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. ( )