William E. Barrett (1900–1986)

This is an odd little book. My copy is only 72 pages. It's even shorter than Barrett's more well known [b:The Lilies of the Field|396082|The Lilies of the Field|William Edmund Barrett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348280909l/396082._SY75_.jpg|385573]. I read this one because I enjoyed "Lilies" so much, and was eager to visit with Homer Smith again. I love this character. But, something was missing in this sequel that I just can't seem to put my finger on. Maybe because the writing was so sparse that the characters just couldn't be fleshed out. I couldn't get a sense of who they were and the motivations behind their actions. Homer seemed a bit strange as well. The ending was really odd, too. Although it tied the loose ends, which weren't many, Barrett did it with a page and a half last chapter that seemed to be an afterthought by an editor. That last little chapter begins:
"So, a story is told and there are always readers who want to know what happened ultimately to the people involved. Readers will seldom accept the fact that if a story has any value or meaning, the fate of individuals is of little importance. Readers want to KNOW. One tries to oblige."
Well, yes, I am one of those readers. Barrett gives us a couple of sentences per character to tell us a little more of what they went on to do. It wasn't much, but I guess it was enough. I just feel like Barrett could have done so much more with this story. It's a good one, just not fleshed out very well. I can't say I wasted my time though, because it only took a little over an hour to read. Plus, I got to visit with an old friend, Homer Smith, again.… (more)

When Kirk Donner—a renowned painter—and three of his friends are summoned to Lorenson Galleries to view a mysterious seventeen-century painting, their lives are changed forever. For, in the masterpiece portraying the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, they all see their own condemning faces on the canvas. Impossible? Trickery? Sorcery? Searching for answers, Kirk travels to the artist's place of birth, the small town of Friedheim in Germany, where the locals still enact a Passion Play every ten years. But, instead of gaining answers, he encounters the promise of love and hope.… (more)

Homer Smith is a black man in the early 1960s, living a nomadic life out of his station wagon, working when he finds work, and then moving on. Traveling the Southwest, he encounters five German nuns, who have moved to America, and plan to build a chapel and a home for wayward boys. The Mother superior among the nuns immediately announces that God has sent "Schmidt" to build their chapel. Homer is deeply offended by the Mother's assumption that he will just do whatever she wants, and without pay even. But he is simultaneously moved and fascinated by the nun's unquestioning faith in both God, and himself. And so he does set out to single-handedly build their chapel.
A beautiful, short tale about faith in God and man, doing the right thing, and learning from the people around you.
As good as this little book is, I found it one of those rare instances when a movie version was even better than the book.… (more)