The Homecoming of Samuel Lake: A Novel by Jenny Wingfield

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake: A Novel

Jenny Wingfield
344 pages
Random House
Jul 2012
Literature & Fiction WSBN
6
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1
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0
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<b>&quot;Raw, dark, and powerful . . . Southern Gothic at its best. <i>The Homecoming of Samuel Lake</i> puts one in mind of Erskine Caldwell and Flannery O'Connor.&quot; - Fannie Flagg</b><br> <i> </i><br> Every first Sunday in June, members of the Moses clan gather for an annual reunion at a sprawling hundred-acre farm in Arkansas. And every year, Samuel Lake, a vibrant and committed young preacher, brings his beloved wife, Willadee Moses, and their three children back for the festivities. In the midst of it all, Samuel and Willadee's outspoken eleven-year-old daughter, Swan, is a bright light. Her high spirits and fearlessness have alternately seduced and bedeviled three generations of the family. But just as the reunion is getting under way, tragedy strikes, jolting the family to their core and setting the stage for a summer of crisis and profound change. <br> <br> With the clear-eyed wisdom that illuminates the most tragic - and triumphant - aspects of human nature, Jenny Wingfield has created an enduring work of fiction.<br> <br> <b>&quot;Jenny Wingfield has given us a spectacular novel [that] will make you laugh out loud one minute, hold your breath the next, and weep when you least expect it.&quot; - Dorothea Benton Frank, author of <i>Folly Beach</i></b><br> <br> <b>&quot;[This novel] touches on many genres - family life, Christian fiction, coming-of-age, and suspense. . . . Readers will love it.&quot; - <i>Library Journal</i> (starred review) </b><br> <b><i> </i></b><br> <b>&quot;Wingfield hooks the reader with her opening sentence. . . . The reader is thoroughly caught up in the family saga.&quot;<i> - Abilene Reporter-News</i></b><br> <b> </b><br> <b>&quot;A lovely debut . . . a bittersweet, inspirational tale.&quot; - <i>The Dallas Morning News</i></b><br> <b><i> </i></b><br> Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.
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I loved every single thing about this book!

I loved every single thing about The Homecoming of Samuel Lake. From the sweet Southern charm of some of the characters to the decidedly evilness of others. Samuel Lake is a Methodist preacher who gets moved around a lot. So, his daughter, Swan is used to being a preacher's kid and being the new kid in town. When Samuel is not assigned a new position, the family is forced to move back home to Arkansas with Samuel's mother. I totally fell into this book and was faced with the dilemma of wanting to reading it quickly and wanting to savor it. I thought that the characters were well drawn, possibly a smidgen stereotypical, but that only added to the charm. I had trouble reading parts of it...the cruel treatment of people and animals by one of the characters. But I've known someone almost exactly like him, and I know people like that exist. The writing was perfect: "Add this to the fact that he preached with what some considered undue fervor, frequently thumping the pulpit for emphasis and saying things like "If you believe that, say 'Amen!'" when he knew full well that Methodists were trying to give up that sort of thing," "Her parents certainly loved God. Swan did, too, she was sure, even though she ben His rules with some degree of regularity, and prayed only When It Was Important. She'd never been one to wear God out with small talk." Really, I became so emotionally involved with this book, that about halfway through it, I started thinking.."nothing bad better happen to these people" and "this better have a happy ending." Read more

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About this book
Pages 344
Publisher Random House
Published 2012
Readers 6