Maggie Come Lately by Michelle Buckman covers a more serious subject matter than the usual chick lit/YA that I choose. It’s a coming-of-age story of a girl who is searching for her place in the world. It’s dark at times and yet there is a ribbon of faith that runs through the book and helps to put her struggle in perspective. It’s a story of hurt and betrayal, but also one of redemption.

Maggie has struggled for years to make sense of her mother’s suicide. She resents the fact that she has had to make up for her mom’s absence - doing the cooking, cleaning and other “motherly” tasks. She wonders what it’s like to be a normal teenager.

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Posted by jill, in Contemporary, Reviews

Will hatfield returns to the small town of Dogwood, West Virginia, intent on pursuing the only woman he has ever loved - only to find there is far more standing in his way than lost years in prison. Karin has buried her shattered dreams by settling for a faithful husband whose emotional distance from her deep passions and conflicts leaves her isolated. Loaded with guilt, she tries to raise three small children and “do life” the best she can.
The secrets of Will and Karin’s past begin to emerge through Danny Boyd, a young boy who wishes he hadn’t survived the tragedy that knit those two together as well as tore them apart.
And the trigger that will lay their pain bare and force them to face it rather than flee is the unlikely figure of Ruthie Bowles, a withered, wire old woman who leads Karin so deep into her anger against God that it forces unexpected consequences.

Chris Fabry is a native of West Virginia who can be heard on the Moody Broadcasting Network, Love Worth Finding, and other radio outlets. Though he has written more the 50 novels for children and young adults, Dogwood is his first novel for adults.

Posted by admin, in Contemporary, Inspirational, Lit