Finding the Way Home

It was with mixed feelings that I recently attended an acquaintance’s book launch. It should come as no surprise, that my pride and excitement for my friend was mixed with both jealousy and fear (neither of which look very good on me, by the way). Jealousy, because let’s face it, not only did she accomplish her lifelong dream of having her very own ISBN number, but Sarah accomplished my dream as well. A part of me is inspired and encouraged by this, another part is condemned. I also felt fear because I have NO game face. None. Just ask Sloan about my reaction to some of his gifts for me. I am incapable of feigning pretty much any emotion, but especially incapable of pretending to like something when I do not. So what if I read my friend’s book and did not like it? What if I couldn’t perfect the casual smile, nod, and simple “Congrats!” that would be required to see her every Sunday at church?


Well, folks, this self-proclaimed literary snob’s fears were unfounded. Finding the Way Home, by Sarah Byrd is not only a good book, but the kind of book you have to shift your plans for just so you can sneak in a few extra minutes hours of reading. I was warned it was a dangerous book to read before bedtime as it was hard to put down, so I set a 2 chapter maximum for me to read each night—choosing to savor it like one might slowly eat a slice of cheesecake. Well, I grew up watching the Golden Girls and can totally eat a whole cheesecake in one sitting. I worked around my “2 chapters before bedtime” rule by waking up at 5 am. It cannot be stressed enough that I am NOT a morning person. I let Henry watch a few extra Dora and Thomas episodes until I finished the book. Few books have had this effect on me. OK, well, the entire Twilight series did this to me, but this is a book you don’t have to be embarrassed about enjoying. You can even share it with your Mother-in-law (which I did).

Set in the English countryside, the story centers around recently widowed American Suzanne Morgan and a British schoolmaster, Peter Stewart. It is a story about running from one’s past and learning how to be loved. We forget being loved well requires us to teeter, sometimes painfully, between self-confidence and self-abandon. This book takes us along that precarious ledge, and there’s not a more beautifully appropriate setting for that than the cliffed-shores of Britain.

Byrd’s character development is strong. I found myself shaking my book as I read because I could not shake Suzanne. It is a bit embarrassing to confess that I found myself actually praying for her. That’s right, people, I prayed for a fictional character. I’m choosing to see this as a sign of Byrd’s brilliant writing rather than my own lunacy. I wanted Suzanne to be stronger, to speak up, to know she was worth loving, which I’m pretty sure was Byrd’s entire point. I also wanted to slap the Vicar in the face, which I also believe to be a sign of a good book.

The author characterized her book as gentle fiction. I tend to agree. I imagine if Rosamund Pilcher and Jan Karon had a love child, Sarah Byrd’s Finding the Way Home would be it. Here’s hoping for a large family…




Finding the Way Home can be found in print on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com, and can also be downloaded for either your Nook or Kindle. You should go  to one of those places now and buy a copy for yourself and for your mother-in-law. All the cool kids (read: me) are doing it.