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Home Before Dark [UNABRIDGED]
Derek Jeter: Pride of the Yankees
Joe Dimaggio: The Hero’s Life
Sebastian Coe: Born to Run : The Authorized Life in Athletics
Phil Anderson : Cycling Legend
Skating for the Gold: The Intimate Life Story of Scott Hamilton
Great Quarterbacks
Jimmy Connors, a Biography: Eye of the Tiger
Sports Immortals: Stories of Inspiration and Achievement
The Bruen Loop: The Jimmy Bruen Story
Honus: The Life And Times Of A Baseball Hero
Karate Master: The Life and Times of Mitsusuke Harada
Hollywood Legs: A Six Week Programme, the Secrets of the Stars
Costas on Baseball
Tommy Brayshaw: The Ardent Angler-Artist
Winner's: Liz Masakayan
My Turn At Bat: The Story Of My Life
Shaquille O'Neal: Center of Attention (Achievers)
Ted Williams: A Portrait In Words And Pictures
Rodman Holiday
Brett Favre: Huck Grows Up
Joe Kinnear
The Dutch Master, The Life And Times Of Johnny Vander Meer
Clyde Drexler: Gliding Home
Martina Navratilova

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Boring and One-Dimensional
A touching story of family relationships
Another Pleasing Story with Memorable Characters....
Engrossing family drama
Wonderful family story

Home Before Dark
Susan Wiggs
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: MP3 CD

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Similar Items:

Passing Through Paradise
The You I Never Knew
Halfway To Heaven
The Ocean Between Us (Mira)
Enchanted Afternoon

Accessories:

Brilliance Audio DMP-206b Soul MP3-CD Audiobook Player

ASIN: 1593350929
Release Date: 2004-06-10

Book Description

In her career as a photojournalist, free-spirited Jessie Ryder has seen the world through her camera lens. But she's never traveled far enough to escape a painful moment that has haunted her for the past sixteen years: the day she gave her baby daughter away. Now, facing a life-altering crisis, she's decided to fix the broken pieces of her heart and seek out Lila, even if it means she has to upset the world of Lila's adoptive mother...her very own sister, Luz.

Like a Technicolor tornado bursting into Luz's picture-perfect life, Jessie returns to her Texas hometown with a shattering request. She wants to tell Lila the truth. As Luz and her husband struggle with what Jessie's return may mean to rebellious Lila, their seemingly solid marriage falters. Old secrets are exposed. Then, just as Jessie comes to terms with the past, life's bittersweet irony plays its hand. She meets Dustin Matlock, a young father who has survived a devastating loss. And Jessie begins to see the hopeful possibilities that lie buried in the most wrenching tragedies.

Though she aches to reach out to those she loves, Jessie stands at the crossroads. She is leaving behind the only life she knows and blindly leaping into the unknown. Now the choice she makes will affect the life of her daughter and challenge the meaning of sisterhood. As Jessie and Luz examine the true meaning of love, loyalty and family, they are drawn into an emotional tug-of-war filled with moments of unexpected humor, surprising sweetness and unbearable sadness. But as the pain, regrets and mistakes of the past slowly rise to the surface, a new picture emerges - a picture filled with hope, promise and the redeeming power of the human heart.

Customer Reviews:

Boring and One-Dimensional.......2007-02-26

Perhaps I just don't like this author's style. I found the book very boring from the get-go although I forced myself to read the entire thing so that I could make a fair observation. I was uninterested in the characters and felt that the story jumped around and around. Not my cup of tea.

A touching story of family relationships.......2006-12-29

I have very much enjoyed the two previous books I had read by Susan Wiggs - they were Historical Romances - but when this book arrived from inter-library loan and I read the blurb on the back it seemed I'd picked the wrong sort of book for me. The story was evidently about family relationships and tensions following a woman adopting her sister's child at birth. I put off reading the book for a while but when I finally started it I was immediately engrossed.

Jessie Ryder is a successful photographer but with secrets. The first secret is that Lila, her niece, is actually her daughter. Her sister Luz and her husband Ian took Lila the moment she was born and have brought her up as their own child along with three sons that came along later. But there are more secrets that Luz doesn't know - Jess and Ian had a brief fling before he got together with Luz and Ian is the father of Lila - both adoptive and natural. But there are even more secrets; Jessie is visiting them now, after sixteen years, as she is losing her sight and wants to take a final `look' at her family, particularly her daughter, before it all goes dark.

Jessie is an interesting character and I wasn't always sure I liked her. She deals with emotions by running away and never seems to stick with anything. She comes like a whirlwind into Luz and Ian's life and appears to be causing disruption - teenager Lila is becoming wayward and ends up involved in a tragedy, and even the grieving widower next door gets sucked in to Jessie's mayhem. And yet she's also a woman who feels greatly for the mistakes that she has made in her life and who wants her family to be happy and does what she can to further that.

