Small Town Roads - Softcover

Johnson, L B

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1498490719 ISBN 13: 9781498490719

Publisher: Xulon Press, 2016

Synopsis

From the Amazon #1 Best Selling Author of "Saving Grace - A Story of Adoption" and "The Book of Barkley - Love and Life Through the Eyes of a Labrador Retriever" - a Christian Coming-of-Age story in small town America. Let go of the life you wanted to get the one that you were meant for. With a recent college degree in Criminal Justice and big future dreams, rookie Law Enforcement Officer Rachel Raines is looking for a temporary place to hide a heart full of loss and a quieter police patrol than Chicago. The bequest of her late aunt's house out in rural Illinois seems like the perfect opportunity for both if she can survive the gigantic spiders, creaky plumbing, and inevitable challenges of being the rookie on a small town force.  It's a place unlike any she has lived in - a tiny town with no coffee baristas, no night life, and one single restaurant that has a giant cow perched on the roof. It was not the life she had expected. Sometimes God has other plans for us. Down the street, her aunt's best friend, Evelyn Ahlgren, marks the passing of seasons and neighbors, long mired in her loneliness as a widow. When the young woman with scars of her own befriends her, they strike up an unlikely friendship across generations that just might help them both heal with a little help from heaven above. Written in both third person (Evelyn's view of life) and first person (Rachel keeping an online journal to track the events of each new day), words both humorous and breathtakingly lyrical, as these two vastly different generations bond, Small Town Roads is a beautifully told, heartwarming story.  It is not just a story of life in rural America, it is finding the best in people, including ourselves, in the most unlikely of places.

About this title

About the Author

L.B. Johnson is the author of the Award Winning "The Book of Barkley - Love and Life Through the Eyes of a Labrador Retriever" and "Saving Grace - A Story of Adoption". A former commercial airline pilot, she has a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and works in federal service. She lives in Chicago with her engineer husband and rescue Lab. 100% of her writing proceeds are donated to animal rescue and support non-profits.

Review

"Small Town Roads is kind, gentle, poetic, but grippingly bittersweet in the meeting and meshing of the times and values of two distinctly different - but so much the same - women in a small American town. L.B. Johnson is a writer to watch for tomorrow, but she is also someone to enjoy today."- John L. Moore Award-winning novelist and journalist, author of The Breaking of Ezra Riley and other novels.----------

"In the tradition of Kent Haruf's bestselling Plainsong, L.B. Johnson has written a lyrical, meditative story that acknowledges the dangers and comforts of our world. Small Town Roads is a loving story about an old, slow place where the terrible loneliness of grief eases because ordinary people decide to be community."- Katie Andraski, Author of The River Caught Sunlight---------

"Heart-warming and endearing, this read brings the reality of small town life and the meaning of community, life-long friendships, and the healing of a grieving soul to readers. Refreshing and uplifting, L.B. Johnson has eloquently portrayed the different seasons and paths that life takes us on. Through a series of journal entries by Rachel as one of the main characters and a beautifully written narrative, the author sheds light on renewed hope in God's purpose and will, despite the past and current circumstances."--Kingdom Expansion Ministries---------"L.B. Johnson is a wonderful writer, like good scotch on a winter night."--Michael Bane - Producer, Writer, Actor----------

"You can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl."  We've all heard this, which is why it's refreshing to find a story that shows the opposite.
Rachel graduated with a criminal science degree in Chicago and is ready for police work. But a recent break-up, plus lingering heartbreak over her dead parents, causes her to re-evaluate everything -- including the city she calls home.  An NPR Must Read for our 2017 Spring Read series. - NPR WNIJ/WNIU ----------

"Small Town Roads by LB Johnson is an eloquent Christian novel portraying the introspection of a community. This literary work is a lovely depiction of the characters' thoughts and motivations, although there is no action and the story can seem to move slowly. The author has a wonderful grasp of the English language, and her words flow together smoothly, creating a beautifully formed sermon. Rachel's and Evelyn's reminiscences and musings about life and faith are almost poetic. Despite their ages and generations, each of the characters portrayed displays their personal and spiritual growth, providing a thought-provoking and insightful story. It was encouraging to see Rachel's faith progress and blossom. This is an inspirational novel that will please those who enjoy reading meaningful Christian-based, faith-inspired books  Five Stars." - Readers Favorites Book Review/Award

Edition details

• Publisher: Xulon Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1498490719
• ISBN 13: 9781498490719
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 186
• Editor: Martin Stephanie