The Road Home (The Letter Series Bk 2) by Kathleen Shoop - Book Tour Review
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1891—Living separately for three years, fourteen-year-old twins, Katherine and Tommy Arthur, have done their best to make each boarding house feel like home. But unrest grows as they are driven to questionable actions just to survive. Meanwhile their desperate mother is confronted with breaking yet another promise to her children. Then a miracle descends. Hope rises on a cold, rainy night and changes everything. If Jeanie could just get word to Katherine and Tommy, she knows she can set their lives right again. Agitators, angels, and dangerous “saviors” illuminate the Arthurs’ unmatched determination and smarts.
1905—Though she tries to forget the awful years that hurt so much, the memories still haunt Katherine. Now, tearful mourners at her mother’s funeral force her to revisit a time in her life that both harmed and saved her in the most unexpected ways. Tommy grieves his mother’s passing as well. He too is thrust backward, compelled to rediscover the events in his life that shaped the man he has become. Will he commit to reconstructing his broken life? The Arthurs come to understand that forgiveness is the only way back to hope, the only way to find all that was good in the misfortune that transformed their lives forever.
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"Kathleen Shoop has woven a story that crosses over several years with events that define lives. Katherine and Tommy are two characters that will stand out in my mind for a long time. The way the story blends back and forth between the two time periods is seamless and enjoyable, slowly painting a whole picture for the reader to see. I have not read the first book in this series, but I honestly feel that this one stands alone beautifully. You will take a journey with these characters that will evoke emotions and entertain you. This is my favorite kind of historical fiction; emotional and fun at the same time. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves a great book."
Reviewed By Kathryn Bennett for Readers’ Favorite- 5 stars!
"I loved this riveting tale of hope and redemption. The Road Home comes to life with gorgeous imagery and a setting that eased me seamlessly and beautifully back and forth in time. Each character stood out, coaxing me into her story, making me want more. With the turn of every page there’s a revelation, something hidden or something wonderful and unexpected. The Road Home is a must-read for any book lover and a perfect follow-up to The Last Letter."
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melissa Foster
Reviewed By Kathryn Bennett for Readers’ Favorite- 5 stars!
"I loved this riveting tale of hope and redemption. The Road Home comes to life with gorgeous imagery and a setting that eased me seamlessly and beautifully back and forth in time. Each character stood out, coaxing me into her story, making me want more. With the turn of every page there’s a revelation, something hidden or something wonderful and unexpected. The Road Home is a must-read for any book lover and a perfect follow-up to The Last Letter."
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melissa Foster
Letter Series Book 1 - The Last Letter
A Father’s Deceit
A Husband’s Betrayal
A Loved One’s Death
A Mother’s Choice
A Daughter’s Resentment
A Time to Forgive
For every daughter who thinks she knows her mother’s story…
Katherine wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t found the last letter…
Katherine Arthur’s dying mother arrives on her doorstep, forcing her to relive a past she wanted to forget. When Katherine was young, the Arthur family had been affluent city dwellers until shame sent them running for the prairie, into the unknown. Taking her family, including young Katherine, to live off the land was the last thing Jeanie Arthur had wanted, but she would do her best to make a go of it. For Jeanie’s husband Frank it had been a world of opportunity. Dreaming, lazy Frank. But, it was a society of uncertainty — a domain of natural disasters, temptation, hatred, even death.
Ten-year-old Katherine had loved her mother fiercely, put her trust in her completely, but when there was no other choice, and Jeanie resorted to extreme measures on the prairie to save her family, she tore Katherine’s world apart. Now, seventeen years later, Katherine has found the truth — she has discovered the last letter. After years of anger, can Katherine find it in her heart to understand why her mother made the decisions that changed them all? Can she forgive and finally begin to heal before it’s too late?
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Although I had not read the previous book, I was completely drawn in to the Arthur family's tale of struggles and woe. This is a family history but you will quickly come to feel you know and care for each of the main characters.
Told from three points of view and jumping from the present, where they have been reunited, to a past time, when the mother was forced to send her fourteen year old twins away, believing she was offering them a better chance at life, this book will grab hold of your emotions. We are shown how different their experiences are when the others in the family think they are doing well and being provided for.
Because of society rules at the time, the mother, Jeanie, is devalued both when her father and husband are involved in shady business dealings and even wirse when she tells her cheating husband she wants a divorce.
Jeanie Arthur wants only to see the best in people, and have faith her life is meant for more than her present sorrows. She begins again over and over. Finally, when she can not take any more, she tries to end her life.
The readers will discover that people are not who they seem on the surface, some better, others far worse. Each believes their facade (and actions) are justified.
Katherine, the opposite of her mother, needs to have more faith in people, especially Jeanie.
This is not a book you should rush through, although you may find it difficult to put down.
I know I will be picking up The Letter, the first book, to enjoy.
I did receive a copy of The Road Home in exchange for an honest review.
Because of society rules at the time, the mother, Jeanie, is devalued both when her father and husband are involved in shady business dealings and even wirse when she tells her cheating husband she wants a divorce.
Jeanie Arthur wants only to see the best in people, and have faith her life is meant for more than her present sorrows. She begins again over and over. Finally, when she can not take any more, she tries to end her life.
The readers will discover that people are not who they seem on the surface, some better, others far worse. Each believes their facade (and actions) are justified.
Katherine, the opposite of her mother, needs to have more faith in people, especially Jeanie.
This is not a book you should rush through, although you may find it difficult to put down.
I know I will be picking up The Letter, the first book, to enjoy.
I did receive a copy of The Road Home in exchange for an honest review.
About Kathleen Shoop
I have a PhD in Reading Education and have worked in schools for over twenty years. I work with teachers and their students in grades k-8 and am lucky to learn something new from them every time I walk through their doors. This experience was a huge help in writing LOVE AND OTHER SUBJECTS--a quirky, post-college coming of age story with a splash of fun romance.My first novel, The Last Letter (2011 IPPY Gold Medal--Regional Fiction, Midwest, 2011 Indie Excellence Finalist Award for Historical Fiction and Regional Fiction, 2011 International Book Awards Finalist for Historical Fiction and Best New Fiction), was a fascinating trip through history, punctuated with fictional characters and events. The idea for the story grew from my great-great grandmother's letters (see My Dear Frank for the complete set of letters!) written during the year of her engagement to Frank Arthur. The beautiful letters are the inspiration for the novel, the seed from which The Last Letter's characters and their voices grew.
I've also written women's fiction--LOVE AND OTHER SUBJECTS-- and have written another historical fiction novel, AFTER THE FOG, set in 1948 in Donora, PA. AFTER THE FOG is also an award winning book--A finalist in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards, a silver IPPY and WINNER in the literary category of the National Indie Excellence Awards.
I adore writing historical fiction (The Letter series, After the Fog) but am having a blast writing romance like Home Again and Return to Love (Endless Love series) Thank you so much for the time you take to read.
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I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.
Oh man, I can't tell you just how much I love this series, I am totally hooked !!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your fabulous review! It's an honor for me to have you read and share your thoughts! Book 3 is coming soon!!
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