Coming Home

Review of Coming Home by Stacy Hawkins Adams

Overview from www.barnesandnoble.com: If forgiving your ex-husband was easy, everybody would do it. Brent had cheated on Dayna and coldly said goodbye to her seven long years ago—dashing her hopes of having children or growing old with the love of her life. Working hard to make herself successful as a hospital executive, Dayna has moved on, finding comfort in a new dating relationship with a faith-filled colleague, Warren. But when Brent resurfaces on her doorstep at just the wrong time, Dayna’s heart threatens to come unglued. Why is Brent asking for forgiveness now? And why are he and his new wife, Tamara, interested in reconciliation with Dayna? The unbelievable answers begin to surface in the ebook download of Coming Home as Brent boldly asks Dayna to support him at the most crucial time of his life. While Tamara’s heart brims with guilt, both women will discover what it means to reach beyond pain and baggage to love unconditionally, leaving the consequences to God.

My Review:

I surprised myself by picking this one out. Contemporary Dramas are usually not all that popular with me but something about this story piqued my interest. It's true that part of it was the fact that some of the situations that our main character faced in this novel seemed relevant to me but I think that there was more to it than that. It seemed more real.

The story centers on Dayna, a hospital executive who seems to be finally moving on with her life after a bitter divorce. She moved to a new city (and state), moved up the career ladder, found a new boyfriend, and seems to be doing alright.

One day, out of the blue, she gets a surprise visit from Brent, her ex husband. Just as she's about to dash out the door with her current main squeeze, he shows up on her doorstep bearing flowers and asking to take her to dinner along with his current wife. The current wife is the same woman he cheated on her with years ago in the fiasco that ended their marriage.

After discussing it with the new boyfriend, Warren, she reluctantly agrees to meet with him just to get him off her back. She then forgets to check the dates with Warren who can't make it and decides to go alone.

This first misstep initiates a downward spiral in her life as well as the lives of those closest to her. After finding out that her ex husband has not got much time to live, she struggles with using her expertise to help him achieve a life-long dream, or keeping the man she's got now at the expense of ignoring Brent. Who or what will she choose?

In the process of sorting through her feeling for her ex, her current boyfriend, and even a close friend who makes a series of bad choices that rub Dayna the wrong choices, she must also deal with the issues that she has with family members who seem to blame her for her ex husband's failure to stay married to her.

This was a beautifully touching story whose spiritual truths were conveyed in a more natural manner than many Christian Fiction stories. The characters seem more real and the author, less judgmental. 

It was not a perfect story and perhaps not the most entertaining, but it was something that touched me and might also touch others. There were flaws, like one point where the wrong character's name was used and it sometimes seemed to treat certain problems in a couple of characters a bit too lightly. Still, I think it is worth a read for anyone who has ever been through a difficult time in his or her life or just likes dramatic stories.

Beneath a Navajo Moon

Review of Beneath a Navajo Moon by Lisa Carter

Overview from www.barnesandnoble.com: The search for a woman who disappeared in 1906 has lead cultural anthropologist Erin Dawson to Cedar Canyon, where the iconic terrain of red rock walls and mesas keep Navajo traditions—and maybe criminal evidence—well hidden. When Erin’s search leads her to cross paths with tribal policeman Adam Silverhorn, it’s hardly love at first sight. But everywhere she turns, Adam is already there.

Fighting their feelings for each other, the two are suddenly thrust into a battle far more dangerous—a common quest to rout an insidious drug cartel that has spawned the recent rise in gang violence on the reservation. Adam’s position of authority gives Erin a rare glimpse into Navajo life few outsiders like her ever see—and into a crime ring that no one dares to imagine. As danger mounts, Adam and Erin begin to wonder if they will live to tell how they really feel.

My Review:

This week's story surprised me since it wasn't at all what it seemed. It had its thriller element to be sure but when it came down to it, it really seemed more of a love story, a story of forbidden love. 

Our main character, Erin Dawson comes to the Navajo Res to investigate what happened to a female ancestor in her adopted family. I don't remember exactly who was adopted but I think it was her father. Still the fact that they were not blood-related in no way diminished Erin's enthusiasm to find out what happened to Olivia.

This was the part of the story that held my interest as well. Olivia and her life at the mission school in Arizona and later as the bride of her Navajo captor was interesting to say the least. In a time when a white woman who married a Native American and had children by him would probably have been considered disgusting, Olivia was bound and determined to her husband and life on the Res. What Erin wanted to know was, did she succeed?

The downside for me was that most of the story focused on Erin and her troubles in the here and now. This part wasn't as interesting except for the little tidbits about Navajo culture. Her man troubles bored me most of the time. Her interest in Olivia didn't but Olivia was not the focus of the story which was too bad because I think I might have enjoyed her story more.

