Homecoming

by Belva Plain

With unerring insight and emotional power, Belva Plain, in her extraordinary novel, tells the story of a family divided and of the proud matriarch who takes a bold last stand to unite her warring children in what may be their last Homecoming.

It is a crisp December day when Annette Byrne walks to the end of her long, curving driveway and drops five sealed envelopes into the mailbox, quickly, before second thoughts stay her hand.  Shortly thereafter, with the holidays approaching, her estranged family will be gathered at her country estate for the first time in years.

The sons. . . two brothers embittered by a breach of ethics, honor, and trust.  The grandchildren. . . one young couple on the verge of divorce; another, lovingly united against the parents who have tarnished their lives.  As the ill-fated meeting hurtles toward a bitter and abrupt conclusion, not even Annette Byrne's indomitable will can heal the rift--until a shattering event alters the landscape forever.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Drama, Womens Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Novels

249 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 6, 1997

About the author

Belva Plain was a best-selling American author of mainstream women's fiction. Her first novel, Evergreen (1978) topped the New York Times bestseller list for 41 weeks and was made into a TV miniseries. At her death, there were over 30 million copies of her twenty-plus novels in print in 22 languages.

Reviews

[Carol B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

short and sweet and makes you think about what is important.

[Rhonda Rae Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this down...greatly moving and an important message about what's truly important in life. Never is it right to hold grudges and throw out accusations towards others, especially family!

This novel had me in tears. The message was so powerful for none of us know how long we have to live and no day should be ended with sadness. There is always something wonderful to be looked forward to with the hope of tomorrow. Sad to say, but sometimes it takes a tragedy for humans to realize the fragility in life. We never know what tomorrow may bring and it is never too late to build new bridges of love. Unless, you never wake up to see tomorrow. Death is final...nothing else is!

Powerful story...one of my absolute favorites of Belva Plain's!!!

[Verona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It took me awhile to understand that the grandmother Annette was planning the Homecoming of her family to resolve their family problems. The beginning of the book lays out each family member and their issues with each other. It was interesting to get to know them and their characters. I don't know if it's because I am easily distracted, or preoccupied when I was reading this book, but I did have some trouble keeping all their names and various stories separate, yet connected to the whole family. The more I read, the better I liked the book. I really liked the grandmother Annette, probably because I am the "family fixer," too. I did admire her dignity, her desire to help her family, and her determination in the face of obstacles to achieve her goals. I want to be like her. The message of family and the importance of getting along was very strong and very appealing to me. That's what I want to achieve in my own family. It is somewhat sad, but a fact, that sometimes it takes a tragedy, or a near-tragedy, to bring a family together, and to help them recognize what is really important in their lives. I am so glad that I took time to read this book, even though it's an old one that I've had for a few years. It has impacted my life for the better. I'd love to have my family members read this book as well. We all need to let go of our issues with each other; forgive, forget, and move on. It's the Christlike way to live.

[Sherry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually like this author but this one fell short. I did finish it and it wasn't bad I just thought it was boring . A few things happened and I kept up hope that it would improve but I could not connect with the characters at all. I could hardly remember who was who. I would pass this one up

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estranged families need to read this book and see what they are missing from their life.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first, I enjoyed this book. Towards the middle I was bored. As the ending came closer, I realized that I enjoyed the experience regardless of the boring bits. The ending came to an overly-sweet close considering the angst that the book started out with. Plain's style is...well...plain, and in this case it's perhaps too plain. She introduces a lot of characters with a lot of issues with each other, and the book itself is short. So you get a ton of characters with superficial problems that are solved at the end instead of a few characters that are developed across 200 more pages (this was 250 in mass market format - not counting the excerpt of another book - and the font was large-ish and the spacing was generous) and given the chance to show the importance of their issues and how they overcome them. Instead, Plain cheats and uses a near-tragedy that immediately brings people into perspective of all of their wrongs and they leave content. I like happy endings. I like happy endings in general fiction like this, where they don't always come. But I like my happy endings to make sense. Plain's style was endearing and one could tell that she wanted this story to be meaningful, but it wasn't deep enough to do what it intended to do.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Talk about melodramatic! This book was all about privileged prideful people. I just didn't enjoy listening to the book much at all but it was only 4 cassettes unabridged, so I stuck with it.

