ONE MORE SUNRISE

Author: Michael Landon Jr. & Tracie Peterson ISBN: 9780764203626 1/2008 HISTORICAL Publisher: BETHANY HOUSE
Time Period: 1950's

After his dreams of being a WWII flying ace are dashed, Joe settles for a dead-end job, crop-dusting his neighbors' farms and finishing out the evening slouched at the bar in the local tavern. One morning Joe's usual crop-dusting routine turns into something else entirely when his beat-up Stearman begins a long spiral toward earth.... Joe doesn't die that morning, but he begins an odyssey whose twists and turns head him back toward life, love, and true devotion.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

ONE MORE SUNRISE by Michael Landon, Jr. and Tracie Peterson is a story that shows that hopes, dreams and reality all have a place in a man's life. It shows, too, that sometimes what seems to be a dashed dream is much more, with more prospects than those simply on the surface.

Joe is filled with regret. He had plans for his life, but they were not to be. Instead he finds himself doing a dirty job, one that's more drudgery than adventure. He feels like "the poster child for disappointment" and every thought and action shows that. He's caught up in talk of teeth and braces, guilt over relationships not tended faithfully enough, and his marriage to Meg seems unsatisfying. When his life takes a sudden turn and he ends up plummeting toward a cornfield, things begin to change. Then, someone from his wife's past shows up. Luke's intentions seem good, but in no time Meg is trapped by him.

I enjoyed this book because it is the ordinary man's story. There is no flash or glitter, just down-home truths, relationships and people. The characters in this are dimensional and so strongly written I could hear them speak. Too, Joe's thoughts and feelings are completely open to the reader. I felt like I was right inside his mind. The plot moves along well, with just enough padding to make it intriguing.

ONE MORE SUNRISE is a well balanced, well written tale that shows just what it was like living in 1950s rural America. I'd never given much thought to a crop duster's life before. Now, I have a whole new respect for crop dusters and the lives they led.

Kay James