The race around the canyon and the cave for the Mexican drug dealers and the discussion of their threat to the people did interest me but I found myself wondering whether the author was trying to jam in too many characters' stories into one book. I guess it worked overall but as I said I like some parts better than others.

Overall I think this story would be a better fit for someone who likes Romance stories about all else and Christian Romance at that, with just a little bit of history thrown into the mix. For me, it had its good points but it wasn't my favorite. I would to hear someone else's opinion on this story though, especially if they have some background in the Navajo culture. Let me hear from you please.

Contains: some action violence and sensuality

The Christmas Train

Review of The Christmas Train by David Baldacci


Overview from www.barnesandnoble.com: Disillusioned journalist Tom Langdon must get from Washington D.C. to L.A in time for Christmas. Forced to travel by train, he begins a journey of rude awakenings, thrilling adventures and holiday magic. He has no idea that the locomotives pulling him across America will actually take him into the rugged terrain of his own heart, as he rediscovers people's essential goodness and someone very special he believed he had lost. The Christmas Train is filled with memorable characters who have packed their bags with as much wisdom as mischief...and shows how we doget second chances to fulfill our deepest hopes and dreams, especially during this season of miracles.

Tom Langdon, a weary and cash-strapped journalist, is banned from flying when a particularly thorough airport security search causes him to lose his cool. Now, he must take the train if he has any chance of arriving in Los Angeles in time for Christmas with his girlfriend. To finance the trip, he sells a story about a train ride taken during the Christmas season.

My Review:

Having just moved, I am attempting to get acquainted with people in this new town. I thought I might join a club and since I found a book club in the area I decided to try it, but first I have to read the book. The book assigned is, of course, the one I am reviewing today.

I doubt that there is much to add to the summary provided by the publisher but I will try my best to give it my own spin. Our main character is one Tom Langdon who is looking for a chance to turn his life back into the right direction after splitting up with the love of his life, Eleanor, years ago. He is also attempting to fulfill one of his father’s last wishes by finishing Mark Twain’s alleged goal of taking a train trip across the country and writing a story about it.

Little does he know that Eleanor is on the same train and when they bump into each other on the train, he seems to have gotten his second chance. There is one small problem however. Eleanor aka Ellie wants nothing to do with him in spite of being cajoled into working with him by her boss, the famous movie director Max somebody. (Sorry but I have already forgotten the last name.) The question than is can they survive the journey or will they end the journey with more regrets than they started off with.

My overall impression of this story was positive, despite the fact that it is basically a feel-good drama. It has a nice tone. The story itself is touching and the way that Baldacci creates this Christmas themed story works well. It doesn’t feel too hammy like many other Christmas dramas do.

The characters were likeable and funny, even some of the bad ones, and there is a lot of detail about Amtrak and the trains they use as well as what some of the routes are.

It is a great story to tackle for the holidays and when I say tackle I mean it in the lightest possible way. Sure it is deeper than the breezy summer read but not overwhelming like a lot of other holiday stories are.

I recommend it as a great way to pass the time while you’re waiting in line at the local department store to buy massive quantities of gifts that you really don’t need anyway. It will help keep things in perspective.

Contains: some language

The Tidewater Sisters

       


Review of The Tidewater Sisters by


Overview from www.barnesandnoble.com: Tandi Reese and her sister, Gina, have always been bound by complicated ties. Amid the rubble of a difficult childhood lie memories of huddling beneath beds and behind sofas while parental wars raged. Sisterhood was safety . . . once. But now? Faced with legal papers for a fraud she didn’t commit, Tandi suspects that her sister has done something unthinkable. With Tandi’s wedding just around the corner, a trip to the North Carolina Tidewater for a reckoning with Gina was not part of the plan. But unraveling lies from truth will require confronting strained sibling bonds and uncovering a dark family secret that could free Tandi from her past or stain her future forever.

My Review:

The Tidewater Sisters is the first contemporary non-genre fiction that I have read in a few months. I wasn’t expecting much from it. The only reason I picked it up was because it was set in North Carolina, not far from where I am now living and I thought it might be interesting to read about some of the people who live in the places that I am just now getting acquainted with.

I wasn’t expecting all that much from it since I am not a huge fan of contemporary, non-genre fiction. It definitely exceeded my expectations.

Our main character, Tandi Jo Reese, tells the story from her point of view. It begins with Tandi Jo napping and dreaming of her first love, Luke Townley, only to be awakened by the here and now. She is at an historic house on Hatteras Island waiting for the third time for an electrician to show up.

Her fiancé, Paul, wakes her up. Shortly afterwards someone finally does come up the drive but it is not who she was expecting. A process server informs her that she is being sued for some type of false promises on the sale of a property. Since she doesn’t own any property that she knows of, she now has to find out what this is all about and deal with it before her upcoming wedding. She doesn’t know much but she is sure that it must have something to do with her estranged sister Gina.

