Lucy Come Home

Ever since I was a young child, I have always been fascinated by the world of the people who work in carnivals and the rough life it must be, always traveling and never being in the same place twice. A homeless existence if you will. In the novel, Lucy Come Home by Dave and Neta Jackson, we get a different view of that homeless existence as the world of Lucy Tucker is paralleled between two different time periods in her life, one from her childhood and one later in life, more current.

The book opens as the reader is taken on a car trip with Lucy's family as they leave their home in Arkansas in 1942 just as the Dust Bowl has claimed the livelihood of their job prospects. Now becoming migrant workers that travel through different cities and states in search of work, they have wound up in Lapeer County, Michigan to harvest sugar beets until their contract expires. As they enter town, the carnival has come to town and is in the stages of being set-up. This is something all the kids in the Tucker family are drawn to but they know they can barely afford a loaf of bread and milk to make a meal, so attending the carnival will be only a dream.

When James Bodeen, whose father owns Bodeen Midway Rides and contracts with the local carnivals to provide all the rides, goes searching for his missing dog among the migrant camps, he meets Lucinda, or Cindy Tucker for the first time. Feeling an immediate attraction towards her, he invites her to the carnival after she finishes work at the migrant farm working at the commissary and helping to take care of the pregnant wife of the boss, Mr. Doyle. However Mr. Doyle has more interest in Cindy than simply providing her a place to work and when things get out of hand late one night, it will take Cindy and James on a journey for their very lives.

The story continues to flash back and forth from childhood to present day where we see Lucy is still homeless in both places and the way she has continued to make a life for herself along the difficult roads that lie ahead of her. You get a sense after reading this that Lucy was merely a victim of unfortunate circumstances that would continue to dictate in an unforeseen way how she would eventually wind up, always finding a home wherever she could. It makes her untrusting of the people she comes into contact with and you get a sense of that as you continue along in the story. I think this makes for a fantastic story by the time you get to the final pages and get a true sense for who Lucy has become.

I received this book compliments of Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. It often makes us take a look at the homeless people that surround us today and wonder just what their story is and how they have arrived at where they are today. I bet we would be more than surprised at what they would have to say, if we are only willing to listen. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and think everyone will take away something different from this novel. For me, it's simply NEVER to judge a book or a person by what we see. There is always more going on, than what you would think.

For more information on this book, the authors and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the link below:

Lucy Come Home by Dave and Neta Jackson

You can also read more reviews from this book tour, by clicking here.