Coming Home

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Fern Britton's books are always such a delight to read. They are set in Cornwall and have such vividly drawn characters that you can imagine settling down over a glass of prosecco to have a chat. This was a truly moving story. The story of three generations of one family was so true to life that I actually felt I knew them personally. I loved the way the story evolved, with the shattered feelings being hurled in Sennen's face and the way she turns to her childhood friend for a little support. You can feel Ella's need for her mum in her life and the relationship building between them. Sloan lives in the United States. She resides in Georgia with her cats and a dog and has three daughters that live near her. Being published independently is like a dream that’s come true for her! I thought the day before Christmas Eve. The trains won’t be so crowded then. Biddy would meet us at Plymouth. She said she was sorry that she’d left it so late, the invitation, I mean, but it was just an impetuous idea. And she thought that, as it will be our last Christmas for a bit, it would be a good idea to spend it all together.”

Course you could. She can scarcely say no. Going away, and not knowing when she’s going to see you again, she’ll give you anything you want. You just strike while the iron’s hot”—another of Mrs. Warren’s favourite sayings.

Publication Order of Coming Home Books

At the beginning, the main character, Judith, is about 14, and it is 1935. She and her family live in Cornwall, in England. Her father has been living overseas in Singapore and her mum and little sister will soon be joining him. Judith has a good friend and some other family who live locally, and her parents have decided to send her to an area boarding school, where she meets a new friend (who becomes quite important in the story) whose family will remind you of “Downton Abbey”, a bit.

Another pause. Abruptly, Heather leaned forward and planted a kiss on Judith’s rain-damp cheek. Then, without saying anything more, she turned and went running away down the street, and the sound of her footsteps became fainter and fainter, until Judith could hear them no longer. Only then, feeling a bit bereft, did she continue on her solitary way, climbing the narrow pavement between small shops brightly illuminated, their windows decorated for Christmas with tinsel wound around boxes of tangerines and jars of bath salts tied with scarlet ribbons. Even the ironmonger had done his bit. USEFUL AND ACCEPTABLE GIFT said a handwritten card leaning against a ferocious claw-hammer which sported a sprig of artificial holly. She passed the last shop, at the very top of the hill, which was the local branch of W. H. Smith, where Judith’s mother bought her monthly Vogue and came each Saturday to change her library book. After that the road levelled off and the houses fell away, and without their shelter the wind asserted itself. It came in soft gusts, laden with moisture, blowing the drenching mist into her face. In the darkness this wind had a special feel to it and brought with it the sound of breakers booming up on the beach far below. Nicely done entry in the series, this more than any other book in the Alex Benedict and Chase Kolpath novel series ties in closely with the previous installment (in this case _Firebird_) as one of the major plot threads in the novel is Alex’s and Chase’s involvement in rescuing the passengers and crew of the _Capella_. The _Capella_ element is important to the two not only because of their role in discovering the truth of what happened to the _Capella_ (and other similarly marooned in space-time ships) and in helping with formulating solutions to saving those on board, but because of a personal connection to one of the passengers. Originally assumed dead along with all the other passengers and crew, Gabriel Benedict, Chase’s old boss and friend, former boss and friend to her mom, Alex’s uncle and mentor, and original owner of the country house that serves as the home of Rainbow Enterprises (Alex’s antiquities company) and of the ship _Belle-Marie_ (the ship Chase pilots for Alex). I think everything one needs to know is explained with regards to the _Capella_ rescue effort and with Gabe, but I also think the reader will have a much deeper appreciation for what is going on having read at least _Firebird_ first, as the mystery of what happened to the _Capella_ was a central part of that story’s plot. Yes. And Mr. Thomas and everybody. And we all got a bag of sweets, but I’ve given mine to Jess. And then I walked down the hill with Heather—”

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Ella is a loving, forgiving woman, whilst her brother Henry is bitter and angry. Their mother Sennen left them when they were just babies and Ella has no memory of her at all. Sennen was young, just seventeen, when she ran away, and already the mother of two children.

