Long way home

Reviewed by:

Ceil Carey, retired public librarian and long time book discussion leader

REVIEW INTRODUCTION

Title:

Long way home

Author:

Lynn Austin

Publisher:

Tyndale

https://www.tyndale.com/

Publication date:

2022

Format:

Hardcover

Length:

387 pages

Overview:

Peggy Serrano is a very likable main character. She cannot wait until her best friend Jimmy Barnett returns home from World War 2. Jimmy served as a medic and will be coming back to work with his father in his dad’s veterinarian business. Peggy helps, too-she loves animals and really has a way with them. But when Jimmy returns he is a changed man, so changed that he attempts suicide and is placed in a VA hospital.

Seven years before, Jewish families are fleeing to Cuba on that ill fated journey that ended in them being returned to Europe. Gisela Wolff and her family were among those emigrants. On board she meets Sam Shapiro, the love of her life. Both families band together in an attempt to stay alive and escape the Nazis.

Peggy endeavors to help Jimmy in every way possible and in that way, Gisela’s life intersects with Jimmy’s. Along the way Peggy meets the love of her life, begins to work as a vet assistant and meets a myriad of Jimmy’s friends as she tries to bring her best friend out of the depths of his depression. And throughout the book the characters wrestle with God and his providence yet some never waver in their commitment to Him.

Rating:

5 out of 5

Suggested audience:

Fans of historical fiction; fans of Lynn Austin

Christian impact:

As with all of Austin’s books, trust and faith in God are interwoven throughout.

Also includes:

-sneak peek at Lynn Austin’s next book

-discussion questions