The Road Home

'Rose Tremain does not disappoint. As always her writing has a delicious, crunchy precision.' Observer A wise and witty look at the contemporary migrant experience. Lev is on his way from Eastern Europe to Britain, seeking work. Behind him loom the figures of his dead wife, his beloved young daughter and his outrageous friend Rudi who - dreaming of the wealthy West - lives largely for his battered Chevrolet. Ahead of Lev lies the deep strangeness of the British: their hostile streets, their clannish pubs, their obsession with celebrity. London holds out the alluring possibility of friendship, sex, money and a new career and, if Lev is lucky, a new sense of belonging... 'A novel of urgent humanity' Sunday Telegraph Praise for Rose Tremain: 'One of my favourite writers' Nina Stibbe 'Tremain is one of the best novelists writing today' Sara Collins 'Pulsatingly alive . . . no one can break your heart quite like this' Neel Mukherjee.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Richard Paul Evans, the dramatic conclusion in the riveting Broken Road trilogy—a powerful redemption story about finding happiness on a pilgrimage across iconic Route 66. Chicago celebrity and pitchman Charles James is supposed to be dead. Everyone believes he was killed in a fiery plane crash, a flight he narrowly missed. But thanks to that remarkable twist of fate, he’s very much alive and ready for a second chance at life and love. Escaping death has brought Charles some clarity: the money, the fame, the expensive cars; none of it brought him true joy or peace. The last time he was truly happy was when he was married to his ex-wife Monica, before their relationship was destroyed by his ambition and greed. In the exciting and provocative series that began with The Broken Road and The Forgotten Road, Charles is still on his pilgrimage across the iconic Route 66 in The Road Home. He intends to finish his trek from Amarillo to Santa Monica, despite learning that his ex-wife is now planning to marry another man. With the initial reason for his trip in jeopardy, he still has lessons to learn along the way before he discovers—and arrives at—his true destination..

When a car accident leaves photographer Burke Crenshaw in need of temporary full-time care, he finds himself back in the one place no forty-year-old chooses to be--his childhood bedroom. There, in the Vermont home where he grew up, Burke begins the long process of recuperation, and watches as his widowed father finds happiness in a new relationship that's a constant reminder of everything Burke wants and lacks. Exploring local history, Burke discovers an intriguing series of letters from a Civil War soldier to his fiancé. With the help of librarian Sam Guffrey, he begins to research a 125-year-old mystery that seems to be reaching into the present day. The more Burke delves into the past, the more he's forced to confront the person he has become: the choices he made and those he avoided, his ideas of what it takes to be a successful gay man, his feelings about his mother's death, and the suppressed tension that simmers between himself and his father. Compelling, frankly funny, and often wise, The Road Home is the story of one man's coming to terms with who he is, what he wants out of life, and where he belongs--and the complex, surprising path that finally takes him there. "Piercingly accurate and sweetly hopeful." --Booklist "An involving. . .narrative about the importance of being true to one's self." --Publishers Weekly.

Susan Crandall takes you back to Glens Crossing with a story of heartbreak and forgiveness, of finding your way to the home of your heart. Lily Holt's life is falling apart. Her marriage is over. Her ex-husband is in alcohol rehab. Her teenage son, Riley, is out of control. Looking for a new start and stability for her son, she reluctantly returns to her childhood home, a town she'd left without reservation fourteen years before. But Riley is quickly in trouble again. And Lily's problems mulitply ten-fold when Clay Winters, her frist love and first heartbreak, is thrust back into her -- and her son's -- lives. Will the painful secrets of the past bring her downfall or her salvation?.

Dave and his buddies are on their way home from the war. They look forward to civilian life, but have reservations. How will they be treated? Will they be accepted? Upon landing, they are greeted by protesters who are very antagonistic to them because they are soldiers. Each goes his own way with experiences both good and bad. Their reintegration back into civilian life proves to be anything but easy, each one facing similar obstacles. It proves to be a long process, one that not everyone can overcome. Dave drives cross-country to get home and ends up with a companion he didnt expect. Pete wonders if his parents will accept him now that he is crippled and has to walk with crutches. Joe goes with Pete and tries to encourage him, all the while wondering what his homecoming will be like. All three have memories and nightmares to deal with. How well will they succeed? This book is about the heroes, and victims, of the horrific situations forced upon them and the results of how they deal with them. Their characters are fiction but their flashbacks are real, and each one has a tremendous price to pay for their service..

A lively exploration of contemporary Buddhism from one of its most admired teachers Do you feel at home right now? Or do you sense a hovering anxiety or uncertainty, an underlying unease that makes you feel just a bit uncomfortable, a bit distracted and disconnected from those around you? In The Road Home, Ethan Nichtern, a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, investigates the journey each of us takes to find where we belong. Drawing from contemporary research on meditation and mindfulness and his experience as a Buddhist teacher and practitioner, Nichtern describes in fresh and deeply resonant terms the basic existential experience that gives rise to spiritual seeking—and also to its potentially dangerous counterpart, spiritual materialism. He reveals how our individual quests for self-awareness ripple forward into relationships, communities, and society at large. And he explains exactly how, by turning our awareness to what's happening around us and inside us, we become able to enhance our sense of connection with others and, at the same time, change for the better our individual and collective patterns of greed, apathy, and inattention. In this wise and witty invitation to Buddhist meditation, Nichtern shows how, in order to create a truly compassionate and enlightened society, we must start with ourselves. And this means beginning by working with our own minds—in whatever state we find them in..

