Lucy Come Home by Dave and Neta Jackson is the story of Lucinda Tucker, homeless woman.
From the Back Cover:
Lucy Tucker has been on the streets of Chicago for 50 years. Why won't she come home?
Fifteen-year-old Cindy worked long days beside her migrant worker family in Michigan's sugar beet fields in the early 1940s -- the "war years" -- until she met a dashing young man from a traveling carnival, bringing some joy and fun into her hard-scrabble. But a tragic twist of fate -- and a dead field boss -- sent the two young people on the run, leaving behind family and everything she'd ever known.
Lucy Tucker, the crotchety old bag lady from the popular Yada Yada House of Hope series, is a veteran of the Chicago streets and not about to give up her independence, even as she approaches her 80th birthday. Until, that is, a young displaced woman with her gentle aging mother and a dog named Dandy seem to need her -- unsettling the secretive Lucy, who doesn't let anyone get too close. But just when it seems her past is catching up with her to bring her in out of the cold.... Lucy disappears again.
How these two tales intersect and intertwine between past and present gradually shines light into the dark corners of Lucy's murky past. But... why won't Lucy come home?
My Review:
Okay... so here was my first response after finishing this book (posted as my FB status):
"Wow, I am wrung out from the emotions of this book. Tears are pouring.... my throat aches and my heart is full. I need a break. I did finish it and it was good, but wow. I'm still not sure why it affected me this way, but I will NEVER look at a homeless person the same way again."
From the Back Cover:
Lucy Tucker has been on the streets of Chicago for 50 years. Why won't she come home?
Fifteen-year-old Cindy worked long days beside her migrant worker family in Michigan's sugar beet fields in the early 1940s -- the "war years" -- until she met a dashing young man from a traveling carnival, bringing some joy and fun into her hard-scrabble. But a tragic twist of fate -- and a dead field boss -- sent the two young people on the run, leaving behind family and everything she'd ever known.
Lucy Tucker, the crotchety old bag lady from the popular Yada Yada House of Hope series, is a veteran of the Chicago streets and not about to give up her independence, even as she approaches her 80th birthday. Until, that is, a young displaced woman with her gentle aging mother and a dog named Dandy seem to need her -- unsettling the secretive Lucy, who doesn't let anyone get too close. But just when it seems her past is catching up with her to bring her in out of the cold.... Lucy disappears again.
How these two tales intersect and intertwine between past and present gradually shines light into the dark corners of Lucy's murky past. But... why won't Lucy come home?
My Review:
Okay... so here was my first response after finishing this book (posted as my FB status):
"Wow, I am wrung out from the emotions of this book. Tears are pouring.... my throat aches and my heart is full. I need a break. I did finish it and it was good, but wow. I'm still not sure why it affected me this way, but I will NEVER look at a homeless person the same way again."
I am not really sure why I couldn't stop crying, even later when I was trying to explain to my teen daughters what happened in the book, I started crying again.
Dave and Neta Jackson weave a beautifully heartbreaking, yet hope-restoring story in the story of Lucinda Tucker.
Cindy's life is simple, yet hard from the beginning. Her family is taken from their farm in Arkansas before the Dust Bowl, to being migrant workers after the devastation of the Dust Bowl. They migrated from place to place trying to scrape out a living harvesting sugar beets or blueberries. They are a family of 9, the two parents and 7 children with Cindy being the oldest. When the "boss" comes and offers Cindy a job helping his bedridden, pregnant wife around the house and in the commissary, Cindy and her father take him up on the offer because it means more money (and "easier" work). Unfortunately, it also changes their lives forever.
Lucy's life is just hard. She scrounges for food and shelter and at times a job. She rambles along, thinking she is fine and that she doesn't need anyone. Then, a young woman comes along that NEEDS Lucy. As Lucy tries to help Fuzz Top and her mom (Martha), Lucy becomes close to them and isn't really sure how she feels about this... it's been so long since she's been close to anyone.
This story ends beautifully, but the process is a gut-wrenching, heart breaking, long line of disappointments and hurt. I have not often thought of "HOW does someone end up homeless?". While Lucy's story ends well, not every homeless person's story does. I am not sure if making the reader think about this was a goal in Dave and Neta's writing, but it definitely was an end result for me. I will NEVER look at a homeless person the same way again. Never.
I would definitely recommend this book to EVERYONE! I hope that it has changed my life and that it will change every other reader's life as well. Please, buy Lucy Come Home, read it... pass it along... buy it for your church library, just read it!
Oh, and the back of the book mentions the Yada Yada House of Hope series and a friend asked if she needed to read those first... NO, you don't have to read them first. I don't think I have read any of that series (I have read many of the Yada Yada Prayer Group series), and I had no problem getting the story.
Thanks for reading... Enjoy!!
Dave and Neta Jackson weave a beautifully heartbreaking, yet hope-restoring story in the story of Lucinda Tucker.
Cindy's life is simple, yet hard from the beginning. Her family is taken from their farm in Arkansas before the Dust Bowl, to being migrant workers after the devastation of the Dust Bowl. They migrated from place to place trying to scrape out a living harvesting sugar beets or blueberries. They are a family of 9, the two parents and 7 children with Cindy being the oldest. When the "boss" comes and offers Cindy a job helping his bedridden, pregnant wife around the house and in the commissary, Cindy and her father take him up on the offer because it means more money (and "easier" work). Unfortunately, it also changes their lives forever.
Lucy's life is just hard. She scrounges for food and shelter and at times a job. She rambles along, thinking she is fine and that she doesn't need anyone. Then, a young woman comes along that NEEDS Lucy. As Lucy tries to help Fuzz Top and her mom (Martha), Lucy becomes close to them and isn't really sure how she feels about this... it's been so long since she's been close to anyone.
This story ends beautifully, but the process is a gut-wrenching, heart breaking, long line of disappointments and hurt. I have not often thought of "HOW does someone end up homeless?". While Lucy's story ends well, not every homeless person's story does. I am not sure if making the reader think about this was a goal in Dave and Neta's writing, but it definitely was an end result for me. I will NEVER look at a homeless person the same way again. Never.
I would definitely recommend this book to EVERYONE! I hope that it has changed my life and that it will change every other reader's life as well. Please, buy Lucy Come Home, read it... pass it along... buy it for your church library, just read it!
Oh, and the back of the book mentions the Yada Yada House of Hope series and a friend asked if she needed to read those first... NO, you don't have to read them first. I don't think I have read any of that series (I have read many of the Yada Yada Prayer Group series), and I had no problem getting the story.
Thanks for reading... Enjoy!!
This book was provided by Litfuse Publicity for my honest review.
No payment was received for this review.
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