I loved hearing about all the various stories involved, although Henry really didn't come off that well, I can understand his anger. I loved getting to know Ella and Kit a lot better and the situation with Sennen had me gripped at all times. We follow Judith, her friends and family all the way through WWII, which doesn’t leave them unscathed. However, even though the war is brutal, we experience it, for the most part, through others and at a distance. The whole story is a cozy and wonderful read - the kind of book that makes you feel like you’re soaking in a bubble bath just about the whole time. I loved the opening of this book. It reminded me of Jane Eyre, but as the story progressed, I could see that any similarity to that classic is purely superficial. This novel is a coming of age story of Judith Dunbar, set in prewar, war and post 2WW Britain. At the star of this novel, I was rather fascinated by the relationship between Judith and her mother, who seems to be a push-over, but at the same time capable of some deep thoughts. I found it perplexing, how this woman whom both Judith (her daughter) and her own sister consider incapable of looking after herself, could write such a philosophical letter to her husband. That's one of few letters in the novel that were not just a waist of papers. Others seems to be terribly repetitive. As the novel opens, Judith seems a bit unrealistically mature for a 14 year old, but that is something that could have been ignored if her later development made sense...and yet somehow it didn't. It is like the doesn't change at all during the course of the novel, always being quite stoic and reasonable...and frankly, it doesn't make much sense because she is the protagonist of the novel. Judith cared for so many people and made a difference in so many lives through the course of this novel and while I found all of these minor characters and their life stories very interesting, I don't understand why author didn't give us a closer insight into Judith's soul. We get to know her at the start of the novel, but from then on, we only get to see what she does, not so much what she feels. She pulled off her coat and her woollen hat and dumped them on a chair. Phyllis didn’t say, “Hang them up.” Sometime, she would probably hang them up for Judith herself.COMING HOME is probably the first novel where I've actually sort of egged on the author to get past the expected twists and turns of the standard plot structure and get to the meat of it all-- when a mysterious white skimmer shows up to shoot up Chase and Alex at one point in the story, I found myself saying "Yeah, right, we all know they are going to get past that.. so move on why don't you?"

you’ll have such a lot to do,” Aunt Louise was saying. “If I can help…” She leaned forward to place her empty cup and saucer upon the table, and doing so, glanced up and saw Judith standing at the open door. “Well, look who’s here…” I thought so. Dreadfully expensive. And we have so many other things to buy. We haven’t even started on your uniform yet, and the clothes list for Saint Ursula’s is yards long.” It's a big sweeping story set in Cornwall between 1935-1945 with a large cast of characters. It has a strong sense of place which I've come to expect (and appreciate) from Pilcher's writing. I've never been to Cornwall- but I can picture it clearly in my mind. The writing was heartfelt and comforting and refreshed my spirits. And the characters - I'm telling you now- they will make a home in your heart if you let them. I was happy to let them. I loved this book so so much. Nancy Verrier, M.A., the mother of two daughters – one who is adopted and one who is not – is an advocate for children. She holds a master's degree in clinical psychology and is in private practice in Lafayette, California. In addition to her clinical and adoption work, Ms. Verrier writes and lectures about the effects of early childhood trauma and deprivation caused by premature separation from the mother under various circumstances. NOW AVAILABLE AS AN EBOOK!I don’t know why you never had one before. My dad gave me mine when I was ten. Not that it’s much good in this dratted place, with all the hills, but out where you are, it’d be just the thing.” This is not the first time McDevitt has written a boring novel because of a weak plot. The Mutes, the great aliens of this series, are again almost completely absent from the book. She shivered. Too cold to stand in the dark, wet wind. The train would be leaving in five minutes. She began to run, her boot-bag thumping against her side; came to the long flight of granite steps which dropped to the railway station, and hurtled down them with the careless confidence of years of familiarity.