Lucy Come Home
June 27th, 2012. Filed under: Wednesday's Wonders.Lucy Come Home
by Dave and Neta Jackson
Lucy Tucker, the feisty old bag lady we all loved from the House of Hope series, has confounded everyone. Why won’t she come off the streets of Chicago? How did she ever end up there in the first place? Why did she disappear again? We didn’t mean to leave you hanging, but now we can tell the whole story.
It all started back in the summer of 1942 when she and a dashing young man from a traveling carnival ran away together to escape a murder charge … Oh, but you’ll want to read the whole book yourself about carnivals, migrant camps, the war, and true love lost and found.
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 life. 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 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?
SUNNY ISLAND BREEZES
This is a story of what is, what was and what might have been. Be prepared to cry. You just never know why that bag lady is living on the streets.
I really don’t know what to say. The tears just keep coming. Lucy has spent her life on a journey – a journey of hope and despair.
Lucy’s been through so much. Every time she thinks she finally has a home, something happens. She’s spent so many years on the street that going home feels frightening and claustrophobic.
Besides, she has a secret that makes her feel unworthy of having a home.
My heart breaks for Lucy. You’re really going to need that box of tissues close at hand while you read this book.
***A special thank you to Litfuse for providing a review copy.***
Dave and Neta Jackson are award-winning authors living in the Chicago area where their parallel novels from the Yada Yada House of Hope and Harry Bentley series are set.
As a husband/wife writing team, Dave and Neta Jackson are enthusiastic about books, kids, walking with God, gospel music, and each other! Together they are the authors or coauthors of over 100 books.
Visit http://www.daveneta.com for more info.