Escape

by Lorena McCourtney

Beth Curtis promised her brother and his wife that if anything should happen to them, she would raise their son as if he were her own. So when a double tragedy leads to their deaths at the height of the Great Depression, a brokenhearted Beth steps forward to keep her vow.

However, Joey is also the grandson of Nat Wilkerson, a dangerous and wealthy tycoon, who will stop at nothing to gain sole custody of the child, sending his son Guy to find the child. Beth and her beloved nephew Joey escape by train into the night, but to her dismay, Guy follows-though not for the reasons she suspects.

Previously published by Palisades, Escape has sold 50,000 copies.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Romance

270 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Lorena · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I got this at a thrift store exclusively because the author shares my name. Admittedly, the premise of the book was interesting... but that's about all it had. I didn't go into it expecting it to be a Christian book, but even once I realized that, their actions, random specific biblical references, absurdly quick conversions, etc. rarely felt natural. It also wasn't super well-written and the characters were mostly flat. Even Bethany - I thought she had some complexities, but then once she starts to trust Guy she loses all of them. Also it's set in the Great Depression, but they are living ridiculously lavish lives and any guilt is hardly mentioned. Like at the beginning that seems like a big thing, but after that it's just like 'oh yes look a hobo. and thank you for this massive diamond ring, man who just lost his wealth'.

[L.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy McCourtney's writing but prefer her mysteries. This was a good read, exciting and romantic. There was one string left untied that was a bit disappointing for me but overall this was definitely worth checking out for anyone who's a fan of this author.

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of Grace Livingston Hil's very clean, faith filled romances.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Beth's brother and wife die, she is left to raise their son Joey. But his rich grandparents also want him and will do whatever possible to get him. This forces her to flee her home to prevent them from finding her but they eventually do. Joey's uncle ends up falling in love with Beth and thereby saving Joey from his grandparents.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was interesting, but there were several typos. Also, the narrator's voice would switch mid-chapter with nothing to indicate it was changing. (There was no space between lines, no name as a heading, etc.) If it had been one or two times throughout the book, it wouldn't have been too big of a deal, but these things happened several times and I found it distracting to the story itself.

[Shekinah Dobony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why did Arthur have to die???

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

During the Great Depression, Beth Curtis is caring for her nephew after both her brother and sister-in-law died. Beth had promised them that should anything happen to the both of them she would care for Joey for the rest of his life. Sadly, that is exactly what Beth is doing and she loves him with all her heart and soul but feels such sorrow over the way Joey came into her life. She had to lose both her brother and his wife, Sylvia.

Baby Joey’s grandfather, Nat Wilkerson, is a highly ruthless businessman and is extremely wealthy. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants even if that means people disappear or get hurt. And what does Nat Wilkerson want? Full custody of his grandson Joey!

One day Guy Wilkerson, son of Nat, shows up in Ryman Springs where Beth and Joey are living in a ramshackle place but it suits the two of them just fine. Guy brings news that Nat wants full custody of Joey and wants him living in the mansion with him. Of course there is no way Beth is going to give Joey to anyone. She promised her brother she would care for him and that is exactly what she was going to do. Beth knew Nat’s reputation as a ruthless and unsavoury character and there was no way she was handing Joey over to him to be raised as another ruthless tycoon like his grandfather.

During the night Beth packs up and disappears with Joey to avoid another confrontation with Guy the following morning. Guy had offered a large sum of money to Beth to turn over Joey to him but Beth couldn’t believe that his grandfather would want to “buy” him. With Beth’s strong faith in God, she firmly believes that God will protect her and Joey.

Now Beth and Joey are on the run with Guy in hot pursuit but what happens will completely surprise you!

This story was well written, had great character development, an excellent plot and was overall a complete page turner! I was hooked right from the first page and will definitely be looking for more of Ms. McCourtney’s novels.

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A review from my old blog...

This book fell into all of the conventional patterns. I knew from the beginning the ultimate outcome of the book. Of course... i did look at the end like I usually do but even without that I could have told you just from reading the back of the book exactly what happened... perhaps not the details of what happened it the middle but for the most part there was no real unexpected development.

While this book doesn't sink to Gilbert Morris levels (in my opinion) it does dangle perilously close. I'll read the other books of hers on my list and hope that those books are better than this one.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beth Curtis promised her brother and his wife that if anything should happen to them, she would raise their son as if he were her own. So when a double tragedy leads to their deaths at the height of the Great Depression, a brokenhearted Beth steps forward to keep her vow.

However, Joey is also the grandson of Nat Wilkerson, a dangerous and wealthy tycoon, who will stop at nothing to gain sole custody of the child, sending his son Guy to find the child. Beth and her beloved nephew Joey escape by train into the night, but to her dismay, Guy follows-though not for the reasons she suspects.

[Jamie Ann Bartlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was enjoyable. A moving story of Love, faith, endurance and hope. I enjoyed getting to know Bethany (Annie), Guy & Little Joey. I enjoyed seeing Guy triumph evil, re-gain his faith and fall in love with Beth. I didn't know the Author or had ever read any of her books before but after reading Escape I would recommend this book to any and all who are interested. It was a good investment and a wonderful read. I liked the simplicity of the book and know that even young readers would like this book.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a decent Christian novel. I liked the characters,and the plot was interesting;however,the writing itself is poor. It skips from one aspect of the plot to another and back again without any warning, and I disliked how there weren't spaces provided to indicate a change of scene or time frame. I like it though.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a really good book about a young woman who is her baby's gaurdian because her brother and sister-in-law wanted her to take care of him if they died, but now the sister-in-law's selfish and mean rich family want the baby. Please read, it's my favorite book!

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this today...a quick read. It was an okay read. I didn't know it was going to be a Christian novel, which is okay, but not expected. It was fine for a Saturday afternoon. Now on to more important tomes.

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was very well written, and it was a 'delightful' story. I love all the characters, too. I could tell from the first or second chapter that Beth was going to marry Guy, though. Could have been made a bit less obvious.

[Selah Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was very well written, and it was a 'delightful' story. I love all the characters, too. I could tell from the first or second chapter that Beth was going to marry Guy, though. Could have been made a bit less obvious.

[Lacy Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read this, it took me a few chapters to actually get into it. It stemmed dull at first. But I then fell completely in love with the entire story and have read it several times over. For a number of years it was my favorite book.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. It was ok. Kind of predictable, but readable. It should have been billed as a romance though. The H thinks about counting h's freckles to verify its really the h. NOT something a dude would think up on his own. Other than a less than convincing male voice, it wasn't too bad. 2.75 stars.

[Elaine]

4
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[Marlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story. Uplifting and makes you feel good unlike the recent blood and guts and far fetched stories of my recent reading of James Patterson's "Toys".

[Malyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was enjoyable and very well written. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing how they grew and changed throughout the story.