The narrator is Lindsay Crouse, who I think is a good actress, but wasn't good as a narrator in this book. The upper class New York accents were irritating to me but that's because I don't like the way they sound at all. It would as if you hate hillbilly accents and you had a whole book full of them. Yuck! I'm pretty sure this is my first Belva Plain book and I'm planning on selling/donating any others that I happen to have.

[Stephanie Hirsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an easy read with a nice ending when you need a positive view on life.

[Victoria]

No review available.

[Anne Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a combination Lifetime, Hallmark, and/or TV movie from the 90’s. Even though it was very predictable and often fruity, it was a quick read with the proverbial happy ending.
Annette Byrne, matriarch of the Byrne clan, is getting on in age and wants the rifts among the family to be settled. So without them all knowing, she sends individual letters out inviting them to come up to her sprawling estate for a day or so.
Annette’s sons haven’t spoken to one another in years. Lewis and Gene were working in their architectural firm, Byrne & Sons, having a hotel built. Lewis hired a contractor that he knew from college, even though he didn’t check his credentials. He also didn’t take a warning seriously by a man whose appearance was not up to Lewis’ standards. So the hotel collapsed. People were killed. A court case took place which put the brothers against each other.
Lewis’ daughter, Cynthia, was happily married with twins. But tragically the twins died when a taxi ran into their stroller. Several months later when Cynthia and her husband Andrew went out to dinner with friends, Andrew took more than a walk through the woods with a woman who he just met. Cynthia was embarrassed and unforgivable. She wants a divorce.
Gene’s daughter, Ellen, was engaged to a wealthy man, Kevin. He was working in Paris where a branch of his law firm was. Ellen, an artist, was exploring art galleries in New York one afternoon when she ran into Mark who worked at a gallery. They run into each other another time and soon are going out on dates. After her mother’s funeral, she breaks up with Kevin. She marries Mark, but coming from an Orthodox Jewish family, it’s a challenge for everyone, especially Gene and Ellen’s father in law Aaron, to get along. At least they have two children, Lucy and Freddie.
So no one is happy when they realize everyone is at Annette’s house. But Annette’s friend, Marian, has everyone at least stay for lunch. Then tragedy has to strike for everyone to start talking to each other. Lucy and her mother go for a walk to look at the swans in the pond. Not listening to her mother finds Lucy falling in the pond. It’s sleeting and freezing out. Ellen goes in after her daughter and she falls in. Luckily, someone saw what happened while looking out the window. Lewis’ wife Daisy saves Lucy. Mark’s father Aaron is actually a doctor so he makes sure everyone gets inside and gets warm, and not surprisingly people start talking to one another.
Cynthia and Andrew don’t make up until the middle of the night when Andrew comes to her room. The next day the icing on the cake is Gene mentioning to his mother that her friend Marian reminded him of his former wife and he’d like to get to know her. Perfect!

[Jill Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Belva Plain's shorter novels. It took a while to get into, as each chapter deals with a different character, so not really a narrative. Tragedies, unforgiveness, intense dislike are elements dividing the characters, but the matriarch of the family has different ideas and a plan to bring everyone together.

[Shirlene]

