Homing

This is the last book in a series of books called the Williamsburg novels. I have been reading and re-reading this series of 7 books for over 50 years. They are my all time favorite books. Each book deals with a war or pre-war action (except the war of 1812) in which the US has taken part from the Revolutionary War (Dawn's Early Light) to the Civil War (Yankee Stranger) to the Homing with is the last of the series and the 4th book which deals with WWI and WWII and the years in between. They are a great source of history. Ms Thane (widow of the explorer Dr. William Beebe) has done an excellent job of research for each of the books. I hope others find them as wonderful, and as entertaining as I do. I have read my old copies until they are falling apart. I was very excited to find they had been reprinted and purchased them immediately.

I first found these books in the school library in the 1950's & I enjoy them more with each year. They give a true and accurate description of family life in the South through the years. I had thought about them for years and every once in a while would run into a copy at a book sale. A couple of years ago when I was out of work, I used some of my dwindling funds to buy copies of the last 2 books...and I have never regretted it.

I read this book in the 60's, and loved it deeply then. It has held up well. I'd be hard pressed to say whether I like this book or _Dawn's Early Light_ (the first story in the series) best. It is probably best appreciated after reading the first book in the series. They form the bookends of a wonderful series about several intertwined families on both sides of the Atlantic from the American Revolution through World War II. The editions I read as a kid had family trees on the endpapers, and they were a great help._Homing_ recounts the story of Mab, a young girl, and her extended family, through the beginning of WW II. Although I am not a historian, I have not ever encountered a historical event in one of Ms. Thane's books that was contradicted by any history I have read. She makes history immediate and real by showing how characters you care about are affected by historical events. The history is background to the story; although it contributes significantly to the plot, I never felt I was being lectured. Characterizations ring true; I came to care deeply about the people in the story. There are ways in which this book, and the whole series, remind me of the books of Rosamunde Pilcher - the are populated by people I'd like to meet, coping with their lives.

The last of the Williamsburg Series, Homing brings you full circle back to the past. The best way to read this book is after you have read the others, beginning with "Dawn's Early Light". I first read them when I was a teenager and I still read them every couple of years. The characters are like family or maybe the way we would like family to be.

This is the conclusion to the Williamsburg Novels that begins with Dawn's Early Light. The characters continue to ring true and the historical view of both England and the US during the early days of WWII is great. The story truly comes full circle and makes you want to read them all again.