A Place Called Home

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (3/07) Our lives are becoming more stressful and faster every day. Everything we do, everywhere we go, everybody we meet - actions, sights, sounds, smells - all of this is a sensory overload. Everything has to have a deeper meaning. Everything has to be best. And fastest. And newest. And we need more and more of everything. In this eternal rush it is so difficult to forget what really matters and how little one really needs to be happy. Janet Lee Barton's audio book, "A Place Called Home," takes us to Roswell, New Mexico. Many of us are aware of the UFO stories connected to Roswell. Well, the Roswell she writes about is a much older one. The story is happening in 1898, to be exact. Roswell then is a small, sleepy community with a bunch of good people living there. Good is a word Ms. Barton uses often to describe her characters. "He was a good man. She is a good woman..." Simple words, but very true - then as well as now. Beth is taking care of Cassie and Lucas, children of her deceased fiancé, Harland. She cares deeply for them and hopes they will stay with her forever. But fate has other plans. Harland's brother, Jeb, is on his way to get the children. According to his deceased brother, Jeb is not one for settling down. Beth is heartbroken - how could she let the children go? To make matters worse, she is falling in love with Jeb. Will she lose them all? Will Jeb prove his brother wrong and stay? While this is an utterly predictable story - good people who put their trust in Lord's hands and pray that His will be done should get what they are praying for, right? It is also an utterly charming story. It is refreshing to listen to a story about much gentler, slower times; times when people ordered their merchandise from a Sears & Roebuck catalog and then waited patiently for the delivery, times when frazzled nerves were soothed by a cup of tea, children had impeccable manners and people married for life. Oh, and times when neighbors helped each other with just about any chore. "A Place Called Home" was a truly heart-warming story, soothing like a good cup of tea with friends. I would highly recommend it to all female Christian readers/listeners, particularly those who are very romantic. Non-Christians would probably enjoy it as well, if they do not let themselves be disturbed by frequent scenes of prayer and devotion.