I rarely read two books by the same author one after the other but these were in the same volume, so, having loved The Goodbye Quilt, I turned straight to Home Before Dark. For me it was a mistake. Whether it was me or the book is debatable. Initially this story was written 8 years before The Goodbye quilt. Could that be the problem or was it that I didn’t relate to the characters in this one as well as the other story. The story has a lot going for it. It is the story of Jessie who, as a single young mother, handed her child over to her sister Luz to raise. Sixteen years later with only emails and phone calls in between, Jessie arrives at her sister’s place and you just know that is going to cause trouble.Here is where I ran into problems. To me, Jessie was selfish, thoughtless and never considered anyone else’s feelings. As for Lila, the daughter, all I can say is I am glad I never had a child like that. It certainly does raise some issues about whether the truth is always the best for all concerned, the timing of telling children they are adopted, and the behaviour of teenagers who think they are invincible and who never think of the consequences of actions. Some actions in this story have severe repercussions. These were the things that kept me reading even though I did not like Jessie or Lila much. Luz, on the other hand was, at times, too good almost to be true and yet underneath she carried her own resentment for opportunities lost. Still, she was my favourite character. There is romance and Dusty is a man who has suffered his own heartbreak. Even given the issue Jessie was facing, which I won’t disclose here, I struggled to see what he saw in Jessie. But who can tell what attracts one person to another? And if someone had taken my child and helped her get a tattoo without permission, I would have blown a gasket. Jessie says herself afterward, ‘She hadn’t been thinking. It was always that way with her. She’d been governed by impulse rather than caution.’ And then she is surprised when Luz was angry! The plot covers a lot of issues. Although there were things I liked and I admit to getting a bit misty eyed at times, as the story progressed, I also got angry and frustrated with the characters. the sudden conversion of Heath, Lila’s boyfriend for part of the novel, never struck me as realistic and neither did the behaviour of others in the supposed Christian group of teens. All in all a good read but just not quite as good as I was expecting.Not the cover I had which has The Goodbye Quilt as the first story.See my review of it for the right cover.
Actually, this is more a 3.5 stars. It wrapped up a little quickly after spending more time than it really needed to on the history of the girls and their mother. There is some beautiful raw moments between the characters but at the same time, I got a little tired of Jessie's "poor pitiful me, I screwed everybody's life up, it's all my fault" attitude as well as Luz's "look at the life I got stuck with," grudge on her shoulders, let's make Jessie feel horrible about her life's choices attitude. Still, the love these sisters have for each other is beautiful in spite of their past.I loved Dusty but even though there is probably "love at first sight," I think the author took it to a new extreme.....especially for a man who had been so closed up for so long over his wife's death to just suddenly burst wide open when he LOOKS at Jessie the first time. A little far fetched for me. (But he does sound like an awesome guy to grab up!)Overall, the book had some great moments and I loved Arnufo and his wonderful insightfulness. It isn't one of my top 10 favorites, but I'm still glad I read it.
What do You think about Home Before Dark (2004)?
The relationship problems in this book are too severe to be cured with sex, romantic weekends, flippant remarks and babies. Yes Amber is played too young for her stated age.The relationship with Jess and Dustin is too fast to seem realistic. With all he is been through and having a child, he would be slower to get deeply involved. Also didn't care for his smart mouth about sex and love, seemed very immature. and then the way Jess treated him. Should have turned him of from her forever.Jess is re
—Barbara
I would actually give this book 3 1/2 stars if I could. Susan Wiggs usually writes romances, and that's what I expected when I put Home Before Dark on hold. But although there are definitely romantic themes in this book, it's really more a story about two sisters and the complicated bonds of love that tie families together. The premise of the book is that Jessie, the free-wheeling photographer, comes home to her sister's house in Texas to see her family one last time. Sixteen years ago she gave away her baby daughter to her sister Luz, and now Lila is just as rebellious as Jessie. Sixteen years ago, Luz gave up her own promising photography career to get married and raise not only Lila but also three boys born over the next few years. What kind of lies do we tell ourselves or our loved ones in the name of protecting them? At what cost?I'd say more, but I don't want to give anything away. :)
—Erin
Not challenging to me. Not great fiction even though Jodi Picoult gives it a rave on the back cover. Some genre of women's romance I guess. 2-3 stars. The 3rd star mainly for the occupation of photographer of one of the characters who ends up going blind. One of my fears. Even with all the disasters that Jesse has occur in her life Susan Wiggs manages to turn it all into a pink frosted cake with marriage at the end - so much sweet it made me sick. Sorry to all those that like romantic fiction - not sure why I picked up the book in the first place but know I am going to be avoiding this genre like the plague in future.
—Velvetink
