Review: The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield

This is a fabulous story of good versus evil, a story of love and compassion, brokenness and healing, and a man that stays true to his Father regardless of circumstance. You will fall in love with the characters, adults and children alike. They are so well developed that you feel as though you know them, they become a part of you and steal your heart. I read in a review that Swan reminded them of Scout in "To Kill A Mockingbird", and I couldn't agree more.  She is spunky but full of kindness.  This first time author, has done an amazing job of breathing life into this family and their story. You will laugh at the quick wit of Swan and most definitely cry at the heart wrenching abuse that is inflicted on a child and animals. I loved this novel and cannot wait to read Ms. Jenny Wingfields future work.

SYNOPSIS by Barnes & Noble

Every first Sunday in June, members of the Moses clan gather for an annual reunion at “the old home place,” 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. The children embrace the reunion as a welcome escape from the prying eyes of their father’s congregation; for Willadee it’s a precious opportunity to spend time with her mother and father, Calla and John. But just as the reunion is getting under way, tragedy strikes, jolting the family to their core: John’s untimely death and, soon after, the loss of Samuel’s parish, which set the stage for a summer of crisis and profound change.

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 it is Blade Ballenger, a traumatized eight-year-old neighbor, who soon captures Swan’s undivided attention. Full of righteous anger, and innocent of the peril facing her and those she loves, Swan makes it her mission to keep the boy safe from his terrifying father.

With characters who spring to life as vividly as if they were members of one’s own family, and with the clear-eyed wisdom that illuminates the most tragic—and triumphant—aspects of human nature, Jenny Wingfield emerges as one of the most vital, engaging storytellers writing today. In The Homecoming of Samuel Lake she has created a memorable and lasting work of fiction.

RATING - 4 1/2  STARS  - I Loved It