Despite me not really being interesting in family relationship books this one was very good - I wanted things to turn out well, for Jess and her sister to go back to the close relationship that they formerly had, for Jess to have the support she would need in her future. This book portrayed the complex family dynamics that can take place in what seem to be ordinary lives and the ways in which those we love can hurt us as well as heal us. There's a gentle and sweet romance in the book too, as well as a fascinating vignette into what it must be like to go blind as an adult. I recommend this book as an enjoyable and excellently-written read.

Another Pleasing Story with Memorable Characters...........2006-06-07

I found Susan Wiggs and her books late last year. Since then, I have read about ½ a dozen so far. Each one has been charming, interesting and unique. She is a very talented author and her characters and story lines always come alive for me each time I open a book and begin a new journey through her eyes, thoughts and hands. My favorites so far in order are The Horsemaster's Daughter (h), A Summer Affair (h), Halfway to Heaven (h), The Firebrand (h), Enchanted Afternoon (h), An Ocean Between Us (c) and then Miranda (h). She mixes historical romances (h) and contemporary (c) plot lines. My favorites so far have been historical in context.

In this latest book I selected, Home Before Dark (c) , I felt similar enjoyment of reading a new story line and discovering the wonder of new characters, new setting and new developments. Although I found the story line interesting - wild sister comes home after years away - running from her past of course - to enter the lives of her family again. She returns due to a personal trauma that is happening to her to find forgiveness and acceptance. The family has to deal with her past mistakes, her current situation and planning for the future. She creates chaos for everyone - her standard role in the family. But...for once, she can't run from the past. She must meet it head on as time for once is against her.

I had trouble connecting with the lead heroine Jessie and her eventual beau Dusty. She reminded me of so many girls I know who are pretty, spirited, have all the guys after them and spend their lives on the go - never being serious or dealing with reality - because they can't deal with it and often don't have to. So...they travel the world and hide behind their looks or talent as inside they are fragile and easily crushed. Jessie had it all to the outside world but, inside she was struggling to find herself and her place in life. Although I appreciated her struggle and journey, I simply never felt emotionally tied to her as the main character, even with her progressing blindness and disease. Instead...I kept seeing how selfish she was from the time she was a teenager, through her 20's and 30's and so on. I was irritated with how much she took from people and often how little she gave in return. This made it hard for me to connect with her, feel sympathy for her situation, etc. I warmed up to her more by the end but, she still had a lot of making up to do than the book would allow. I liked Dusty - her future man but, he came in and out in sections and scenes and I could have used more of him to really feel for him as a leading man. Much of what we learned about him came through telling his story to a magazine to publish - it was a little clinical for me. He was a good hero - just not there enough.

I enjoyed reading more about Jessie's sister Luz as she was stable, reliable and trust worthy, the rock of the family - both in the younger years and in the middle years. Luz could be depended on as a daughter, sister, wife, mother and co-worker. She was not perfect - in looks, brains or skills but, she had a heart of gold and gave everything her all. She took and gave back - much more balanced. I even liked her husband Ian...he was her perfect compliment. He was handsome, intelligent, solid and kind. Not exciting but, someone you could have fun with, change with the seasons and grow old with great comfort. That has its own appeal.

There was so much going on in this story - kids getting in a car crash, a death, disclosure of who Lila's real mother and father were, relationship issues with Jessie & Dusty and Luz and Ian, the activity of kids and parents and careers in photography, etc. that the story line almost got away from itself at times. Not because it wasn't told well but, simply because there was too much going on. 2-3 stories lines might have been enough - that was power packed by itself. But...to have ½ a dozen big events going on in one book put it a little over the top. I would have felt more emotion for all the characters had I more time to spend on each one of them. Instead, each section and chapter went from one event and person to another and then more changes and developments happened - a bit of a whirlwind if you ask me.

I did find a few parts a little unrealistic - 1) Lila getting the news she was adopted and who was her real mother and father - she took that news a bit lightly for a girl who seemed to be having growing pains already and simply took this huge issue in stride 2) that Luz would have no jealousy over knowing her husband and sister had been lovers - what sister would not find this an issue? 3) that no one in the family ever truly told Jessie off and called her to task on her constant selfishness - having affairs, having a baby out of wedlock and then running out on the child in ICU and leaving it to her sister to raise, never being around other than a few calls or letters over the years, loving and leaving people when it was inconvenient for her (Ian, Simon, Dusty, etc.). 4) that Jessie, Glenny or Lila never really thanked Luz for all she had done over the years - she bore the families burdens often single handedly - she deserved more thanks than she got from everyone. Luz wasn't a martyr - she simply did the right thing when others did not. As the old saying goes - Good people do things right....Great people do the right thing. Although many of these important issues were addressed, it seemed on the surface and nothing truly deep as a real family would have to deal with over time. That was the only thing I found lacking at times.

