Allison Pittman
Multinomah Books
April 2011 / ISBN 9781601421388
Inspirational /Fiction / Romance
Amazon
Reviewed
by Barbara Buhrer
Young flapper,
Lilly Margolis, is fleeing the unwelcome attentions of a fellow
party goer and falls into the backward garden of an adjoining home
twisting her ankle and collapsing. She is discovered the next morning
by Eugene, the housekeeper. Lily is taken into the home of the wealthy
family to be taken care of. The Burnside household consists of Betty
Ruth, a wealthy widow who is on the verge of dementia, and Cullen,
a disillusioned and disfigured veteran of the Great War ( World
War I). When Cullen's career as a big league baseball player ended
he enlisted in the army and was the victim of a mustard gas attack
that left him disfigured. Lily adds life to their lonely world.
Betty Ruth teaches Lily about faith and God's gift. When Betty Ruth
has a "vision" that Cullen's troubles would be cured if
he returned from Pensacola Florida, to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,
the scene of his baseball failure. The Four undertake a motor trip
from Florida to Pennsylvania to the big league game about to occur.
They will return Lily to her home and estranged mother in Pennsylvania.
En route they visit a tent revival and stay at a tourist motel,
experiencing racial prejudice but also friendship. The journey will
hopefully find a future for Cullen and Lily.
This is a beautifully
written heartwarming story of two scarred victims. This is a picture
of the Prohibition era in Florida with its tent revivals, its racial
prejudices, and of the baseball scene of the time. It is the story
of love and redemption and faith in God. An exceptional cast of
characters keep the reader engrossed in the story.
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