The story follows her journey to the alleged property and on the trail to find Gina and find out what is going on as well as what really happened in the past that she thought she’d left behind. But maybe some things are better left in the past.

The story was surprisingly intriguing. Yes, there’s something of a mystery to it but I don’t think that was what drew me in. It was the emotions.

Tandi Jo was someone I could relate to. Her conflict emotions about her past as well as her hope for the future drew me in.

And the story was not preachy, the way a lot of fiction, Christian and otherwise, is. I felt invested in the outcome. So much so that my only disappointment in this story was that it was too short. It could, and should, have been a novel. There were areas of Tandi’s life that I felt could have been explored more.

Still, this would be a great summer, beach read. Even with some of the major issues that she deals with. I don’t know if Tandi Jo’s story continues but if it does, I’d really like to read it.

The Supreme Macaroni Company

Review of The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani


Overview from www.barnesandnoble.com: For over a hundred years, the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village has relied on the leather produced by Vechiarelli & Son in Tuscany. This historic business partnership provides the twist of fate for Valentine Roncalli, the school-teacher turned shoemaker, to fall in love with Gianluca Vechiarelli, a tanner with a complex past . . . and a secret.

A piece of surprising news is revealed on a fateful Christmas Eve when Valentine and Gianluca join her extended family. Now faced with life altering choices, Valentine remembers the wise words that inspired her in the early days of her beloved Angelini Shoe Company: "A person who can build a pair of shoes can do just about anything." The proud, passionate Valentine is going to fight for everything she wants and savor all she deserves—the bitter and the sweetness of life itself.

My Review:

It has been a while since I read the last book in this series. The Supreme Macaroni Company is the third installment of the series. It might be surprising to learn this but the first book in this series was not really one of my favorite. So why did I keep reading? Adriana Trigiani is one of my favorite authors and although I mostly prefer her Historical Fiction novels, I guess I felt like I had to give her more of a chance and I really wanted to stick with her for as long as I could.

The second book of the Valentine series was better. This one however was the best. I think it is also the last one.

The ending sort of surprised me. And one event in the middle really surprised me but I will not ruin it for future readers by giving it away.

So to summarize, I liked it and I liked it more than the other two and would even say that I liked it a lot though not as much as The Shoemaker’s Wife.

This story starts right where the previous novel stops if memory serves correctly though I wouldn’t fully count on my memory since it is been years since I read the last one and my memory is not so great these days.

Gianluca has just asked Valentine to marry him. I had forgotten that part, I just remembered that they had gotten together. So the story starts with Christmas and telling Valentine’s parents and then of course there is a wedding.

But then there are the issues. They do not just go off into the sunset and live happily ever after.

The characters are mostly all the same as I recall. The foremost being Valentine from whose point of view the story is told. Then of course there is the rest of her crazy family. And I thought mine was weird. Well, they are weird but I guess it just comforts me to see that in some ways, her family is weirder.

The only downside was that I didn’t think some of the Italian translations were correct but since I am not a full-fledged expert I will leave that to others to comment about it.

Positives about this include its realistic story line. The ups and downs didn’t follow the normal patterns where everything always works out in the end. And as I said earlier, the characters are unique as well which makes me feel as though this story could have really happened. And I liked how the Italian language was sprinkled throughout the story.

Check it out for yourself and see if you don’t like it as well, though you might want to start at the beginning of the series. Let me know what you think.

Contains: mild profanity

The Rockin' Chair

Review of The Rockin' Chair by Stephen Manchester

Overview from www.bn.com: Memories are the ultimate contradiction. They can warm us on our coldest days – or they can freeze a loved one out of our lives forever. The McCarthy family has a trove of warm memories. Of innocent first kisses. Of sumptuous family meals. Of wondrous lessons learned at the foot of a rocking chair. But they also have had their share of icy ones. Of words that can never be unsaid. Of choices that can never be unmade. Of actions that can never be undone.

Following the death of his beloved wife, John McCarthy – Grandpa John – calls his family back home. It is time for them to face the memories they have made, both warm and cold. Only then can they move beyond them and into the future.

My Review:

I am heading back to the present with this week’s review of The Rockin’ Chair. This is really the story of four generations of one family but we are introduced first to John, Alice and Elle.

John and Alice are an older married couple though at this stage Alice mostly forgets that’s she’s even an adult, let alone that she’s married. She is in final stage of Alzheimer’s and though the local doctor has advised John to have her institutionalized, he will have none of it. He made her a promise that she could die at home and he intends to keep it.

After she’s gone, John doesn’t want to live anymore. He asks God why he shouldn’t go too and at her funeral the answer comes to him—he is still alive so that he can repair the broken relationships in his family and that is what he sets out to do.