The sound was deafening. Rolling thunder shook the very ground he stood upon and then collapsed, sending him flying. Clouds of smoke and debris shrouded him for a time, and then there he was, as if the clouds parted and the very light of heaven shone upon him. He was dead. Screaming demons of war fought with the angels of peace for his soul, clawing and pulling at him. Elise Boulanger of Baton Rouge Louisiana awakens from a hellish and vivid dreamStaff Sergeant Barton Barre is dead! He is blown up on the battlefield somewhere in Europe. She believes her beloved pen-pal is lost to her, any chance of further friendship or romance is gone. For a time, she silently suffers the reoccurring nightmares, reluctant to confess to her family that the dreams could be real. On the night of her debutante ball, Elise discovers the truth. She then bravely continues her life wearing the cloak of jeu desprit and a fake smile as if nothing has happened. In this generational saga, families and friends re-unite in the final days of World War II and beyond. This story captures the hearts of a courageous reluctant hero and a resilient lovely teen, transforming them while they both fatefully seek to attain their dreams..

On the Road Home is proof that any family can have a great life with love and laughter. This family had some heartaches, but never more than they could handle. Because of love, no hard feelings or grudges are held against anyone. Love and forgiveness is the answer. They live love, and laugh. They picnic and play. They drift on the lake. They all have jobs and they work. They travel to see and to appreciate the awesome landscapes, and they know who gets the credit. They lose a dear family member, but two more are born. If anyone needs help, there's someone near with hands out. The answer to a good life is to live, love and laugh. But it only happens to those who are on the road home..

Prayers for the Road Home is a collection of traditional and contemporary prayers, poems and reflections intended as a useful companion for those of us who may be rediscovering the church as a place to call home. Whatever our past experiences with family or church, we yearn for "home" not only as a place of shelter, but also as a source of nourishment, companionship and life. In the home each of us seeks, we learn where we came from and come to discover where we are heading. From home we reenter the world each day, renewed and strengthened to face the challenges life provides. This small book was written with the presumption that the church offers a home where we can discover at the center a God who is, by definition, love. Book jacket..

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In the wake of factory closings and his beloved wife's death, Lev makes his way from Eastern Europe to London, seeking work to support his mother and his little daughter. After a spell of homelessness, he finds a job in the kitchen of a posh restaurant and a room in the house of an appealing Irishman who has already lost his family. Never mind that Lev must sleep in a bunk bed surrounded by plastic toys--he has found a friend and shelter. However constricted his life in England remains, he compensates by daydreaming of home, by having an affair with a younger restaurant worker, and by trading gossip and ambitions via cell phone with his hilarious friend Rudi, who, dreaming of the wealthy West, lives largely for his battered Chevrolet. Homesickness dogs Lev, not only for nostalgic reasons, but because he doesn't belong, body or soul, to his new country--but can he really go home again? Rose Tremain's prodigious talents as a prose writer are on full display in THE ROAD HOME, and her novel never loses sight of what is truly important in the lives we lead..

No matter how great or how terrible life is going, one thing is for sure--it's going to change. Sometimes it happens in an instant--you get married, you have a baby, you lose a loved one, you lose a job. Sometimes, it happens over time--you drift away from a friend, you discover you're not the same person you used to be, you find yourself struggling with doubt. But no matter what, we must deal with both the change we choose and the change foisted upon us. Jenny Simmons is no stranger to both kinds. In this thought-provoking book, she shares her final days as the lead singer of the band Addison Road and the subsequent journey that led her through seasons of change, lostness, and finding new life. The result is a painfully vulnerable, laugh-out-loud, honest, and hopeful reflection on life's uncertain times. This encouraging book invites readers to view their not-how-I-planned-it moments as holy seasons that didn't catch God off guard at all..

“With every chapter, readers will be further immersed in Santiago’s story as they root for his triumph over injustice.” —Booklist (starred review) “With unflinching conviction, Diaz sketches a frank, brief account of refugee youth in an uncaring bureaucratic system.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Harrowing but deeply illuminating.” —School Library Journal “Diaz’s crucial narrative shines a disconcerting light on the plight of children in US detention centers along the southern border.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) A young boy gets detained by ICE while crossing the border from Mexico to the United States in this timely and unflinching novel by award-winning author Alexandra Diaz. The bed creaks under Santiago’s shivering body. They say a person’s life flashes by before dying. But it’s not his whole life. Just the events that led to this. The important ones, and the ones Santiago would rather forget. The coins in Santiago’s hand are meant for the bus fare back to his abusive abuela’s house. Except he refuses to return; he won’t be missed. His future is uncertain until he meets the kind, maternal María Dolores and her young daughter, Alegría, who help Santiago decide what comes next: He will accompany them to el otro lado, the United States of America. They embark with little, just backpacks with water and a bit of food. To travel together will require trust from all parties, and Santiago is used to going it alone. None of the three travelers realizes that the journey through Mexico to the border is just the beginning of their story..

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In Reforming New Orleans, Peter F. Burns and Matthew O. Thomas chart the city's recovery and assess how successfully officials at the local, state, and federal levels transformed the Big Easy in the wake of Hurricane Katrina..