Corinne, a stay-at-home mom to three adorable little girls and Jesse, her successful husband, seem to have the perfect life. But Corrine is stressed by Jess’s intense travel schedule, and Jesse, sole provider of a luxurious lifestyle, has stresses of his own. One of them is Michaela, a coworker who is becoming too friendly during long business trips. Their family limps along sadly until disaster strikes: Michaela charges Jesse with sexual harassment.*
Supported by their parents and siblings, whom I first got to know in Home to Chicory Lane, Corrine and Jesse need to refocus their lives in the face of this threat. By this point I loved the characters so much that it was very difficult not to skip ahead in the book to see if Michaela succeeded in her attempts to destroy the family.
Deborah Raney has written another thoughtful novel about Christians in modern life. The tensions are very real, the emotions strong, and the characters believable. They are authentic, not perfect, trying to serve God, trying to love those around them, trying to avoid sin but not always grasping its subtleties, learning forgiveness and showing compassion. Despite all this deep content, the author has written an exciting story about real life, without preaching.
Two Roads Home, the second book of the Chicory Inn series, is about many different kinds of relationships, those involving husband and wife, siblings, in-laws, coworkers, enemies, and especially Christians and God. What’s more, we see how everyone in a family deals with different stresses and how family members try to support each other, learning to understand each other better as God changes their lives. Deborah Raney subtly but convincingly reminds us that our good and powerful God is in control.
Two Roads Home is both fun and insightful and I am very glad I read it. It could be read on its own, but knowing the characters from the first book in the series, Home to Chicory Lane (link to my review), increased my enjoyment.
If you are looking for a worthwhile and enjoyable novel, you will probably enjoy Two Roads Home. If you are not sure check out the Litfuse website for more reviews; if you want to read this book you may wish to enter the giveaway mentioned below.
*Just to clarify—Jesse is not guilty of Michaela’s charges, and this is obvious early on. This is a book about Christian family life, not about its opposite.
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Deborah Raney is hosting a giveaway!
Currently my comment form is not working (my techie son and I have not been able to resolve this yet), but you can comment on Google+ instead or at GoodReads. Thank you for your patience.
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This is yet another book in the in the 2015 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge and is also linked to Saturday Reviews, Booknificent Thursdays, Literacy Musings Monday, and The Book Nook.
For more family encouragement, visit Raising Homemakers, Titus 2 Tuesday, R&R Wednesdays.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Litfuse for the purpose of this review. All my opinions are my own, and I am not compensated for sharing them.