Annette Byrne was 85 years old. Her husband had been dead for 10 years and she didn't know how much time she had left. She decided that she had enough of her family's feuding and decided to invite them all to her house one weekend in December. They each received an invitation without knowing the other family members would be at her house.
Lewis Byrne was married to Daisy. They were parents to Cynthia. Lewis was still upset after 6 years over the loss of his family business. His family once ran an acclaimed architectural engineering firm. They were building a hotel for Arrow Hotel International when a young man overheard a conversation with the contractor talking about taking a kickback and using inferior concrete. Lewis told Eugene, his brother, but refused to do anything about the contractor. He and the contractor had gone to college together. The hotel collapsed at the grand opening and 83 people were killed. 600 were injured and their business was finished. He and Gene no longer talked to each other after they were tried in court Gene testified against his actions. Lewis knew that Gene still blamed him for the destruction of the business and the lives of so many people.
Cynthia was married to Andrew. The had twins, Tim and Laura, who were 18 months old when their stroller was hit and killed by a taxi driver. Andrew was upset because Cynthia couldn't get over it and no longer wanted to have sex with him. Cynthia was just starting to come out of it when they were invited to dinner with friends. Andrew had sex with one of the women eating dinner with them. Cynthia was embarrassed because it happened in full knowledge of their friends. She kicked Andrew out and began working at a homeless shelter for women and children.
Eugene Byrne - His wife, Susan, had been dead for 10 years. His son moved to London and his daughter was married too. Ellen had married someone he didn't approve of, Mark Sachs.
Aaron and Brenda Sachs - Parents of Mark. They were a Jewish Orthodox couple and Aaron was a surgeon. Brenda was a social worker. The didn't care much for Gene who made his dislike for them fairly obvious.
Ellen and Mark Sachs had begun to see each other when Ellen was engaged to Kevin, who was an attorney who had been temporarily assigned to an office in London. She met Mark at an art gallery where he was hoping she was there to purchase a piece of artwork. They began talking and regularly met each other. They soon started an affair that led her to break it off with Kevin and after her mother died, Ellen married Mark. They loved each other very much even though both of their parents disapproved. They had 2 children now, Lucy and Freddie.
Everyone showed up at different times at Annette's house. They were each resentful of others there. They stayed for lunch while a storm brewed outside. Lewis and Gene were fighting about Gene testifying against Lewis in court. Ellen took Lucy and Freddie outside for some air and exercise when Lucy went too far out onto the pond and fell in. Ellen put Freddie down and went after her. She also fell in. Her screams were heard inside the house and the others rushed out to help. Mark grabbed Ellen and they tied a rope to Daisy. She went into the water after Lucy and got her. The men pulled them both to safety. Aaron then took charge and ordered Daisy inside to dry off and get warm. He did CPR on Lucy while Lewis did the same for Ellen. They both were revived and Marion, Annette's neighbor, drove her 4-wheeler to the edge of the lake and picked them both up and drove them up to the house. They were all now in the same room and for a moment they weren't fighting with each other. For lunch, they had all gotten their food and gone to separate rooms to eat while avoiding each other.
It was now dinner time and they were served all at the same table. Marion had gone home in order to arrive before the storm hit. Andrew was planning on leaving but stayed due to the distance he would have to drive so that he would not be caught in the storm. He had Cynthia had not spoken to each other. She wouldn't even look at him.
They had dinner and began to talk again. They each took the time to look at things from another perspective and decided that it was time for forgiveness. They then all went to bed. Andrew and Cynthia were given separate rooms and she couldn't sleep. Andrew came and knocked on her door and told her again that he was sorry and that he wanted to begin again. She told him no and he told her that he wasn't leaving until the talked. He ended up sleeping on the floor. Cynthia got up a few hours later to cover him up and he woke up. Cynthia started crying and Andrew took her in her arms. Their separation ended then. They all got up in the morning and started leaving. Gene mentioned to Annette that he would be back to see if Marion wanted to go out with him. Annette was thrilled at that and the fact that it seemed to have worked to get everyone in the house together for the night to break the ice that was keeping the family apart. She had indeed done what she had set out to do. Her family was once again together.

[Sally Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very predictable but a fast read.

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

All I can say is I'm glad this was not the first Belva Plain I've ever read, otherwise, it would have been the last. It was so boring that I had trouble continuing the read.

[Bradley Gladden]

I guess this has a good message about forgiveness and remembering what’s important in life; I just had so much trouble keeping the characters straight

[Inès ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annette commence à être âgée et est fatiguée des querelles qui impactent fortement ses liens avec sa famille. Elle décide de prendre le taureau par les cornes en montant un plan très bien calculé qui obligera toute la famille à se trouver dans la même pièce et espère-t-elle, à enterrer la hache de guerre.

