The Homecoming of Samuel Lake

I put The Homecoming of Samuel Lake on my Most Compelling Books of 2011 list. The story begins with the patriarch of the Moses family killing himself at the annual family reunion. Set in Arkansas in the 1950s, Samuel Lake is a preacher who has once again lost his job and retreats back home to his wife Willadee's family to regroup.

Samuel and Willadee have a wonderful marriage, they are very supportive of each other. They have three young children, Swan being the only girl. Samuel used to date Bernice, who later married Toy, Willadee's brother. Bernice is still in love with Samuel, and decides to use her beauty and feminine wiles to get Samuel back.

Samuel sets up a tent revival, hoping to get enough people to come and perhaps getting a show more permanent preaching job out of it. Willadee works during the day at her father's bar, Never Closes, which is attached to their home, and also houses the grocery store that Willadee's mother runs.

Swan and her brothers find Blade, a mysterious young boy, hiding in their barn and discover that he has been badly abused by his father, Ras Ballenger. Ballenger is evil personified, and every time he makes an appearance in the novel, I got chills. He beat his wife, sons, and the horses that he was supposed to be training. He is one bad, bad man.

When Swan's family takes the young boy in, Ballenger swears vengeance against the Moses/Lake family, and waiting for his plan to take place ratchets up the tension in this heartbreaking, beautifully crafted novel. I finished the book on the treadmill and almost had to get off because I was sobbing so hard.

I loved the characters in this book, with Toy being my favorite. He is man of few words, so when he speaks it is powerful. He also has a sense of sadness about him. Seriously injured in WWII, there is a question of whether or not he killed a man involved with his wife while he overseas. He forms strong bonds with the children, and his tenderness with them melts your heart. His evolution is moving, and Toy is a truly unforgettable literary creation.

So many of the characters are well-drawn- Willadee, Swan, Samuel, Blade, Bernice, even Ras. The way the Lake family lived their faith was inspirational. They loved God and each other, and tried hard to embody their faith everyday. I liked the way that Wingfield wrote how important it was to the family and the story.

The difficulty of being married plays a large role in the book. Willadee and Samuel's marriage is tested, but is strong. Contrast that with Toy and Bernice's unhappy, lonely marriage and the sadness that Willadee's mother feels about how the last years of her marriage unfolded. I think the author is saying that marriage is something that needs to be cared for and tended if it is to survive.

My favorite lines from the book are from Willadee and Toy's mother, about Blade's effect on Toy:
"She had no idea that Swan was also doing something special for Toy, or that Toy's life was changing in ways he could have never anticipated. All she knew was that this little boy was doing a kindness for her own little boy- the man who had been her little boy- and her gratitude knew no bounds."
As a mother of two sons, those lines killed me.

I could go on and on about this book, but all I really need to tell you is that if you love beautifully crafted books, with a compelling story and characters that feel so real, you will love The Homecoming of Samuel Lake. I almost wish I were reading again for the first time. show less

WOW. I just finished this novel tonight. I borrowed a Kindle edition from my local library; suffice to say that I immediately purchased it as soon as I was done reading, for I know that this is a book that I will reread several times. This is a book to which one returns.

Since others have described the plot, I won't repeat that info. The writing is compelling. The characters are well-drawn and realistic, whether they're portrayed as quirkly, endearing, heartbreakingly vulnerable, or evil beyond all comprehension.

This book can be read quickly, but don't be fooled ... There is genuine depth here. I purposely slowed down my reading to savor this novel, for I didn't want it to end too quickly. I highlighted a number of passages for show more rereading.

There are some quite violent scenes in this novel, and these scenes involve children and animals. Be prepared; they are difficult to read. However, they are handled with restraint and are not lurid, but truly necessary to the plot. Similarly, the occasional sexually intimate scenes are handled mostly by allusions, and with much concern for the tenderness of the emotions involved.. (The author of Fifty Shades could take some lessons here.)

