This is not my favorite Luanne Rice book, but it's lovely and made me cry (as usual) because of the characters' strong love for each other. It revolves around an unusual family where one brother married the girl, got her pregnant, but took off when the baby was born defective. Dianne then continues her life caring for a badly deformed daughter, but with the loving support of her mother and her husband's brother. They all develop a strong bond, then expand to include a lost and neglected girl about Julia's age who sees beyond Julia's sad exterior and becomes her friend. I love the tight unit they create, sharing a very deep and enduring love. My favorite character was Amy, the friend. Occasionally Dianne would be annoying over-emotional and needy. And Dr. Alan would be suffocatingly kind and supportive at times. But most of the time I enjoyed the characters and their interactions.I particularly liked the format of the book. It starts with a tragedy, when we don't know anything about the characters. I was happy at first as the scenario developed, rooting for one of the characters. Within a few pages, we go back in time and live and grow with the family. Then when we get to the tragedy a second time, I had an entirely different viewpoint and was upset about the first scenario I had loved at the beginning. Amazing how perceptions change, which of course was the point of the format, I would think. When you dig deeper and know the whole story, you might change your mind. Which is also a metaphor for Julia and her deformed body surrounding a beautiful spirit. Most people only see the surface and don't look deep enough to see beyond the exterior. And I laughed at Tim's "it's all about me" attitude which was so blatantly and excellently described.Really good book if you don't mind becoming emotionally invested in a story. It's not for the faint of heart!Favorite quote about love, "The biggest mistake any of us can make...is thinking that love is a feeling, an emotion. It's not that at all. It's an action, a way of life."12-year-old Amy's beautiful poem really struck a chord with me. This stanza is my favorite: "You see, I'm just an apple girl...And someone came and picked me up...She polished me, just like a pearl...And set me in a loving cup."
This is a very, very good book. I am so impressed with the author's ability to bring the relationship of a mother and her invalid daughter to light. I had heard of Rett's syndrome, but wasn't aware of the details of it. I loved how much the mother loved her daughter, and even more, how her friend loved her and did not judge her, but loved her not in spite of her disabilities, but just loved and accepted her. There is so much misunderstanding about invalids, mental illness, physical disabilities, that this book is a wonderful way to help people understand and learn to love people without condition. The only thing I had a hard time with, is that the mother wasted so much time in regret over losing her daughter's father, that it took her 11 years to finally accept Alan's love, who had loved her all along. I doubt that she would have really kept him at bay for that long, given that they had daily contact for 11 years. I think that if this story had happened when Julia was 5, it would have been more believable, in that respect.Anyway, it's very good.
What do You think about Follow The Stars Home (2001)?
Taken from www.barnesandnoble.com: "Being a good mother is never simple: each day brings new choices and challenges. For Dianne Robbins, being a devoted single mother has resulted in her greatest joy and her darkest hours. Weeks before her daughter was born, she and her husband, Tim McIntosh, received the news every parent fears. Tim had not reckoned on their child being anything less than perfect, and abruptly fled to a solitary existence on the sea, leaving Dianne with a newborn—almost alone.It was Tim's brother, Alan, the town pediatrician, who stood by Dianne and her exceptional daughter. Throughout years of waiting, watching, and caring, Alan hid his love for his brother's wife. But one of the many hard choices Dianne has made is to close her heart toward any man—especially one named McIntosh. It will take a very special twelve-year-old to remind them all that love comes in many forms and can be received with as much grace as it is given.As lyrical and moving as the poetry of nature, Follow the Stars Home is a miracle of storytelling that will take your breath away. If words alone can dare us to confront our fears and to choose joy over sorrow, then Luanne Rice's magnificent novel is a benediction and a call to celebrate our lives."
—Angie
Follow the stars home by Luanne RiceHave enjoyed all the authors other works and know this one will be great also.Starts out with just after the accident and Diane is in the hospital and so is her daughter with a broken arm.Then the story goes back to when Diane had brought her daughter to the doctor. The MacIntosh brothers-One is a lobsterman, the other a pediatrician, Allen. Julia is disabled and her uncle is Allen. She knows her colors. Tim is Julia's father but he walked out on Diane and her. Diane is able to make fairy playhouses and still be home to take for Julia.Story also follows Amy whose mother is an alcoholic and Buddy lives with them and is abusive. Diane's mother Lucinda has retired from the library and was given money to go visit PEI with the girls. They will get a motor home so they can live inside of it while traveling there.Love the travel and new words I've learned...emergency medical arises, will it draw them all together again? I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
—Julie Barrett
Let me be honest. I gave a less than 5 star review because Diane ends up in a relationship with her former brother in law, Alan. I did find this enjoyable. Diane was neighbors with Tim and Alan. She falls for and marries Tim. Weeks before their child is born, they receive devestating news. The child will have defects. Tim reacts badly and leaves Diane before the baby comes. Years go by with no contact or interaction between Tim and Diane. Tim's brother Alan is the town pediatrician. He cares for
—Marmar
