Autumn Blue: A Novel [Paperback]

Karen Harter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

An authentic tale of the bonds of family, faith, and trust. As single mother Sidney Walker struggles to save her troubled young son, she finds she is not as alone as she thinks when help comes from the most unexpected person.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Single mom Sidney Walker has a problem. Her son, Tyson, a troubled teen already on the wrong side of the law for armed robbery, has been missing for a week. Now police have implicated him in another crime. Sidney's family includes two young daughters who also need care, and Sidney's stretched to the limit when Millard Bradbury, senior citizen and retired teacher, comes to Ty's rescue. Sidney, an insurance agent with the soul of an artist, is grateful for Millard's help, but knows what her family really needs is a full-time father. Her wannabe rock star husband abandoned them long ago, and she still regrets turning down a perfectly good marriage proposal from ex-boyfriend Jack. Maybe with a man in his life, Ty would not have turned into a rebellious hellion. Sidney decides to give romance with Jack one more try, but she's more attracted to Sheriff's deputy Alex Estrada, a tough cop with a grudge against good-looking women. When Ty's worsening situation brings Sidney to her knees, she begs for God's guidance. A touching story of family and faith, Harter's second novel (Where Mercy Flows is her first) doesn't shy away from gritty realism. But she tempers the grim truths of broken families by delving into her characters' hidden dreams and giving them the courage to choose again. (Mar.)
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About the Author

Karen Harter lives in Mount Vernon, Washington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Center Street (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931722617
• ISBN-13: 978-1931722612
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,927,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, May 10, 2008

By 

Carol Bang "cabang" (KILLDEER, ND USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Autumn Blue: A Novel (Paperback)

I only write reviews if I really love a book, and this book is one of my favorites that I'm telling my friends about. As I was reading the book, I kept thinking about how gifted the author is.Thanks for the new pick for our book club.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family First, February 16, 2007

By 

Deborah "Books, Movies and Chinese Food" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Autumn Blue: A Novel (Paperback)

Sidney is a single mother of three kids, who has just moved into a new home. However she can't fully enjoy their new surroundings because her teenage son, Ty, has run away. Unfortunately he has a police record due to a robbery and the police are onto him. Sidney believes her son is innocent and does her hardest to make him turn to the right path no matter what it takes even with the deputy sheriff trying to vie for her attention. Meanwhile her neighbor Millard is an elderly man who's daughter insists that he is too old to take care of himself. Trying to prove her wrong, against his wishes, he soon is swept up in the affairs of Sidney's family and becomes a surrogate grandfather. This makeshift family learns to bond together as they go through a time of learning to trust and have faith.

I thought this was an excellent book. The story is so well developed that I felt like I was watching a movie instead of just reading the story. The lead characters were all very real and I could understand why all of them acted the way they did. Sidney is just a concerned mother who wants what's best for her son. You feel her frustration with trying to understand Ty and her worry when he keeps running away. Her story about finding a father figure with Jack was funny and sad. Ty is an angry teenager but you can sense why he keeps rebelling. He's not obnoxious but you can feel his anger and pain. I really liked Millard. He reminded me of the brothers in Secondhand Lions. He was crusty at first but eventually caved into the family that had showed him the affection his own daughter didn't. I didn't like Alex at first, especially with the way he barged into Sidney's bedroom. However his character too had a story behind the actions that helped to explain who he really was. There are scenes that make you laugh and then you turn the page and want to cry. The story is not preachy at all yet still puts out a message that family and trust is important. The only problem I had with this book was that Sidney had named her youngest daughter Sissy. I don't know if this name is that popular but it sounds degrading to be called a "sissy" all the time. It makes the character sound really weak since that word is used as an insult most of the time. But since Sidney's daughters are mostly in the background, this isn't such a big deal.

This is the second novel for Karen Harter and she has done a superb job with this book. I highly recommend it for fans of women's fiction who enjoy a moving story with realistic characters.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Light summer reading, May 21, 2008

By 

Naor Wallach (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Autumn Blue: A Novel (Paperback)

It's autumn in Ham Bone - a little town up in the mountains, and the chill of fall is in the air. Sidney Walker is having problems. Her quiet life living in a trailer on the edge of town is being turned topsy turvy. Her 15 year old son, Tyson, has disappeared into the woods - as he has occasionally done - but this time, the police are looking for him, and the cop in charge of the case is a no-nonsense, hard-nosed kind of person who is giving her a tough time because Tyson is a prime suspect in several robberies around town.

Sidney also appears to be one of those women who feel vulnerable because her family unit is not complete. She is divorced. There is no husband/father figure to help guide her teenage son or for her two younger daughters. Tyson's father is apparently a no-good deadbeat who managed to destroy her life earlier by getting her pregnant while she was in college and who walked out on her after the third kid arrived with no support payments or even many visits. A brief romance with a local guy who appeared to be very decent fizzled out because there were just no romantic feelings there at all.

Now, with her son in trouble, she believes that the answer to the problem is to chase after that guy again. She even finds a little prayer hall and prays to god for assistance, and, lo and behold, the old non-flame is still available and is willing to have another go at the attractive woman. In addition, the retired school teacher who lives across the street willingly steps forward to take over supervision of Tyson while Sidney is at work. So, maybe god's answer is coming?

Not so fast. There are additional complications and additional twists and turns in this story, but fear not! The ending is happy and predictable and several family issues are resolved for Sidney, her neighbor, and several other people as well.

The story is a quick read and is meant to be a "feel good, trust in god" story and it succeeds in that mission. It has many moments of light humor and tear jerkers as well. Some of the plot twists are transparent and can be seen coming from hundreds of pages away, and some will surprise you. It is a good, light, summer reading kind of book. So, enjoy!