Completely Restored [Kindle Edition]

Robert Kerr (Author)

Book Description

When Joe Murphy’s wife, Linda, spies an ad for a “beautiful 3-story Victorian house in need of some TLC,” the couple jumps at the chance for their dream home. Renovating it will allow them to indulge their passion for antiques and to get closer to an era they believe was a better time. Privately, Joe hopes that the project will also fill the void that has opened within their family life. They embark upon a grueling three-year renovation to restore the house to its former splendor, and everything seems perfect…until the morning Joe awakes to find a horse-drawn milk cart in his driveway and his family inexplicably transported back to the year 1909. Suddenly the Murphys’ dream for a simpler time becomes a shocking reality, one in which they will struggle to adapt to turn-of-the-century Iowa while seeking a way to return home. Completely Restored is a unique page-turner of a novel, filled with historical figures and events that help to teach a modern family about the simple joys of life. Reader Reviews: “An Unassuming Jewel!, Robert Kerr's Completely Restored, starts as a very unassuming book…But Kerr is careful not to turn this into a simple romantic view of the past by interjecting a number of plot arcs which also convey how different the rule of law, child protection, and the limitations of medicine were one hundred years ago…The book evokes a feeling of nostalgia and desire for simpler times while at the same time making one appreciate the things they have today.” Todd Fonseca, Minneapolis, MN, Author of The Time Cavern “…obviously a natural story teller and this fact shines through on each page… a ‘page turner’…after the first couple of pages into this book, you will be completely hooked and have a difficult time putting it down until the conclusion. Highly recommend this one and highly recommend you put it on your reading list.” Don Blankenship, The Ozarks - Amazon.com Top 100 Reviewer “I read the first five pages on the website and you’ve got me hooked!” Phyllis Pratt, Des Moines, IA “It was nice to read about an American family who cared for each other and which come together, not pull apart, to solve different dilemmas. Robert Kerr seems to have the knack to intertwine suspense with history.” Carolyn Strickler, Des Moines, IA “I'm speechless! Completely Restored is great reading for the whole family…I can't wait to read his next one.” Pat Wadkins, Grand Island, NE “A fine mix of history, the mystical, and the "ticking clock". The story line and dialogue move at a good pace. A most enjoyable read.” B.G., Salina, KS "Charming! Witty! Intelligent! A Mystery with History! Fit For The Twilight Zone! History, mystery and time travel combine to make a charming, witty, and intelligently crafted tale of 'what if...?'" By Gary Val Tenuta, author of The Ezekiel Code "Unique Family Time Travel - Robert Kerr's Completely Restored is a heart-warming part mystery, part time-travel tale of a family in crisis due to unexpected circumstances. As they struggle to adjust to their new lives and try to find a way back home, they also begin to learn more about one another. Although the whole book is interesting, especially for its historical information and characters, the latter chapters pick up speed to a satisfying and unexpected end." By Edie Dykeman - Amazon.com Vine Voice “Kudos for an exciting book about so many wonderful themes--love of family, love of history, love for community!...Once I started reading Completely Restored, I couldn't put the book down. Thanks for a quality book to read during an Iowa blizzard!” Marilyn Dysart, Marshalltown, IA “Mr. Kerr has proven that you can take actual historical events and write a book that is not only enjoyable to read but also leaves you with some actual brain food! Here is one reviewer who is looking forward to Completely Restored...The Movie!” William Wilson, Marshalltown, IA

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born and raised in Nebraska, Robert Kerr has called Iowa home for more than thirty years. He attended the University of Nebraska at Kearney, The University of Kansas at Ft. Hays, and the University of Northern Iowa. He holds a master’s degree in psychology, and his career path has led him through stints as a welder, a carpenter, a mental hospital attendant, a mortician’s assistant, and a general Man Friday for an electrical engineer. Since 1976, he has been a school psychologist in Central Iowa. He and his wife, Joan, have rehabilitated five houses, including a Victorian-era house that inspired Completely Restored. The father of two grown children, he lives with his wife in Ankeny, Iowa. Completely Restored is Robert’s first novel.

