A Son Comes Home

by Joseph Bentz

Having fled his Indiana home after his brother's tragic death, Chris LaRue must overcome his bitterness to reconcile with his father, who is seriously ill. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892655682
• ISBN13: 9780892655687
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Randall House Publications
• Length: 322 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.4" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Compelling Read

A Son Comes Home, masterfully penned by a professor of English, deals with the family dynamics that can arise when personalities of parents and children clash, competition between siblings reaches an unhealthy level, grief blinds people to one another's deepest needs, and self-centeredness takes over. Though it has been compared to the parable of the Prodigal Son, this story contains far more complex problems than the parable, and forgiveness is slow in coming for all parties concerned--the father, the son who left, the mother, the daughter, the fiancée, the dead brother's fiancée, and others. To complicate matters further, the father has possibly invested with an old friend's company in a venture that could lose him everything, and he has transferred the affection he had for his favored, dead son to a young stranger who secretly woos his daughter. How this relationship affects his relationship with his returning son, his wife, his daughter, his church family, and his trusted friends, I leave for the reader to discover. However, when reconciliation and forgiveness do come in the beautifully written climax, the reader will not be disappointed. This book might be a good one to use with teens and college-age students in a group study about personal responsibility and the importance of honest and open communication in family relationships. It also would be good to use in literature classes. The author's website includes some materials for teachers to use in the classroom. Overall, A Son Comes Home is a compelling, satisfying read by a skilled and compassionate author.

A Powerful Story that Relates to Every Generation!

Reminiscent of Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, Bentz manages to capture the spirit and breath of each of the several characters through which the story is portrayed. Whether the plot is being told by a teenage girl, an aging father, or a seeking son, the reader gets a chance to glimpse into the real soul of each personality. With skill and subtlety, Bentz explores timeless issues of family ties, loneliness, and acceptance, and how they relate to a series of generations. No matter where in life readers find themselves when reading this book, they are sure to feel at home with at least one of the emotions explored in this true-to-life story.

It is a good book. A true to life family story.

This book will appeal to all who are interested in reading about real life-like stories. I enjoyed it very much, however, it was depressing to know that family members who love one another so much could not express their true feeling to each other. "Song Of Fire" remains my favorite book by Mr. Bentz. I have read it twice, and look forward to reading it again. Maybe it is time for Mr Bentz to revisit "Caladria". PLEASE!

I couldn't help thoroughly enjoying "A Son Comes Home".

I read "A Son Comes Home" this weekend. An interesting adaptation of the story of the Prodigal Son. More of a prodigal son, daughter, and father story which takes place in Indianapolis IN...you'll have to read it to get this. I particularly enjoyed the characters in the midwestern Indiana setting. The descriptions are so real that the book seems almost autobiographical in places. As a new father, this book spoke to me. I enjoyed it more than Song of Fire.