Homeward Bound

by Linda Shertzer

Leaving the Civil-War-torn South, Sarah moves to Kansas to live with her sister and her reverend husband. To avoid questions about her fatherless daughter, Sarah marries a dying soldier named Jesse. As Jesse makes a slow but surprising recovery, the happiness they find together could be destroyed when the secret about their marriage is revealed.

311 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1995

Reviews

[Diane Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Currently this book is on my keeper shelf; if/when it comes out on Kindle I'll buy it. I've read it twice and skimmed through various scenes even more. It is the end of the Civil War (U.S.) and Sarah and her illegitimate daughter are heading to her sister (Meddling Mildred) and pastor brother-in-law's home in Kansas after the death of their aunt who Sarah lived with in war-torn Georgia. Jesse has just been released from a prisoner of war camp and has used the last of his money to get on a train in order to die as far away as possible from the memories of war. As they get closer and closer to Kansas, Sarah's worries become even more difficult - how can she explain the existence her daughter? She bravely proposes marriage, in name only, to the obviously ill man who lets her know he's dying. In exchange for marrying her with the hope of forestalling all of Meddling Mildred's questions, she will give him a home for his remaining days and a proper funeral when he dies. He bargains with her - a wonderfully charming scene because he's already decided he'd like to marry her but he teases her a bit and wonders if she was always such a serious thing or had the war changed her. He insists on flowers, a good long eulogy, and a headstone - stone, mind you not a wooden cross because those fade. She agrees to the flowers if it's not winter, definitely a good long eulogy because her brother-in-law is the pastor and a headstone if she can afford it. He keeps teasing her - a sponge bath on Saturday nights (she counters 'only if you go to church on Sunday') as well as a few more things; simply watching her and enjoying her reactions.

They get married and make it to Cottonwood where Mildred has organized a huge party. Jesse passes out having no endurance after the long train ride (he said no to the doctor amputating his leg at the prison camp and "galloping consumption"). Sarah realizes that Deke - a villain from her past - lives in the same town.

Problems ensue but the love between Jesse and Sarah grows; in spite of Deke's presence, in spite of Mildred introducing Jesse to men to see who he prefers marry Sarah after he's dead, in spite of Sarah's terrors of Jesse touching her and sexual advances (sex scene reasonably mild) and in spite of Jesse finding out he isn't going to die. To Jesse's mind, Sarah wanted a dying husband and he isn't sure that Sarah wants a living husband.

Enjoyable story, lively characters, fun dialogue. It misses a star for minor inconsistencies and lack of closure regarding the marriage certificate in the hands of the villain's mother - proving Jesse and Sarah have only been married a few months rather than long enough to have had a child. But you know, those are minor quibbles.

[justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romantic and oh-so funny!...