psyche of her female cast. Each of the key six characters are unique and  fully developed so that even with so many players (including extended  family members), the audience knows who's who. The message summarized by  Grammy (when she was alive) to her beloved granddaughter is even in the  darkest moment God is the GOOD NEARBY to help you." --Harriet Klausner, September 22, 2006Starred Review. The tribulations of five women and a lonely little  girl named Gigi are narrated in alternating stories of lost loves, health  crises, and broken spirits. Margery is trapped in an abusive marriage;  Talia watches her husband grow weaker as he awaits a heart transplant;  Angie needs more in life than her husband's cold disinterest; Gladys is  losing her eyesight; and Gennifer is keeping a fatal secret from her  family. Even though the plot is somewhat predictable, it is still worth the  journey. Christy Award winner Moser (Time Lottery) has created haunting,  full-bodied characters, some who look for God's hand in their lives and  others who try to muddle through on their own. Her bittersweet novel will  appeal to readers of Ann Tatlock (I'll Watch the Moon) or Linda Nichols (If  I Gained the World). Highly recommended. Copyright © Reed Business  Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --Library JournalThe Good Nearby is a wonderful heart warming book that makes you  believe there is good nearby if we only open are eyes and our hearts. Nancy  Moser has created very believable characters, she shows how one person can  touch so many lives. The Good Nearby makes you appreciate the things you  have, and to accept that there are good people in this world. The Good  Nearby brought such warmth to my heart. This is one book that I will  re-read over and over. This is a feel good book you don't want to miss. --Theromancereadersconnection.com, Gloria GehresThe pages of The Good Nearby by Nancy Moser are filled with  conflict and intriguing characters. Margery wants to be treated with  respect and loved by her husband, but her greatest longing is to have a  child. She believes that is what she was born to do. Angie wants to be  unconditionally loved by her husband, whose need to control her at times is  suffocating and maddening. She longs for peace, and to be free to make her  own choices. Gladys is losing her sight. She desperately needs to give and  receive love, but she has always been strong and self-sufficient. For her,  to soften and let someone into her heart is perceived as weak, something  she refuses to be.Gennifer is a successful attorney with a health condition so shameful to  her that she won't even tell her husband or daughter. Her emotional  withdrawal pushes her husband toward another woman, and her daughter toward  a female mentor, thus sending Gennifer's core relationships into a crisis  mode. But for Gennifer to admit her need for support is too painful, so she  holds back and suffers alone, until God grabs a hold of her heart. Talia's  husband is going to die if he doesn't get a heart transplant. So not only  does Talia have to take care of her two-year-old and her husband, but she  has to keep the house in order, cook, work full-time to pay the bills, and  to top all that, she's seven months pregnant. She longs for rest, to feel  desired and wanted. Her boss distracts her when he pays her the kind of  attention her husband used to lavish on her. She longs for her Christian  husband to be well, to take back control of the finances, and to have a  love life again. But she refuses to ask God to help her until she feels him  slipping away.And finally there is Gigi, the lost and abandoned child who is a very  quirky character. Readers see the story through her eyes, and I loved her.  She's obsessed with the number 96 and thinks anything connected with that  number is lucky. She also is enthralled with the idea of death because her  grandmother, who taught her about faith, said she looked forward to dying  in order to be with the Lord. Gigi is told by her grandmother before her  death that Gigi will be the good nearby if she lets God work in her life.  As Gigi grows up, she struggles to survive emotionally, and forgets some of  the things she learned as a young girl from her grandmother, the only  person who had genuinely loved her. God brings those memories back as she  goes through hard times. He redeems her pain for His glory.The Good Nearby moved me to tears. Of joy, that is. It's a poignant  illustration of how God takes our pain and makes beauty from the ashes of  our lives. The author beautifully illustrates her characters' struggles in  a way that makes you want to encourage them rather than slap them  senseless. You see their history and exactly what led them to the place  they were at in life. You also see what had to happen in their lives for  God to reach their hearts. And of course, not everyone is reached. But  that's real life. - Michelle Sutton, Christian Book Previews.com --Christian Book Previews