Customer Reviews

They Almost Always Come Home

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Greg and Libby's marriage began its slow decline three years ago with the death of their twelve year old daughter, Lacy. Unable to heal from Lacy's death, they eventually grew apart--Greg no longer knowing how to reach Libby and Libby no longer wanting to be reached. When Greg didn't return from a solo canoeing trip in the Canadian wilderness, the authorities' assumption was he had decided to leave their marriage. Needing to know for sure he'd abandoned her, Libby, Frank (Greg's Father), and Jen (her best friend) decided to retrace Greg's path through the wilderness in hope of discovering if he'd left her or if he's dead. As they began their trip, Libby's not sure which she'd prefer. Would she rather him have left her or died? Honestly she's having a hard time caring, especially since, she was planning to leave him.

They Almost Always Come Home is not so much of a story as a journey. It's a trip through the past and the present searching for hope in the future. This journey of hope is in the midst of grief combined with fragmented relationships and unfailing friendship. There are infinite amounts of material in this book to praise from its simple beauty to its haunting emptiness. This is not a book to be read and set aside, but rather absorbed and contemplated or perhaps discussed among friends or in a group setting. It is a deep, rich book and one I highly recommend.

I've read several books that include the death of a child and they typically attempt to capture the strain on a relationship in the depths of the parent's grief. They also try to help the reader feel the agony of the parents as they weep for the child they've lost. Some are able to accurately capture those moments and present them to the reader. This is one of them. It was pure in its emotions and simple in its presentation. Until experiencing the death of a child, one can never really understand it, but this book came pretty close to immersing the reader into those agonizing moments.

Thankfully Ruchti included a healthy dose of humor. From subtle comments to blatant remarks, this is a story that takes the edge off the situation through humor. Much of the humor will be appreciated by women more than men. In fact, this book in general is definitely geared towards women. I'm not sure many men could identify as easily with the interworking of Libby's mind. It felt feminine all around and worked very well in that regard.

Central to They Almost Always Come Home is hope. Hope they will find Greg, but also hope Libby can reconcile to God. Grief often is accompanied by a rift from God. All those questions that one would like answered often gets in the way of seeing things the way God does. This book doesn't offer answers, which I appreciate. Instead it takes the reader through the journey of one woman's struggles with God. It was the perfect approach for this novel and executed perfectly.

This is a great book, there's no question about it. It was beautiful in numerous ways and a pleasure to read. From the opening scene where Libby is planning her husband's funeral through the gut wrenching agony of the unknown, this is a magnificent story. To quote the ever insightful Larry the Cucumber, "I laughed. I cried. It moved me Bob."

This story had me hooked from the start, as the wife contemplates funeral arrangments for her husband who is late to return from a wilderness trip. I do the same! Funny book. BUT - do not buy the Kindle edition of this book! It is not formatted well for Kindle. The dialoge sections are not separated properly, so it can be hard to keep track of who is speaking. The text switches back and forth between left and centered-justified and the title and author line that appears on the top of hard copy books is inserted at odd spots throughout the book. This is NOT one for kindle.

I loved the first line of this book. It made me smile because I've thought similar things when my husband was late coming home. He's much older than I am so my mind would often race with the what ifs, just like Libby's had. The premise of this story was unique and intriguing. At first when the trio search party headed out looking for Libby's husband, I was pulled in and coasting along. But because I'm not much of a camper I started to lose interest in that aspect of the story. But I hung in there and was glad that I did.

Ruchti's use of snarky internal dialog through Libby's point of view helped keep the story real and interesting. I loved how the story shifted to a different perspective toward the end and how it also showed another side to the situation. I also enjoyed watching God work in these characters' hearts. The relationship between Libby, her father-in-law, and her best friend exemplified real love and commitment. I was deeply involved in their dilemma. Should they give up and turn back, or keep pressing on? Life is often like that and it paralleled this story in many surprising ways. They Almost Always Come Home is a great example of perseverance in the Christian life and how God will carry us through. Cynthia Ruchti was the perfect author to share this life-transforming tale.

This story rings true and although another reader mentioned slow spots, I didn't notice any. Sometimes a book needs a bit of breathing room so tense pacing with a few slower passages make a good read. I'm going to have to figure out how to get Cynthia to be my critique partner. I could learn a lot from her writing skills.

Enough said about that.

Sometimes when our friends are hit by ill health, death, or financial problems it can tear up a marriage. I was intrigued by how real Libby was. And how her mourning for loss made her unable to see the other persons suffering. I liked reading the story and seeing God work in her life as she searched for her husband . . . or his body. She needed closure and in her angst she wasn't sure which would be the more satisfying ending.

If they ever make this into a movie it will be a tear producer. I look forward to Cynthia's next novel.

This book started out pretty good, but then went downhill. It was definitely longer than it needed to be. To me, Greg was a sympathetic character, Libby not so much. I didn't like the story being written in the first person. Some of the descriptions along their journey north were beautiful. For a while, there was suspense but then it became too preachy. I enjoy Christain fiction but this was too much, too preachy, and too many Bible quotes, so much so that it took away from the last quarter of the book. The writing itself was good; there were some Kindle formatting problems but not enough to really be distracting. If I had paid the asking price of 9.99 for this I would be upset, but I picked it up when it was free which is great for a book that was just okay. I probably wouldn't purchase any other books by this author.

She would leave her husband--if she could find him.

Libby and Greg are in an unhappy marriage. Ever since their daughter died their marriage has been floundering. Now, Greg fails to return home from a solo canoe trip to the Canadian wilderness. His boss is calling wondering where he is. But when Libby notifies the authorities, she learns that his vehicle is not parked in the lot to the entry to the park. It is located at a hotel in Canada. Where a man who is not Libby's husband answers the phone.