Do yourself a favor and read this book! show less

I thought the hype on the cover a bit much, but yes, Swan is one of those characters that is worthy of comparison to Scout. I was prepared to be disappointed, but wasn't. I was nervous about the possibility of excessive religion, but there was a marvelous balance between the evangelist, the bar, nature, and the wonder of miracles without religious zealousness. I read the entire book between arriving in the DC airport and flying home to San Diego via Chicago. I didn't nap once--which for me is saying something!

From the time the Lake family arrives back at the homestead, to the end, the magic of well drawn relationships, events, and characters combined to bring a lyrical beauty to this tale. I will be watching for more from Jenny Wingfield.

When Samuel Lake drives his family to the annual Moses family reunion in Arkansas, little do they realize how drastically their lives are about to change. Samuel is a minister with a calling. Unfortunately his unconventional methods have left him without a church for the next year. Coincidentally, a family tragedy at the reunion convinces Samuel Lake and his family to stay in Arkansas for a year. As Samuel, his wife, Willadee, and their three children Noble, Swan, and Bienville become accustomed to their new home with Grandma Calla, it is Willadee who holds the family together as Samuel tries to find his way again.

Meanwhile, eleven year old Swan makes it her mission to defend an abused little boy named Blade, who lives on a neighboring show more farm. Blade's father, horse trainer Ras Ballenger, is a brutally violent man who uses violence to get what he wants from both the horses he trains and the people he encounters. As the violence escalates, Swan sets out to save Blade believing that God will grant this miracle. Swan's mission sets a whole series of explosive events in motion that once begun can't be stopped.

Before the year has passed, many of the characters in this novel will have faced their greatest and darkest fears. The Lake family's faith will be tested like never before and only their faith in God, their love for one another, and a miracle can save them.

The Bottom Line: "The Homecoming of Samuel Lake" is the best book I've read so far this year. While the beginning smolders, the story quickly heats up as the reader is drawn into the lives of the well developed characters. Wingfield transports the reader to Arkansas in 1956 and takes you on a journey that includes the joys of love and the depths of despair. I laughed and cried along with the characters. Although this novel covers some very difficult topics, don't let the violence turn you away from this book. While sensitive readers may want to pass this one by, this powerfully written, well-crafted novel is a compelling read. I very highly recommend it for mature readers who enjoy books about family relationships, faith, and courage. It's a classic tale of good versus evil, and this book has it all. Wingfield's debut novel is a success, and I'm looking forward to reading her future works. The characters in this novel will stay with me for a long time.

Also, "The Homecoming of Samuel Lake" would make an excellent pick for book discussion groups. Wingfield has woven together many story lines in this novel and there are layers of meaning within. show less

With names like Willadee, Swan, Calla, Blade, Toy and more how could you not just HAVE to see what was up with these people! And once you decide to go in and meet them, these folks will make you feel so very welcome you won’t want to do anything but stay. Occasionally characters have carried me away so much that I can not wait to get back to a book, To Kill A Mockingbird was like that for me, so was The Help and in the same strong tradition comes The Homecoming of Samuel Lake. And boy oh boy can Jenny Wingfield bring it. Her writing is an effortless example of subtlety in word but a plethora of emotion. This family, this extended family of Willadee and Sam, ill-fated John and the strong Calla, and the kids…especially the kids, are show more put through trial and tribulation, change and adaptation. Shells are broken and forged. True nature is shown and hidden. And not a word is wasted in description or on event. As to the events, and avoiding spoilers, I am impressed and grateful for the delicate handling and restraint from the typical sensationalism usually surrounding such events of recent popular fiction. One of this books true strengths is its timelessness. Taking place in the 1950’s I never got the feeling it couldn’t have taken place anytime. Taking place in an impoverished white area I never got the feeling it couldn’t have happened to any family of any race. Taking place in the south I never got the feeling it couldn’t have been anywhere. Simply put this book transcends those confines of era, class, and geography to tell a family story about characters so true to life with actions and emotions it would be feasible to meet any one of them just walking down the street. If I were to downplay anything about this book, which I have a hard time doing, it would be its title. While Samuel is a strong character and his homecoming is of essence to all that occurs, it is the relationships between the kids, and especially the kids and their Uncle Toy that pulls the heartstrings. I left The Homecoming of Samuel Lake feeling so sad that I wouldn’t get to spend more time at Moses and Never Closes with the Lakes and all their friends, but I felt 100% that the book was complete when I read the last sentence and because of that completeness, I left totally (if nostalgically) happy. show less