Product Details

• File Size: 516 KB
• Print Length: 220 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007I6QJ04
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,758 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A nice message, but like an old home, a book with a lot of potential April 18, 2010

By J.R. Reardon

Format:Paperback

Like the old Victorian house purchased by fictional characters Joe and Linda Murphy, Robert Kerr's first novel, COMPETELY RESTORED has a lot of potential.

When I first started the book, I was a bit distracted by the overuse of exclamation points. Thankfully this did not continue throughout the book. I was also a bit confused with the titles of the chapters. Several, but not all, had headlines from newspapers which enabled the reader to follow the timeline. Unfortunately the headlines did not necessarily coincide with the language within that chapter. Then there were a couple of storylines that seemed to trail off (i.e. the key to the front door).

The story does have a nice underlying message: the importance of family and the affect that modern life has on the family unit. All of us at some point or another wish for simpler times and this book does just that: it takes a family back to simpler times. But with simpler times come a different set of problems for the modern family that we all take for granted: transportation, clothing and modern medicine. Mr. Kerr is doing a noble thing through his work by making the reader appreciate what he or she has. And in this crazy world, balance is key.

I think that Mr. Kerr's book has a lot of potential. What a fun concept: restoring a house only to be taken back 100 years! But as the doctors of 1909 may have prescribed, there is a need for a stronger skeleton and more muscle. I would have liked to see the characters developed a bit more, perhaps more storylines. For example, many things could have happened to the modern teenage Murphy children being thrown back to 1909 to provide humor, concern...whatever Mr. Kerr as our entertainer chooses to provide.

I imagine Mr. Kerr to be a great storyteller in person, and encourage him to continue writing.

J.R. Reardon
author, of ADVICE AND CONSENT

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Completely Restored January 26, 2010

By Carolyn Strickler

Format:Paperback

Generally " time travel" novels are not ones I pick up to read, but Completely Restored gathered my interest and peaked my curiosity the more pages I turned.It was nice to read about an American family who cared for each other and which came together,not pull apart, to solve different dilemmas. Robert Kerr seems to have the knack to intertwine suspense with history. Not only did I find myself wanting to know "what is going to happen next" but I learned more about the history of 100 years ago and of life in a smaller midwest town. I wonder what his next novel will be about?

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Less HG Wells, More Richard Paul Evans February 18, 2010

By Kendal B. Hunter

Format:Paperback

This is a time travel story, but a heart-warming one at that. So expect the standard conventions of both a Back to the Future movie, and a Richard Paul Evans book. Keep in mind that this book is heart-warming, not mind-bending, so the paradoxes are kept to a minimum. Enjoy the ride, without a headache.

As I read, I fell in love with Kerr's symbols. The Grand Central Symbol is the Completely Restored house. This enchanted house parallels the re-enchantment that the aged and weathered family undergoes as they travel back 100 years. Again, families do not need to go back 100 years to experience the good things that 100 year old principles and practices do for families.

For me, the key scene was Christmas 1909, sans tinsel and Gold Cards. Our little trinkets and baubles are as out-of-date as the living antiques the family bought one another in their temporal flashback.

So expect a book with a healthy message about families, and what we need to to to save society and the world.

There are two things that kept this book back. The first was that the ending was rushed. We get this rapid-fire ticking time-bomb scenario, and then the story is resolved in a flashback. It didn't work for Harry Potter, and it doesn't work here.

The second is the language. Here and there words creep up that might offend my grandmother's soul. The editrix should have caught these and been hard-line.

This book is worth a revised edition to iron out these two flaws. It would make a great holiday Movie of the Week, and could spawn several squeals.

More About the Author

Born and raised in Nebraska, Robert Kerr has called Iowa home for more than thirty years. He attended the University of Nebraska at Kearney, The University of Kansas at Ft. Hays, and the University of Northern Iowa. He holds a master s degree in psychology, and his career path has led him through stints as a welder, a carpenter, a mental hospital attendant, a mortician's assistant, and a general Man Friday for an electrical engineer. Since 1976, he has been a school psychologist in Central Iowa. He and his wife, Joan, have rehabilitated five houses, including a Victorian-era house that inspired Completely Restored. The father of two grown children, he lives with his wife in Ankeny, Iowa. Completely Restored is Robert's first novel.

www.myrobertkerr.com