Libby, her father-in-law, Frank, and Lib's best friend, Jenika, decide to go off on a wilderness trip on their own. But instead of fishing, they are looking for Greg. If his car was stolen, that must mean that Greg is hurt somewhere in the wilderness--or worse.

Will Libby find her husband, her flagging faith, both, or nothing? What will it take for her to even find a sign?

THEY ALMOST ALWAYS COME HOME is the debut novel by Ms. Ruchti. I was blessed to be Cynthia's critique partner in the beginning of this project, and it is wonderful to be able to read this book in its final form.

Libby is struggling with the disappearance of her husband and still grieving the death of her daughter, and as a result she has a lot of issues to work though. She is a very realistic and well-developed character and the reader quickly grows to care. I could even feel the mud sloshing in my boots and get grossed out by filtering bugs from the drinking water with their teeth. I still don't like how the book ends. But otherwise, it is a good read.

In "They Almost Always Come Home," debut author Cynthia Ruchti puts to pen and paper what many women don't dare say aloud. Libby's story lets the reader into the thought process of a woman who wonders if her husband's delayed return from a Canadian wilderness trip means he's left her or if he's lost, or worse, dead.

Libby gives a voice to every woman who has ever wondered if her marriage was worth saving, wondered if her husband cared, and wondered if she wanted him to care. She's the woman so lost in the darkness of grief and emotional pain that she hasn't considered her husband's dreams or fully embraced her own. As Libby, her best friend, and her father-in-law canoe and portage their way through the wilderness in search of Greg, Libby finds her way through the spiritual wilderness she's drifted in for so long.

"They Almost Always Come Home" has just the right balance of serious moments, heartfelt emotion, witty dialogue, and humor. Ruchti has a fresh style and voice as a writer. The story is told in first person present tense, so it's easy for the reader to feel part of the action as it happens. The book has enough mystery to keep the reader hooked from the first page to the last, with a few surprises most readers will never suspect.

There is nothing predictable or formulaic about this book and that places it above so much of the fiction on the market. If Ruchti continues to deliver fresh fiction packed with hope and real faith, she'll have loyal readers for a long time.

When I first received my copy of They Almost Always Come Home, I thought it sounded like a good story. When I first started reading it, I was intrigued, for a little while. I soon found the story slow and I started to get bored. I was actually on the verge of giving up and not finishing the book, but a little voice told me to keep going. I mean, I really did want to see how it would send, so I kept reading. I can honestly say that if I had quit reading the book, it would have been a huge mistake. The slow spot passed and I found myself turning pages and not wanting to put the book down.

They Almost Always Come Home is a powerful story about love, forgiveness, healing, and God's grace - all the really good stuff! Greg and Libby's marriage was on the brink of disaster and Libby's faith was running on empty when Greg went missing in the wilderness of Canada. Libby gets past her anger at Greg for leaving her, or so she thinks, long enough to go looking for him. What she finds will change her life and her faith forever.

This book really had me taking a hard look at my marriage and had me asking questions like, "If my husband were to go missing, would his annoying little habits really seem all that annoying?" and "Would are problems really be that big?" The answer is no. This story puts perspective on those little things that seem like big things at the time. I honestly think this book can do for marriages the same thing the movie Fireproof did for marriages. God has a prominent role in this story as He guides His children where He wants them to go.

I thought for a short time that I would not be writing a favorable review for this book, but I'm so glad I did not give up on it. The premise of this story is original and the message will have a huge impact that will stay with you. I highly recommend this book and if you come to the slow spot and feel the same way I felt, please, do not give up on it. It really does not stay slow for long and you will be thankful you read the book.

Cynthia Ruchti's THEY ALMOST ALWAYS COME HOME is a fascinating tale of a woman's journey from despair to hope and from anger to forgiveness. The obviously talented author grabbed me from page one as she introduced Libby Holden as a wife and mother burdened with the overwhelming pain of her daughter's murder a few years ago.

After twenty years of marriage, tragedy strikes Greg and Libby Holden. Faced with incredible pain and grief, their marriage and relationship begins to crumble. Now, a few years later, Libby is ready to leave Greg. Greg takes off on one of his many camping trips, but this time he doesn't come home. Libby is faced with many questions. Did Greg leave her before she had a chance to leave him? Had he made a clean break from their remains of a marriage? Or, did something horrible happen to him?

While the police are doing all they can, Libby joins her friend Jen and Greg's dad Frank on a journey up north to travel the exact trip Greg would have taken in hopes of finding him. While the trip is interesting, even more important is the journey Libby takes as a person. She'd been ready to leave Greg, blaming him for their daughter's death and also blaming him for not grieving the way he should have. But, on the trip, Libby learns the truth about herself, about Greg, and about the nature of grief and forgiveness.

Objectively, this is a great novel. Great story, great voice, wonderful message, satisfying conclusion. Subjectively, I thought the novel dragged a bit as Libby carried on an internal dialogue. If you think about it, nothing much really happens. Husband doesn't come home, Libby goes to look for him. That takes up a vast majority of the book, so what remains is Libby's personal journey, which at times moved a little slow for me. Also, I don't really think the author convinced the reader of the wisdom of Libby, Jen and Frank looking for Greg on their own. I guess they had an idea where he might be, but I really just had to assume that.

Overall, I was immediately impressed with Ruchti's writing, and then the story won me over as well. Libby and Greg are strong Christians struggling with grief and the spiritual message is strong throughout the novel, but not overly preachy.

I've read a lot of books this past year and this one surpasses them all! Excellent writing, fresh imagery, moving story, and even a fresh voice of a female character who has you thinking one moment, laughing the next and then tearing up when you least expect it. I hope and aspire to be as brilliant of a writer as Cynthia Ruchti someday!! Read and savor a work of excellence through and through!