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by debut author, Jenny Wingfield, was one of my favorite books of 2012! The story starts in the deep south of Arkansas in the 1950’s, as the Moses clan gathers for its annual summer reunion in early June. A tragedy occurs and sets off a string of events that make it a summer to remember. There are so many memorable characters in this book: Samuel Lake, a preacher without a church, his wife, Willadee and their three precious children, their strong but silent uncle Toy, and their grandparents, Calla and John. The main protagonist is the Lake’s daughter, Swan, an eleven year old, with more wisdom and heart than many of the grown-ups surrounding her. There is also the devil’s incarnate in the form of Ras show more Ballenger, neighbor to the Moses family. All of these characters come to life in this southern gothic with such vivid clarity that it will take you a long time to forget them. This book has it all: faith, love, good vs. evil and redemption. The Homecoming of Samuel Lake had me in tears one minute and had me laughing out loud the next. Read this book; it is storytelling at its absolute best! show less

I got this book through the Vine programme, and so I came to it without very much prior knowledge and not really knowing what to expect. And I was pleasantly surprised – this book will be among my top 10 reads for 2011.

It is set in rural south Arkansas in the 1950s – not an area or a time I know much about – but the descriptive writing took me right there and made me believe in the Moses family and the rural life they lead. I loved the trust between neighbours, where the shop and the bar could be left unattended for people to help themselves and leave the money on the counter! And the way people rallied round when there was a crisis.

There is also a cast of interesting and colourful characters:
- Sassy Swan, 11 years old, wants the show more freedom of dressing like a boy; at one level she seems to run wild, yet at another cares passionately about the abuses she witnesses and tries so desperately hard to do the right things.
- Grandma Calla, the matriarch of the family, sets the moral tone for their lives and unobtrusively rules them all.
- Toy, uncle to Swan and her brothers, is a lonely man who has so much love to give, but who is not loved in return by his pretty, but shallow and self-absorbed wife, Bernice; we see Toy coming alive as he starts to interact more with the children.
- Samuel himself, with a mission to preach but no flock, and so sure that his version of God is the right one that he starts to lose contact with the people who should matter most to him – his family
- And Willadee, so busy trying to balance the responsibilities of being mother to three children, wife to husband who has lost his way and daughter to her bereaved mother, that she doesn’t have any time to be herself!
- Lastly, there’s Ras Ballenger, the evil neighbour, who abuses and intimidates his family, and who is a bad man to make an enemy of!

One of the themes I think runs through this book is about courage and standing up for what you believe in. Samuel preaches it a lot, and indeed it is probably what has lost him his position in Louisiana. But in Samuel, it comes across as a sort of blindness to what’s going on around him. Swan on the other hand, puts the adults to shame in her insistence that someone should do something about Ballenger. And, despite being terrified of the man (the children do realise that he is very dangerous), even tries to take action herself – this is true courage.

Another theme that made the book very enjoyable for me is the respect shown between husband and wife – each person does what they feel they have to do for the family, and there’s an acceptance that they will do their best, but they have to be allowed to do it their way. So Calla runs her store from dawn to dusk, and Grandpa Joe runs his bar from dusk to dawn, and neither interferes with the other. (Yes, there’s some gentle comedy in there too.)

But, of course, this culture of non-interference backfires when everyone knows that Ras Ballenger abuses his wife and his kids, but nobody wants to interfere.

Thirdly there’s a theme about how we define honesty. The Moses family “never tells a lie” … but is it really being honest if Willadee conceals stuff from Samuel and allows the children to do things he wouldn’t approve of behind his back?

I found this to be a deceptively gentle and easy book to read. At one level it’s an entertaining family saga with plenty of interesting characters and side plots, together with a compelling main plot. But also, after finishing it, I found myself thinking more about it and finding other layers of meaning woven into the main story.

Wingfield is a writer to watch, and I shall keep an eye out for her next book. show less