Homer Smith, a black twenty-four-year-old handyman from South Carolina, stumbles on a group of German nuns living in the middle of the desert in the American Southwest. He offers to help them fix the roof of the little house they live in and ends up building them a chapel. Homer teaches them better English; they teach him that permanency and belonging can be beautiful.
This book is warm and sweet and good-humored and funny. Do not be shocked if I reread it in the near future. It has such a hold on my heart right now! I have seen the 1963 film that stars Sidney Poitier, and that is also wonderful, but the book is honestly just more delightful yet that the movie is.
Particularly Good Bits:
Homer Smith was not a late sleeper but he did not believe in stumbling around in the half light, waking up birds (p. 29).
He didn't know where or how, but that was a problem of the future and the future was never quite real to him. A man couldn't calculate on time that hadn't arrived, happenings that hadn't happened; he had all that he could do in coping with what was already here (p. 73).
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: G. Good, clean, wholesome, uplifting book.
*BEAMS* I am so happy you loved this book!!!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many wonderful things about it, but I think one of my favorite aspects is Homer's friendship with Mother Maria Martha and Sister Albertine. Two very different, very unique relationships, but both special. It cracks me up how Homer calls Mother Maria Martha "the drill sergeant" in his mind.
And I grin every time I think about Homer's indignation when he returns to the valley and finds out that the townsfolk have been laughing at the sisters for insisting he would return. How does the passage go? Something like "Homer amused himself, looking big and dangerous beside the station wagon, scowling at these people who had laughed at his nuns." Love it :D
Katie, yes! The friendships are so realistic and sweet. I loved how he actually left in the book, went off and had a bit of his normal roving life elsewhere, and eventually went back. Such a good bit of character development.
DeleteAnd yes, that bit where he stands by the station wagon looking scary and disapproving of the townsfolk for laughing at "his" nuns was one of my favorite moments too! :-D
Excellent review!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cindy :-)
DeleteMeeeppp!! I love the movie, so I shall have to find this in my library or somewhere!!
ReplyDeleteCatherine, the movie is super super super close to the book, so you definitely should try to find and read this! I picked up a used copy on AbeBooks for under $5...
DeleteIt sounds very good. I always wanted to see the movie too.
ReplyDeleteLisa, it is excellent. And the movie is too!
DeleteI've never heard of this book, nor the movie, but it sounds lovely!
ReplyDeleteAnd I've found out that it has a sequel too.
Fanda, ooh! I didn't know there was a sequel! That is cool -- I will have to see if I can track it down.
DeleteThis is definitely a lovely story :-) I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Rachel, just want to let you know that, thanks to your review, I’ve added this book to my wish list. I quoted a passage from this post and link it up in my post
DeleteFanda, oh, that makes me so happy! I hope you really love it when you read it. I just had my 9th-grader read it for high school literature last week too :-) Thanks for the shout-out, too!
DeleteI've had this book sitting on a wishlist for years. Good to see a blog review about it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCarol, well, it is very much worth reading. I'm having my son read it for high school lit in a couple of weeks, in fact!
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