Lucy Come Home

 Dave and Neta Jackson's Lucy Come Home

From the publisher:

Come Home Lucy is a story about about carnivals, migrant camps, the war, and true love lost and found. Lucy Tucker, the feisty old bag lady we all loved from Neta's 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? This is one story you won't want to miss!  

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 to 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?

My view:
Dave and Neta Jackson are also the authors of the Yada Yada Prayer Group series which I have enjoyed reading. This book was a bit different in style and content. Most interesting to me was the historical content. It is easy to make assumptions about people, and this book confirmed the truth that our assumptions (even of fictional characters) can be dead wrong. If you are familiar with their House of Hope series, then you have met Lucy. This story gives meaning to her almost unexplainable lifestyle. The character development goes deep beyond just Lucy, but all that is shared about the others relates back to her.

Disclaimer: Litfuse provided me with a copy of this book for the purpose of this blog review. All opinions shared are my own.