Je découvre avec plaisir Belva Plain et ce si joli petit livre. Je ne saurais pas lui imposer le genre de feel-good même si au fond je pense que c’en est un. Mais il y a un petit plus.

L’autrice a parfaitement compris les sentiments humains car elle les raconte si bien ! Dans ce livre où elle ressort les casseroles de chaque membre de la famille, elle sait les rendre réels, ils sont tous cohérents et ensemble forment une pleine harmonie et un caractère complexe à la personne qui les possède. Malgré le trop grand nombre de personnages, qui m’a valu plusieurs égarements, j’ai adoré découvrir chacun d’eux. Leur passé douloureux mais aussi leur présent nostalgique et amer. Sans porter de jugement, sans prendre parti, juste les faits.

L’ambiance y est froide comme un matin d’hiver, grise comme un ciel d’orage. La mélancolie plane au-dessus des personnages tel un lourd fardeau.

Ce livre a une morale, comme un conte. Il nous rappelle qu’il ne faut pas attendre un drame pour renouer avec les siens. Tout peut arriver si vite, alors pardonnez, pardonnez les autres, pardonnez-vous. Avoir une famille et se sentir entouré par elle, c’est la seule réelle façon de se sentir vivant, n’attendons pas qu’il soit trop tard parce qu’«on a déjà perdu trop de temps».

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is much shorter than other Belva Plain novels, and less complex. Still, one of the author's strongest suit is in character development. It's amazing what is packed into this short novel.
I liked Annette Byrne, the family matriarch. She resolves to bring her warring and estranged children home together. I did have a hard time keeping the various people straight and properly assigned to the correct branch of the family tree. Any other book, and Ms Plain would have deepened each subplot. But it didn't really matter, because the theme of reconciliation is strong throughout. Leaving past mistakes and hurts behind, family members truly do help each other in a pinch.
If you like family sagas, this one can easily be read in a few days or less.

[Paula Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about families and how truly important it is to stay connected in spite of our everyday ups and downs. This story included a few tragedies, some humor, and lots of relatable incidents. I love stories of this nature--quick and easy to read, but deep in meaning and sentimentality. This is a trademark of Belva Plains books. She is a wonderful author that I can count on for this type of book.

[Linda Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a easy quick book. I enjoyed reading it. I found all the characters were confusing as well as who was mad at who. Lucy was irritating. Like many children today she was not disciplined. As she was portrayed in the book, I felt she was obnoxious. The end was unlikely in reality but it gave a happy ending.

[Keniesha Merritt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sure this was a good book, and i read every word of it, but it was painfully boring to me. I didnt feel for any of the characters. The first couple chapters had my attention. They were fast paced and full of interesting events, but it quickly died and I lost the whole story.

[Denise Busiello · Rating 5 out of 5]

The character said the smallest pleasures are the best comfort during our biggest griefs. This book was a great source of comfort for me as I read it after my mom passed. A beautiful and heart wrenching family story.

[La · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book in a "little library" down the street from my house. I've never heard of the author, but the premise sounded interesting. It really drew me in and quickly. I finished it in a few days and I'm off to find more books by Belva!

[Sheila McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was good about families! And, the catch in the book really made the story interesting. Enjoyable read although it's an older book. I enjoy reading older stories, as some of the newer ones are getting to be a lot of the same read.

[Pat Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a keeper. Although I have read other books with the same theme, I never tire of it.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family at war, but grandma saves the day. I enjoyed it

[Arlene Richards · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Cinderella story

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The only thing-at the end it was kind of difficult to keep the characters straight. But I think I have found a new author to enjoy!

[Katie Mullen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great book to read at night because it’s so boring it’ll put you right to sleep!!

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A grandmother sends out five letters which bring the family home. This is an interesting story. However, it was a slow start for me.

[R · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story is good. But too obvious and the dialogues are so stilted and artificial.