Coming Home--A Book Review

Title: Coming Home
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Published Date: 2012
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars


Synopsis from Book:
A story of faith and a forever kind of love....The Baxters make plans to come together for a summer lakeside reunion in celebration of John Baxter's seventieth birthday. But before the big day, the unthinkable happens. As the Baxter family rallies together, memories come to light in the grief stricken hours of waiting and praying, memories that bring healing and hope during a time when darkness may otherwise have the final word.

IN a season that changes all of them, the brilliance of family love overshadows the valley of heartache. Along the way, secrets are revealed, and the truth about the Baxter family history is finally made known. Ultimately, in this portrait of family love, the Baxters cling to each other and to God's promise of forever.

This stand alone novel will serve as either a grand introduction or a beautiful conclusion in the saga of the Baxter family.

My Review:
There is something special about a series of books in which you connect deeply with the characters. For twenty-two books, I have fallen in love with the Baxter family from Bloomington, Indiana. They are not a perfect family--in fact, they have many problems. They are broken individuals who, by God's grace, are made into something of beauty. At the end of the each book, you felt that the characters were, well, alive. They seemed real and they had real problems. I always found something in the books I identified with.

However, as the series progressed, story lines did begin to get "blend" for lack of a better word. Especially with Karen Kingsbury's latest series, the Bailey Flanigan Series, you felt as if she was either too close to her characters (as that is what happens when you base novels off of your daughter) or she was running out of ideas. As much I was loved Karen, I was fearful as to whether or not she would rekindle that "spark," the spark that was always present during her previous series.

I am happy to report that "Coming Home" was a brilliant book. Because it was a stand alone novel, Karen began the novel in a retrospective mode; we got to be reminded of how paths crossed and of the works God had done. I have to say, I was thrilled that happened. It has been a while since I had read the beginning books and while I remembered them, I liked them being fresh in my mind. But that was only the first third of the book--the rest was a story that tugs on the heart strings.

Did I figure it out before I even started reading? No....not exactly. Did I guess the ending as certain things progressed? Well....sort of. I was on my toes throughout the book and yes, I bawled like a baby. I read the book in an entire day (the Fourth of July to be precise), but I also spent the day having my mascara running down my dace. I'm just an emotional wreck of a human being; I connect to these characters far too easily. In my mind, they are very real. And I hated to see them come to a close. It was like the ending of your favorite movie.

Even if you have never read a novel of Karen Kingsbury's before, I would say that you need to read this one. By the ending paragraph, you will see it is a beautiful story of  family and of coming home, both to our earthly home and to our Heavenly one. I loved it....and I do think that you would too. And if you are a fan of Karen's, I will just tell you this: if you despaired during the whole "Bailey saga," you don't need to anymore. Karen is back!