Although this is the least favorite of my books by this author so far, it is still a gem. I don't think SW can write a bad book. When you are as good at story telling as this author is, even her least appealing works rank above other authors best attempts. I would recommend this book and the other ones even more. Give her a try if you haven't yet. You'll be glad you did. She is great at tapping into human emotions and the complexity of relationships - man/woman, adult/child, female to female and more. Happy reading!

Engrossing family drama.......2005-06-06

I loved this book. I particularly loved the relationship between the sisters, which I found completely realistic and exceptionally touching. Although they had their differences and were envious of each other's lives and choices, their love for each other shone through.

Ms. Wiggs is a wonderful writer. I don't agree with the Publisher's Weekly reviewer who said she tends to overwrite. The thing some reviewers don't get is that descriptions of emotions are to a romance what descriptions of gore and mayhem are to a thriller.

The only thing I'd have done differently had I written this book (and I sure wish I had!) would be not to tell Lila the truth. Ian needed to know, yes, but I don't think any higher purpose was served by telling Lila.

But that's a minor point in an otherwise totally engaging, intense story that gave my box of Kleenex a workout! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Wonderful family story .......2004-12-20

Family secrets, love and regrets are all powerful themes. Susan Wiggs uses them all together in a riviting story. I loved this story so much I shared it with my coworkers. Now I will want to buy another copy to read agian in the future. If you ever dreamed of a perfect love or ever had a sister, you will enjoy reading this book. Its a keeper.

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About The Book

Home Before Dark
Susan Cheever
Manufacturer: Books on Tape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 5557020438

Book Description

"I have been a storyteller since the beginning of my life, rearranging facts in order to make them more interesting and sometimes more significant," John Cheever wrote in his private journal in 1961. "I have turned my eccentric old mother into a woman of wealth and position and made my father a captain at sea. I have improvised a background for myself--genteel, traditional--and it is generally accepted."

Susan Cheever gives us a moving chronicle of her father's successes and failures, his fight with alcoholism, his literary triumphs of the 1970s, the doubts and fears of his last years and finally the struggle with cancer that was his last.

Customer Reviews:

About The Book.......2005-05-20

From The Back Cover:

"When I was young, and my father could see that something was bothering me, he used to suggest that I might try saying a prayer. A prayer for strength, or a prayer for courage. Later, when I began making a living as a journalist, he often suggested that if something disturbed me, I might try writing about it. Keeping a journal helped him a great deal, he said. Putting experience down on paper made it seem less chaotic, less depressing, more sympathetic. "I write to make sense of my life," he used to say.

"So in the autumn of 1981, when we found out that my father was going to die soon, it seemed natural that I should write about this. I did, and it helped. I wrote about my feelings, and I wrote about the progress of his illness, and I wrote about cancer in general, and I described trips to hospitals and interviews with doctors, and casual late-night conversations with doctors when they relaxed and confided the truth, and encouraging moments and sad times, and things my father said that seemed important. As the months passed, I found myself writing less and less about the present and more about the past. Everything that happened seemed to release a flood of memories of our life together, and of our life as a family, and of the hundreds of stories he had told me about himself and his past and his life as a writer...and that was how I began to write this book." --Susan Cheever

From The Inside Flap:

"I have been a storyteller since the beginning of my life, rearranging facts in order to make them more interesting and sometimes more significant", John Cheever wrote in his private journal in 1961. "I have turned my eccentric old mother into a woman of wealth and position and made my father a captain at sea. I have improvised a background for myself--genteel, traditional--and it is generally accepted."

In Home Before Dark, John Cheever's daughter, Susan Cheever, has used his revealing unpublished journals, letters and her own memories of their life together in a talented and volatile family to tell the remarkable story of one of American literature's foremost writers. Home Before Dark is a moving chronicle of John Cheever's successes and failures as a son, brother, husband, and father; his childhood in a prosperous family on Boston's South Shore and his flight from the family when that prosperity came to an abrupt end; his search for salaried work in New York City in the 1930's when his writing career often seemed permanently stalled; his stint in the army during World War II; his struggle to write a novel and find a publisher for it in the 1950's, a time when he was gaining a reputation as a master of the short story; his unhappy break with The New Yorker magazine; his financial success in the 1960's and the subsequent collapse that appeared to be the end of his career; his efforts to hold his marriage and family together under the strains of his own secret life; how he finally won his twenty-year battle with alcoholism and sailed into the triumphs and critical approval that came with the publication of his novel Falconer and The Collected Stories of John Cheever in the 1970's; the doubts and fears of his last years; and his final illness.

In this candid and loving portrait of her father, Susan Cheever has brought her own insights and best writing to a surprising and extraordinary story.

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