"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." Proverbs 25:11

Saturday, June 23, 2012

LUCY COME HOME by Dave and Neta Jackson

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fifteen-year-old Cindy worked long days beside her migrant worker family in Michigan's sugar beet fields in the early 1940s -- the "war years" -- until she met a dashing young man from a traveling carnival, bringing some joy and fun into her hard-scrabble life. But a tragic twist of fate -- and a dead field boss-- sent the two young people on the run, leaving behind family and everything she'd ever known.

Lucy Tucker, the crotchety old bag lady from the popular Yada Yada House of Hope series, is a veteran of Chicago streets and not about to give up her independence, even as she approaches her 80th birthday.

Until, that is, a young displaced woman with her gentle aging mother and a dog named Dandy seem to need her -- unsettling the secretive Lucy, who doesn't let anyone get too close. But just when it seems her past is catching up with her to bring her in out of the cold... Lucy disappears again. How these two tales intersect and intertwine between past and present gradually shines light into the dark corners of Lucy's murky past. But... why won't Lucy come home?


ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dave and Neta Jackson are award-winning authors living in the Chicago area where their parallel novels from the Yada Yada House of Hope and Harry Bentley series are set.

As a husband/wife writing team, Dave and Neta Jackson are enthusiastic about books, kids, walking with God, gospel music, and each other! Together they are the authors or coauthors of over 100 books.

Visit http://www.daveneta.com
for more info.

MY REVIEW

The first book I read by Neta Jackson was Stand By Me. That was a truly great book. I got hooked and when I had the opportunity to read Lucy Come Home, for free from Litfuse Publicity, I couldn't wait to get it.

I was not disappointed. Lucy Come Home was so good I couldn't put it down. I had to get up for work the next day at 5:30a.m. and I was still reading the book at 12 midnight. Most people who know me knows I need eight hours to be human so less than six? Well, can we say grumpy?

Anyway, back to the book....

My grandparents were migrant workers until they settled down in California so reading Lucy Come Home helped me to see a little bit of their world which included the shortages that affected average person.

I really liked how Dave and Neta portrayed Lucy in the past and present. You got the sense of almost reading about two different people yet at the same time you could see how the decisions Lucy made in her past made her into the person she was in the present.

Those decisions, guilt, loneliness, and heartbreak all combined to make a strong, yet afraid, 80 year old woman who couldn't allow people to get close to her. How my heart broke for her as I read her story. She was as real to me as anyone I know. 

Reading her story will make you take another look at that homeless person you see every day. Maybe even cause you to reach out to them.

Many thanks to Litfuse Publicity for the review copy that made my review possible. And many thanks to Dave and Neta Jackson for another awesome book.

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1 comment:

Portugal said...

An intriguing story of how one person came to be homeless and lived her entire adult life on the streets. Truly fascinating. It is a story told from two perspectives - from before she was homeless and from when she is 80 years old after being on the streets for more than 60 years. The biggest downfall of the book is that those 60 years are essentially missing from the story. After I read the last page I was still left wondering what happened during those 60 years. Surely with a main character this interesting there was a lot of story left to be told! I wanted more...