Legacy Road [Kindle Edition]

Graham Garrison (Author)

Book Description

Wes Watkins’s journalism career took off when he was asked to eulogize Michael Gavin, a stranger to Wes but a hometown hero to the humble folks of Talking Creek, Georgia. While researching Gavin’s life, Wes was confronted with an estranged relationship of his own that he wasn’t prepared to address, having ignored for years the occasional letters from his imprisoned father. Wes has chosen to focus instead on his growing career and his budding relationship with Emmy. His life is looking up . . . until his marriage proposal to Emmy goes south.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Graham Garrison is the author of Hero’s Tribute and Legacy Road. He has published articles in six newspapers and eight magazines,including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, America’s Civil War, Georgia Physician, and Boating World.

Product Details

• File Size: 1490 KB
• Print Length: 218 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0825426715
• Publisher: Kregel Publications (May 8, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0081FZ3BM
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #730,268 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Legacy Road July 9, 2012

By Susan Stitch

Format:Paperback

This is Graham Garrison's second book, a sequel to Hero's Tribute. Wes Watkins, a freelance journalist, is dealing with his future and his past. His father is working to reconcile after a years of abandonment, his mother is facing terminal illness, and Wes is uncovering secrets that blow apart what he thought was truth in his life. At the same time he is going back to college and is struggling to come to terms with letters written by his great grandfather during the Civil War. Wes's girlfriend seems to be dealing with ghosts in her own past, resulting in confusion for both of them.

This book helped remind me that each of us has a past that needs to be dealt with -- finding and accepting the truth, forgiving others and yourself, and moving on toward a fulfilling future.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Redemption, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation July 4, 2012

By THE SELF-TAUGHT COOK

Format:Paperback

Sometimes you can't just ignore broken relationships; you have to mend them, or at least try. That's the lesson Wes Watkins learns in his role as graduate assistant to Professor Paul Gavin. For the research paper Professor Gavin has assigned, Wes has asked his estranged father for his grandfather's Civil War letters. Ron, his dad, has agreed to give him the letters, no strings attached. Wes has had little contact with him since his parents divorced when he was young. His father wrote to him while incarcerated, but he refused to read the letters, keeping them in a box.

His fiancee', Emmy, has a past of her own. While she says she loves Wes, something in her past keeps the relationship from moving forward. She uses her enlistment in the National Guard to keep him at arm's length while dealing with a long-ago broken relationship. Her refusal to explain her past to Wes only fuels his imagination and makes things worse.

In this novel, a sequel to Hero's Tribute, author Graham Garrison weaves the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and reconciliation seamlessly throughout the plot. The broken relationship between Wes and his father, the broken relationship of his parents, the relationship between Ron and his father, just to name a few. The need for self-forgiveness is also shown. Ron learns, as many of us do, that when we fail as parents, it is not easy to forgive ourselves. Emmy's story also demonstrates the difficulty of that task. And finally, the novel shows the most important forms of these: the miracle of man's redemption from sin through the blood of Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins, and our reconciliation into right relationship with God, our Heavenly Father.

I believe that this book would be not only appropriate but enjoyable for any reader. Although I did not touch on it in this review, the Civil War battlefields mentioned throughout the novel would interest anyone interested in the war or history in general.

4 stars

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Kregel Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Kregel Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay Second Novel in the Series July 4, 2012

By L. Courtney VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Legacy Road by Graham Garrison in a follow up to Hero's Tribute by the same author. Wes Watkins seeks to find the truth about the father he has been estranged from for years. He deals with the issues of grace and forgiveness as he faces the things his father has done. Meanwhile all those around Wes seem to be struggling with forgiveness also. His mother has to deal with her feelings toward his father. His would be fiance has to deal with her guilt surrounding an incident in her youth. And in letters Wes has discovered from a Civil War ancestor, her learns his ancestor had his own guilt and forgiveness to deal with.

I had a hard time with this novel. I think I could have gotten into it better if I had read the first book. It was difficult at first to figure out some of the characters and understand what was happening.

Wes Watkins was a good character and made a good hero for our story. The story, once I understood most of it, held my interest and made me eager to find out what secrets all our characters were going to uncover. I liked the way that the story's theme- guilt and forgiveness- ran throughout the book in all of our characters' lives.

There was a little too much introspection in some places. I felt like I was floundering in the angst of the main character. At the same time, I felt like other parts of the story were just breezed over.

I would rate this one a 3.5 stars and a G for anyone to read.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. All opinions are entirely my own.

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