Product Description

#1 bestselling author Karen Kingsbury tells the heartwrenching story of Cody Gunner, a widower fighting for stability, and the woman who wants to help him trust again--even when trust is the most terrifying thing of all.

Still aching over his wife's death, Cody Gunner can't bear the thought of also letting go of his Down's Syndrome brother, Carl Joseph. Cody wants his brother home, where he will be safe and cared for, not out on his own in a world that Cody knows all too well can be heartless and insecure. So when Carl Joseph's teacher, Elle, begins championing his independence, she finds herself at odds with Cody. But even as these two battle it out, they can't deny the instinctive connection they share, and Cody faces a crisis of the heart. What if Elle is the one woman who can teach Cody that love is still possible? If Cody can let go of his lingering anger, he might just see that sometimes the brightest hope of all lies just beyond the clouds.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #199920 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781599956770
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
In characteristically heart-wringing, tear-jerking style, bestselling inspirational novelist Kingsbury finishes the story of Cody Gunner she began in A Thousand Tomorrows. Elle Dalton is director of an Independent Learning Center for Down Syndrome adults when she meets Cody, her student Carl Joseph's brother, who is intent on removing Carl from the center. Romance ensues between Elle, still brokenhearted over being jilted at the altar four years ago, and Cody, an angry bull rider who still grieves the loss of his wife to cystic fibrosis. Meanwhile, it's up to Elle-and Carl Joseph-to show Cody that Down Syndrome adults are capable of much more than most people believe. Kingsbury handles the many point-of-view changes with aplomb, although the chapter told from Carl's perspective is less successful. Some readers may wonder about the literary value of auctioning off a character spot in a novel to the highest bidder (the money goes to charity), as is done here, and there is some telling instead of showing and repetition in the prose. But the plotline is sweeter than sugar, and Kingsbury makes an admirably strong advocacy statement for Down Syndrome adults. Kingsbury's legions of inspirational fiction fans should find this exactly to their taste; new readers will also discover that it reads well as a stand-alone.
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Review
"Tender-hearted readers beware! Karen has done it again! After you turn the last page of JUST BEYOND THE CLOUDS and put away the tissues, you will find yourself thinking of the characters again and again. Every time you do, you will smile." (Robin Jones Gunn, bestselling author of the Sisterchicks® novels and Finding Father Christmas )

"JUST BEYOND THE CLOUDS was amazing. It captured me in the first chapter and never let me go. . . . Karen writes about the sort of love we could all use a little more of." (Richie McDonald, lead singer of Lonestar )

About the Author
Bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America's #1 inspirational novelist. She's written more than thirty novels, ten of which have hit #1 on bestseller lists, and she's had books on the extended lists of both USA Today and the New York Times. There are nearly six million copies of her award-winning books in print, including more than two million copies sold in 2006. She lives in Washington State with her husband, Don, and their six children, three of whom are adopted from Haiti. You can visit Karen's Web site at www.karenkingsbury.com.

Customer Reviews

terrific inspirational romance
Widower Cody Gunner thinks it is time to retire from bull-riding though he is still good at it; the rodeo just no longer has the appeal it once had since his beloved Ali died. Instead he would like to open up a gym for Downs Syndrome adults like his brother Carl Joseph.

Carl likes the idea of a special gym, but disagrees with his sibling on how much help he and others would need. He currently attends a special school that teaches Downs Syndrome people to live independently although Cody thinks that lofty goal is impossible. However, Carl's instructor Elle Dalton believes her student can do it and wants to persuade protective Cody to help not hinder his sibling's progress. Cody and Elle are attracted to one another, but both fears what an intimate relationship between them might do to Carl.

With homage to Rain Man, JUST BEYOND THE CLOUDS is a terrific inspirational romance as Cody and Elle fall in love, but both fears how Carl will react to his brother and mentor becoming a romantic entry. Much of the plot focuses on how people especially the lead duo interact with Carl; thus this is not a typical contemporary romance. Fans will welcome the return of Cody and Carl (see A THOUSAND TOMORROWS) as the former has become even more protective of the latter since Ali died in this well written second chance at love.

Harriet Klausner

good story but a little disappointed
This is a good story though the one thing that bothered me was Cody's reason for falling in love. On p. 294 it said that "part of his attraction for Ali had been her illness and that he might protect her, shelter her. She needed him..." and then a few paragraphs later the story went that Cody "wanted to shelter Elle, the same way he sheltered Ali (because of her broken heart)."

And Cody surely loved his brother Carl Joseph... How many times was it repeated, "I just love that kid." I just feel that this story was "told" more than "shown". He surely showed his love, but it was told that he did many more times than necessary.

It also just made me wonder why Cody had to love people that were weaker or needier than him. It seemed he had the classic rescuer complex.

I like Elle as a character. She is consistent in how she would react to a possible love interest in light of her being so hurt in the past.

Great Read!
You really should read A Thousand Tomorrows before reading this book. It is listed as a stand-alone novel, but it actually is a continuation from A Thousand Tomorrows.
It is a really good book. As with all Karen Kingbury's books she touches on a topic that sometimes we are not that comfortable with. In this book it is Down's Syndrome. I fell in love with Daisy and Carl Joseph.
You will not be disappointed.