But it won’t be easy. The hardest bridge to cross might be the one leading to his son Hank’s house. The way John sees it; Hank left the farm driven by his own pride and is the main culprit for their bad blood. Hank sees it in the reverse; he never felt loved by his father and he carried that same bitterness into his relationship with his own three children. And those three children are about to come home though none of them will make it home in time to say goodbye to their beloved grandmother.

At the funeral John finally faces up to his own stubbornness as well as his destiny to try to bring the family back together again. He will pull out all the stops to get them to rid the family of its demons.

However, I didn’t find any demons in this story, other than the ones that the characters were facing. John’s story could be anyone’s, though it takes place mostly on his Montana farm, it could be anywhere. John’s family are everything to him but he has trouble telling him that.

Both the children and grandchildren and even the little great-granddaughter seek his approval but aren’t sure if they can live up to his high standards. He tries to show them that as long as you live up to the values they were raised with and do your best, you can hold your head up high when you go to meet God. His simple, folksy wisdom might be his family’s undoing. And if you’re like me, you just might shed a tear or two in the process. I liked this one a lot and am recommending it highly.

 

Review of Sins of the Father by Angela Benson

 

Overview from www.bn.com: God asked the biblical Abraham to sacrifice his son. But Abraham Martin's only god is money.

 

Successful media mogul Abraham Martin has great wealth, an elegant wife, Saralyn, and a rebellious son, Isaac. He also has a secret: a second family that no one knows about. Now, after thirty years—driven by the urging of his long dormant conscience—Abraham is determined to do the right thing by finally bringing his illegitimate children into the light...and into the family fold.

 

But beautiful, manipulative Saralyn will never accept the proof of her husband's indiscretions. Isaac, the heir, shaken by his father's revelations, will fight mercilessly when his world is threatened, and may lose everything that matters as a result. And while Abraham's forgotten daughter, Deborah, is open to the undreamed-of possibilities suddenly awaiting her, his son, Michael, cannot forgive the man who cruelly abandoned them to near poverty. And he's driven by only one desire: revenge!

Angela Benson's Sins of the Father is a powerful story of a house bitterly divided—a rich, multilayered family saga of betrayal and redemption, rage and compassion, faith, forgiveness, and ultimately, of love.

My Review:

Sins of the Father struck me at first as something that might be just a ho-hum read, something I could use to keep my brain occupied while I waited in line at the grocery store or waited outside in my car in the morning before going to work. It was much better than that.

Yes the setting was contemporary but the story it told was not all that conventional. The story starts with a man named Abraham trying to reassert himself into the lives of his illegitimate adult children. Growing up, they were supported by him financially but not in any other way. He never visited them, he never called them, he never even wrote to them. Why? Because they were children that he had with another woman.

He had pushed them both aside till his mother's death changed everything for him. He decided to honor her wishes and do right by them and it started with a small production company that he bought and asked his illegitimate daughter to run for him.

So far so good but then he tried to bring both of the adult children from another woman into his family which was previously just him, his wife and his legitimate son, Isaac. This part was not going to happen. His wife would do everything she could stop it, while the other son, Micheal is just looking for a way to get revenge on his absent father. Granted some of the others involved have doubts about the idea as well but these two are just itching for a fight, in some cases literally.

The story was very obviously a Biblical parallel story. The characters' names alone give that away. Isaac and Rebecca, Abraham and Saralyn, and Leah are all the names of characters in this book that mirror or are similar to the names of Biblical characters. The story of a father with children by two different women also mirrors the story of Abraham and Sarah in the Bible while the illusion to Esau as an example for Saralyn's son Isaac to not follow is also a hint.

The drama underneath it all is modern even if we may not personally know too many people who find themselves in the same situation as this family, we can still relate to their feelings. Too many children today grow up without a father figure in their lives so Deborah and Michael's story is relatable. There are also many children who grow up with high expectations from their parents like Isaac does. And many women have been abandoned when they are no longer deemed useful by their significant others. In that way, this story is timeless.

The best part for me was that not only were the plots and subplots in this book engaging, but the story itself did not have a lot of swear words or other offensive material. Of course sex was a part of the story. How could it not be? But it was not the focal point of the story, the human drama was. I can't be sure but I think this could be classified as Christian fiction but the Christian message contained in here, despite the similarities with the Bible, was not heavy-handed. It seemed to occur naturally within the plot and I like that as well.

There was one thing that struck me as a little bit odd. The author twice mentioned two members of the family having photos of themselves with two different presidents displayed in their offices and both of them were democrats. I am not sure if that was significant or intentional nor do I know if it is supposed to mean anything to the reader but it did get me wondering for a while. Why two democrats? But like I said, it was odd, but not a problem. I am not sure how conservative readers might feel about it. I just chose to say "hmm" and continue reading.

I can't really think of anything bad about to say about it. I liked it a lot though I can't say I loved it. I think you might too.